Microsoft Global Human Rights Statement

The power of technology to promote human rights: Technology is increasingly an essential gateway to the enjoyment of human rights everywhere. Governments, civil society, businesses and individuals have a responsibility to apply the power of technology to enable all individuals to achieve their full potential and protect their human rights. Our global public policy supports the use of technology to advance human rights and we are committed to driving technology forward without leaving anyone behind.

Good governance and the rule of law: Microsoft supports human rights by promoting good governance and the rule of law around the world. Advancing good governance and the rule of law is an important aspect of corporate responsibility. Both are vitally important to human rights. For example, good governance and the rule of law lead to reliable enforcement of labor and environmental laws and promote justice and national security systems that maintain an appropriate balance between protecting people’s safety and protecting people’s rights from government infringement. Microsoft advocates across the globe for public policies and laws that promote innovation while protecting human rights.

Engagement: We can more effectively respect human rights through our presence in, rather than absence from, countries with significant human rights challenges. Responsible engagement with people and governments in these difficult environments often holds greater promise for advancement of human rights, especially in the medium- and long-term.

Key factors in making this approach a success include the use of a multi-stakeholder engagement, including engagement with local stakeholder groups, using our leverage to influence other primary actors, and undertaking due diligence to identify and mitigate potential human rights impacts.

A global approach: Business approaches to human rights should be based on internationally recognized standards. Microsoft respects the human rights defined in the following declaration and covenants: Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

As a global Information and Communications Technology (ICT) company operating in more than 100 countries, we respect all human rights - civil, political, economic, social, and cultural.

Microsoft can best meet its responsibility to respect human rights through our work in five key areas:

Our policies and practices on government demands: Our commitment to the rule of law requires us to comply with local law where we do business. When we face requirements from governments to provide user data or remove content, we respect and protect privacy rights and freedom of expression by verifying whether the government demands are valid, binding and otherwise comply with the rule of law. We also assess whether the local law is consistent with international law and international human rights norms.

Our products: As a reflection of our commitment to human rights and to our billions of users, Microsoft seeks to provide products and services that empower everyone, across all abilities, languages, origins or other statuses. Many of our products, including but not limited to Bing, Office, Outlook and Skype foster free expression as an enabling technology, and provide controls to help users protect their privacy. Our products are offered in over 100 local languages. We prioritize accessibility in the design and development of products, using inclusive design principles to meet our commitment of creating and delivering technology that empowers people with disabilities.

Our partnerships: We are strongest when we work together, so partnerships and multi-stakeholder collaborations are at the heart of our efforts. Respecting the entire spectrum of human rights can be challenging for a business as diverse as Microsoft, which also has billions of globally dispersed rights holders.

Societies across the globe are working to maintain the privacy rights of their citizens as well as to keep their people safe. To help support both goals, Microsoft works in partnership with industry and multi-stakeholder groups. We were early signatories to the United Nations Global Compact and we are a founding member of the Global Network Initiative (GNI), a collaborative effort among ICT companies, civil society organizations, socially responsible investors, and academics. Microsoft subscribes to the GNI Principles and Implementation Guidelines, which provide practical steps and policies that ICT companies can adopt to respect and advance the freedom of expression and privacy rights of their users.

Our employees: We respect the rights of our employees in accordance with the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Microsoft policies that incorporate these protections include our Equal Employment Opportunity Policy, Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Policy, and our Standards of Business Conduct. These policies are complemented by a full range of programs that support the well-being of our employees and their family members, including employee benefits focused on health, personal wellness, parental leave, diversity and inclusion, and education.

Our suppliers: Our human rights commitment extends to our thousands of suppliers. All Microsoft suppliers must agree to and abide by our Supplier Code of Conduct, which protects workers’ rights by setting clear standards for ethical business practices, employment practices, and compliance with environmental and worker safety requirements. We apply risk-based approaches for the responsible management of our suppliers, we require all suppliers to complete a mandatory Supplier Code of Conduct training, and we regularly audit them to ensure our Code is being met.

Through our Responsible Sourcing of Raw Materials policy, Microsoft is committed to the human rights, labor, health and safety, environment, and ethics associated with the harvesting, extraction and transportation of raw materials as a global responsibility applicable to all substances used in our products unbounded by specific materials or locations. This commitment includes our efforts working toward the use of conflict-free minerals in our devices. Addressing the most entrenched human rights problems in complex supply chains is a shared responsibility, often requiring industry-wide and multi-stakeholder approaches.

 

We work to meet our responsibilities to respect human rights by:

 

 

 

 

At times of natural disasters or humanitarian crises, we help impacted communities access technology and information when and where they need it most.

 

We are committed to closing the opportunity gap that many young people face today through Microsoft programs focused on technology education in underserved and underrepresented communities.

 

Internal governance: The Regulatory and Public Policy Committee of Microsoft’s Board of Directors is responsible for reviewing Microsoft's corporate responsibility policies and programs including human rights. Microsoft’s President and Chief Legal Officer oversees the implementation of these policies working within the Microsoft Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs division. The Microsoft Technology and Human Rights Center coordinates our efforts to identify, address and report our human rights risks and opportunities, promotes the role of technology in protecting human rights, and fosters dialogue on these issues with human rights experts and stakeholders.