Civil society groups in India are urging shareholders of Meta, a global pharmaceutical and healthcare corporation to vote in favor of an investor proposal seeking increased compliance with human rights standards in the country. The proposal, which was filed by several international investors and forms part of Meta’s 2021 Annual General Meeting to be held online on June 4, seeks greater disclosure of the company’s human rights practices, including its steps to address environmental, social and governance issues.
The proposal seeks to align Meta’s Indian operations with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which the company has committed itself to upholding. It calls for the appointment of a senior executive to lead those operations and administer a human rights policy for Meta in India.
The investor proposal is being supported by several civil society and human rights organisations including the National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information (NCPRI), Development Alternatives, the Centre for Social Justice, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Centre for Education and Documentation, and SEWA Bharat.
Civil society groups are asserting their rights as shareholders, and are urging Meta’s investors to use their votes to improve standards of corporate governance and secure progressive compliance with human rights norms in India. They argue that
