NGOs dissatisfied? Fine with me…
Author: Christine Bader, former Advisor to UN Special Representative on business & human rights Ruggie, on CSRwire TalkBack, Published on: 6 July 2011
Last month, the U.N. Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed the Guiding Principles for business and human rights. Despite overwhelming support of the principles from many previously-opposed camps...a number of civil society groups expressed disappointment...[Part] of me would prefer to see hugs and high-fives all around...But NGOs are right to keep pushing for more...[A] wide range of stakeholders had already begun applying Ruggie’s work in recent years...But there are still people being hurt every day by corporate activity that urgently need greater protection. The Guiding Principles don’t suddenly solve all of the world’s problems...[G]roups that aim to protect the world’s most vulnerable people will never be able to call it a day...There are a number of companies proactively exploring how to embed human rights in their operations, but they are very much in the minority.