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Article

2 Jan 2013

Author:
Arvind Ganesan, Human Rights Watch, on World Economic Forum Blog

Reflections on the state of business and human rights

A decade ago, few companies recognized their human rights responsibilities, but today no sophisticated company denies them. In the last year, [these responsibilities]…were recognized by the United Nations when it approved the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights…[M]ultistakeholder mechanisms to ensure companies or business activity accounts for human rights [have developed]...but they are still voluntary measures…That needs to change…If the last decade was about recognizing that companies have human rights responsibilities, then the next few years should be about enacting new rules that require companies to live up to those responsibilities.