"Navigating a new era of business and human rights", July 2019

In this open-access collection, more than thirty frontline and forefront contributors provide their insights [regarding]... the field of business and human rights... [This book] aim[s] not only to critically assess the challenges and opportunities, but also to examine the extent to which these represented a continuum of past debates, discourses, and ideas, or (potential) breakthrough—indeed, whether these developments signal a “new era” of business and human rights... [T]he voices that emerge in this volume point to a common need in this “new era” on business and human rights, namely the necessity of distinguishing the substance from the smoke and mirrors... Several of the chapters speak to the need for collaboration between different stakeholder groups, from investors and businesses to governments, civil society and workers organizations... [One author identified] the value of practical and pragmatic regulation [and] the importance of coordinated transformative change [as common themes]... While there may be no steadfast path in such a vast field, many chapters point to the human rights based approach as a possible lodestar. A human rights based approach (HRBA) lens reminds that the essence of BHR is to embed protection systems in and around business activities that confront predatory or otherwise harmful conduct and enable people, particularly the most marginalized and vulnerable individuals and collectives, to exercise their human rights.