Dinant Joins Voluntary Principles On Security and Human Rights
Honduran Company is First Agribusiness in World to be Awarded Provisional Membership
TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS, Feb. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dinant today received confirmation that it has been awarded provisional membership of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, a highly prestigious and internationally recognized benchmark that strictly governs how organizations vet, recruit and train their security men and women, and how they engage with local communities.
The unanimous vote in Dinant’s favor was taken by a high-level group of NGOs, private corporations and governmental bodies engaged in a dialogue on security and human rights.
Company spokesman, Roger Pineda, said, “Dinant has been fully implementing the Voluntary Principles for many years, using them as a guide during some of the company’s most difficult situations, so everyone here is delighted that our efforts have been formally recognized by such a credible organization. By investing significantly in modernizing our security and engaging with local communities, we have been able to operate successfully and peacefully in some of the most challenging parts of Honduras. In turn, this has given us a platform to expand our international exports and generate more well-paid, sustainable jobs.”
Dinant is on track to achieve full membership of the Voluntary Principles Initiative within the probationary period for new members. The company’s successful implementation of the VPs is being closely watched and replicated by other companies in Honduras and Guatemala.
Going beyond the requirements of the VPs, Dinant prohibits security guards from carrying firearms at its plantations, palm oil extraction mills and manufacturing plants. This ground-breaking initiative – introduced in 2013 with the full support of the guards and their families – has been independently verified by the IFC.
Regional community grievance mechanisms continue to be administered by Dinant’s professional social liaison staff working at the heart of local communities.
In 2017, Dinant was one of two Honduran companies invited by the United States secretaries of State and Homeland Security to participate in a Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America held in Washington, D.C.
Dinant is a family-owned consumer products manufacturer founded in Honduras in 1960. Its products are sold across Central America and the Dominican Republic. In March 2019, Dinant was recognized as a Great Place to Work© in Central America and the Caribbean based on an independent staff survey on teamwork, leadership, and the absence of discrimination in the workplace.
Dinant’s 2019 Progress Report can be found in English here: https://www.dinant.com/noticias/2019-progress-report-dinant-security-and-human-rights-implementation-program/?lang=en.
For more information, please visit www.dinant.com.
This material is distributed by Tricuro LLC on behalf of Corporación Dinant. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
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Roger Pineda Pinel Corporacion Dinant +504 22398800 roger.pineda@dinant.com
