Since its foundation by Pierre Bellon, Sodexo has endeavoured in its activities to comply with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Labour Organisation principles. Though governments have the primary responsibility for promoting, respecting and protecting Human Rights, the Sodexo Group, as an international company present in 80 countries, recognises its own responsibility to promote and guarantee human rights as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Sodexo adheres to the principles

• of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

• of the Tripartite declaration of principles of the International Labour Organisation concerning multinational enterprises and social policy,

• of the United Nations Global Compact: Global Compact – Human Rights,

• Policy on respecting Human Rights also available in English, Chinese, French, German, Hungarian, Laotian, Spanish and Thai. In 2011, Sodexo created the Group Charter concerning the four Fundamental Rights at Work:

    - Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining

    - Elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor

    - Effective abolition of child labor

    - Elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation