If the facts reported in the op-ed, “A Nobel Laureate's Problem at Home” (January 21, 2012) are correct, then Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf acted contrary to the “United Nations Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights,” which the Human Rights Council endorsed unanimously in June 2011...The Principles affirm the state duty to “protect” against human rights abuses by third parties, including business, and that business independently should “respect” human rights by, among other means, exercising “due diligence” and consulting with affected individuals and communities before launching into projects that have a high risk of harming human rights. In this case, it seems that the Malaysian palm oil company concerned, Sime Darby, had begun consultations with affected villages. Indeed, a company representative expressed support for the Guiding Principles in a letter to me dated 20 May 2011.