I am honored to have been asked to deliver the opening address and to chair this inaugural United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights. And what an extraordinary gathering it is, in size and diversity—with nearly 1,000 participants from 85 countries, representing all sectors of society…This morning, I have been tasked with providing an overall context for our discussions over the next two days. I’ll do so by briefly addressing four questions: Why were the Guiding Principles deemed necessary? What are they expected to achieve? What have been some major developments since June 2011? And what lessons should we draw for the next phases of our journey?