Human Rights Day: The Role of Business in Respecting People and Their Rights - Seite 3

Q: Speaking about the human rights impacts through the use of SAP solutions, where do you see the biggest risks and opportunities at the moment?

SR: As part of SAP's downstream human rights due diligence, we have identified artificial intelligence (AI) as high impact solution area in the context of human rights. It's also been frequently addressed as key topic throughout the recent UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva. AI is transforming our economy and society. This trend is expected to accelerate in the coming years, bringing new opportunities and challenges for society and human rights. SAP actively addresses legitimate concerns, coming up with new AI technology through SAP's Guiding Principles for AI Ethics and dedicated due diligence governance, processes, and the SAP Global AI Ethics Policy. In addition, we have started to investigate human rights risks and mitigation measures in our upstream supply chain linked to the outsourcing of generative AI training.

DS: On the other hand, I also see the opportunity for SAP to advance human rights by developing innovative solutions that help customers embed human rights into their business and supply chain strategies. This includes our supply chain management solution that offers risk mapping based on financial as well as sustainability indicators, which also cover human rights aspects. Our human resource management solutions furthermore provide tools and features to address unconscious bias in recruitment and hiring, support inclusivity, and ensure equitable remuneration and career advancement. Finally, there is also the opportunity to leverage corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs to advance economic, societal, and cultural rights that support youth-in-need to thrive in the sustainable and digital economy. A prime example of our efforts is SAP Educate to Employ, targeting youth-in-need aged 14 to 30 with skill-building programs to bring them into jobs in the broad SAP ecosystem and beyond by linking education with employability within a sustainable and digital economy.

Q: Would you agree that, with mandatory human rights due diligence on the rise, embracing human rights in business is becoming mainstream? Against this backdrop, how is SAP doing compared to others?

DS: In my conversations with customers and peers in leading sustainability positions, compliance with human rights legislation definitely comes up as a key priority. However, I also notice that companies continue to struggle to manage their social effects. It did not really surprise me, when I read that a 2022 Economist survey revealed that companies haven't made as much progress on social as on environmental issues, and only 36% had incorporated social impact into corporate strategy compared with 47% for environmental. This shows that we still have a way to go.