Your inviting me...demonstrates how tightly linked the worlds of business and human rights have become. Your Forum is very timely because this subject has evolved rapidly in the international community...I’ll address three questions today: Why did the United Nations think it necessary to produce global guidance on business and human rights? What do the Guiding Principles require of companies? And what’s next?...The answer to the “why” question can be expressed in one word: globalization. By the 1990s, many businesses on the frontlines of globalization...found themselves accused of human rights violations in their overseas operations...What Do the GPs Mean for Companies? The Guiding Principles address the human rights obligations of states as well as the responsibilities of companies...Consequences and Next Steps[:] The GPs now are the most authoritative global standard for business and human rights...The Guiding Principles are hardly the final word...Further work is needed to understand their implications for best practices in particular sectors or in relation to particular dilemmas and to spread that learning.