NXP Talks About Human Rights at the UN

Kurt Sievers and Tony Khaw discussing the company's appearance at the 2020 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights - Nov 2020.

At NXP, our vision is to advance society not only by making smart technology safer and more effective, but doing so in ways that improve a sustainable environment, respect human rights, and encourage diversity and opportunity.

That's why I was particularly proud earlier this month when Tony Khaw, our Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, was a featured panelist at the Annual UN Forum on Business and Human Rights (here's a story about the event). I had a chance to ask him about his work for us on human rights; what follows are highlights of our conversation:

It's the third year in a row that NXP has been invited to share our insights and best practices with the group.

I had a chance to ask him about his work for us on human rights; what follows are highlights of our conversation:

So Tony, how would you describe our engagement on this issue?

NXP has been on a human rights’ due diligence journey for the past 8 years, which has focused on building the capability to identify our most salient human rights risks of forced and bonded labor in the recruitment, hiring and managing the employment of foreign migrant workers in our own operations and in our supply chain.

That's so true. I'm reminded of the coveted Stop Slavery award that NXP earned from the Thomson Reuters Foundation in 2016. It was a wonderful validation of our work to date and also a call-to-action for us to continue our efforts.

Yes, while it is important to recognize the importance of human rights due diligence to identify the risks, we must never lose sight of the third pillar of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which is "Access to Remedy." So, we've done a lot of work to engage with workers and give them access to remedy, by providing them information or phone numbers to call in case of any human rights violations, or any other work-related issues. NXP recognizes the importance of workers' voices. I think that a workforce that is respected and has a voice will help businesses weather a crisis such as the current pandemic. 

I have been struck by the difference we continue to make in the lives of migrant workers, for instance, which is nicely described in this documentary: Making a Difference for Foreign Migrant Workers.

How has COVID-19 impacted our work?

We've put in place new methods to continue our due diligence efforts during the pandemic lockdowns/border closures and travel restrictions by conducting pulse surveys on our high priority suppliers to understand how the pandemic has affected their business and operations, and how their workers are impacted. This has been followed by phone calls to validate the survey results and, more recently, conducting remote audits to further assess these impacts.

Also, we've relied on that workers' voice I mentioned earlier, which allowed workers to notify us of their predicaments resulting from the pandemic, such as being stranded and unable to get home. Some of them were even at risk of running out of food, as was the case with a few workers who worked for the cafeteria contractor at our facility in Malaysia and were at the end of their contracts when the pandemic hit. NXP worked with a local Civil Society Organization (CSO) to provide support to the affected workers such as providing food supplies until they could find passage home, and we also checked up on their wellbeing thereafter.

What's the next thing that has to be done?

We're continuing to monitor conditions and engage with the communities in which we operate or upon which we rely, so that we can stay agile and respond to conditions as they evolve. We are also looking to learn lessons from how our human rights' due diligence processes function during these difficult times, so we can make them even more resilient going forward.

Tony's point about an ongoing journey is core to our perspective on sustainability: We are on a journey to address and help improve the economic, social and environmental challenges all of us face. The honor of being included in the UN's annual event on business and human rights recognizes our efforts and should be a challenge to all of us to keep up the good and important work that we do.

Because together, we are changing the world.

#WeAreNXP