Guillaume Barberousse, Sustainable Development Director, Proparco
Working with Ksapa on our Human Rights initiative has been transformative for French DFI Proparco. Their structured approach helped us move beyond compliance to truly integrate human rights considerations into our investment strategy. The cross-divisional workshops and client engagement webinar were particularly valuable, giving us practical tools while building internal momentum. This support from Ksapa has been helpful to better support our clients in addressing human rights challenges in complex markets while enhancing our positive impact.
Context
Facing growing stakeholder expectations and evolving regulatory frameworks (Duty of Vigilance regulations, EU SFDR regulations, EU Taxonomy), French DFI Proparco initiated preparatory work in 2022 to effectively integrate human rights across its activities. This approach resulted in the development of a roadmap and the creation of a cross-divisional Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) spanning multiple departments.
client challenge
Proparco, like all Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), faced several major challenges:
- Meeting growing expectations from partners, investors, and regulators regarding human rights risk management
- Moving beyond existing standards such as IFC PS’s, which are necessary but insufficient for a holistic approach
- Supporting clients who expressed a need for guidance in integrating human rights into their practices
Ksapa was mandated to coordinate and facilitate HRWG activities during 2024-2025, with the mission to support group leadership, strengthen team capabilities, and prepare a preliminary position paper.
results & impact
The collaboration with Ksapa enabled significant progress:
- HRWG structuring through the preparation and facilitation of meetings organized to monitor roadmap progress
- Capability building via the preparation and delivery of training sessions for internal teams
- Proactive client engagement with a webinar bringing together numerous client entities to discuss these complex issues
- Development of a strategic approach to integrate human rights into sector priorities targeted for strategic investments
- Structured recommendations for 2025-2026, including a proactive approach with clients, divisional commitment to an enhanced roadmap (V2), and a progress monitoring system
This approach strengthened Proparco’s position as a responsible development finance actor, capable of supporting its clients in integrating human rights for sustainable positive impact.
ACCELERATE YOUR HUMAN RIGHTS JOURNEY
Want to transform your human rights strategy into concrete actions to meet growing stakeholder expectations? Contact our experts to develop a customized approach that enhances your positive impact while managing risks effectively.
📩 Contact us: contact@ksapa.org
🎓 Learn more: Discover our publications on human rights on our website.
