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The renewal of US-imposed sanctions on Iran means that many companies are exiting the country. Pursuant to international standards, companies are responsible for assessing and mitigating any harmful impacts on people and the environment that can result from exiting a country. This Special Issue IBR briefing provides practical suggestions based on company practice to address the challenges that exiting Iran poses for companies.
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Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) constitute widely accepted tools for the initial identification of adverse impacts on people and the environment from any business activity, but critical gaps in the regulation and practice of ESIAs in Iran emerge when compared to international standards. This IBR briefing details the challenges this presents for responsible business in Iran and the steps companies can take to begin addressing them.
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The abuse of migrants in the workplace, and their vulnerability to modern slavery, is a growing problem worldwide. This creates risks for companies as they can find themselves linked to migrant worker exploitation. In Iran, this risk is acute due to the large number of migrant labourers in many sectors of the economy. This IBR briefing highlights key aspects of the issue and offers companies initial suggestions for addressing the challenge in Iran.
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Companies entering Iran will find a challenging occupational health and safety (OHS) environment, in which workplace accidents and deaths significantly exceed international and developing country averages. These challenges can be addressed by implementing responsible OHS practices and by putting in place systems to help ensure business partners in Iran do the same. Some Iranian companies and state agencies have indicated a desire to improve OHS standards, which should help foreign investors’ efforts in this direction.
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In order to avoid and mitigate negative impacts on people and the environment, companies must have in place a due diligence process for responsible business. The first step of this process is identifying actual and potential adverse impacts from any business activity. Yet companies will find there are challenges in Iran to obtaining the information and enlisting the local cooperation necessary to identify such impacts. In this briefing, IBR summarises these challenges and proposes ways forward.
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The easing of international sanctions against Iran has opened up the opportunity for increased foreign business activity in the country. Yet any business activity will be taking place in a context that poses significant challenges for companies. In this briefing, IBR highlights business practices and conditions prevalent in Iran that pose challenges to responsible business, and the need to develop strategies that enable companies to avoid adverse impacts on people and the environment.
