UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights: What They Are and Why They Matter
Businesses have a significant
impact on human rights, both positively and negatively. They can create jobs,
provide goods and services, support innovation and development, but they can
also harm workers, communities, consumers, and the environment. How can
businesses ensure that they respect human rights in their operations and supply
chains? How can states protect their citizens from business-related human
rights abuses? How can victims of such abuses access effective remedies?
These are some of the
questions that the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs)
aim to answer. The UNGPs are a set of 31 principles that provide a global
framework for addressing the relationship between business and human rights.
They were proposed by former UN Special Representative John Ruggie and endorsed
by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011.
The UNGPs are based on three
pillars:
- The state duty to protect
human rights against violations by third parties, including businesses;
- The corporate
responsibility to respect human rights throughout their activities and
relationships;
- The need for greater access
to effective remedy for victims of business-related human rights abuses.
The UNGPs apply to all states
and all businesses, regardless of their size, sector, location, ownership or
structure. They are not legally binding in themselves, but they reflect and
build on existing international human rights standards and practices. They also
provide guidance for implementing other relevant initiatives such as the UN
Global Compact, which is a voluntary platform for businesses to align their
strategies with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and
anti-corruption.
The UNGPs have been widely
recognized as a landmark achievement in the field of business and human rights.
They have inspired various actions by states, businesses, civil society
organizations, investors, academics and others to promote respect for human
rights in the business context. Some examples include:
- The development of national
action plans on business and human rights by several states;
- The adoption of human
rights policies and due diligence processes by many companies;
- The creation of grievance
mechanisms and remediation schemes by some businesses;
- The integration of human
rights criteria into investment decisions by some financial institutions;
- The establishment of
multi-stakeholder platforms and networks to share best practices and
challenges;
- The production of research
reports and tools to measure progress and gaps.
However, despite these
positive developments, there is still a long way to go before the UNGPs are
fully implemented around the world. Many challenges remain such as:
- The lack of awareness or
political will among some states and businesses to adopt or enforce relevant
laws and policies;
- The complexity and
diversity of business operations and supply chains, which make it difficult
to identify and address
potential or actual impacts on human rights;
- The power imbalance between
some businesses and affected stakeholders, which limits their ability
to voice their concerns or
seek redress;
- The limited resources and
capacity of some states, businesses, civil society organizations, and victims
to engage effectively with
the UNGPs.
Therefore,
it is crucial that all actors
involved in business activities continue to work together towards achieving the
vision of the UNGPs: a world where business respects human rights, states
protect them, and victims have access to remedy.
If you want to learn more
about the UNGPs, you can visit these websites:
[1]
https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/big-issues/un-guiding-principles-on-business-human-rights/
No comments:
Post a Comment