UN Global Compact Companies Showcase Leading Practices on Respecting Human Rights at Annual Forum on Business & Human Rights
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Geneva, Switzerland
(Geneva, November 18, 2016) – Marking a rising interest in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, over 2,500 participants gathered at the fourth annual Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland on 14-16 November. Hosted by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, business representatives accounted for twenty-two per cent of participants at the Forum – the largest representation since the event began on 2012.
The UN Global Compact brought the voice of responsible business to the Forum’s multi-stakeholder and multi-sector discussions and organized, with partners, a series of interactive sessions under the theme of “Leadership and Leverage: Embedding human rights in the rules and relationships that drive the global economy.” Participants discussed issues related to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights including the role of business in protecting human rights defenders and the civil society space, and what corporate respect for human rights looks like around the world. For the first time in the Forum’s history, a session was devoted to respecting the rights of persons with disabilities in the workplace.
At the Forum, John Ruggie, former UN Special Representative for Business and Human Rights, spoke about the relationship between the Sustainable Development Goals and the Guiding Principles. Ruggie emphasized “for business to maximize its contribution to sustainable development, it must put efforts to advance respect for human rights at the heart of the people part of sustainable development.”
On the final day of the event, the UN Global Compact, in collaboration with a number of business organizations, released a statement on National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights. The statement reaffirms business support for the National Action Plans and provide perspectives on their development. The UN Global Compact also hosted a Meet and Greet for UN Global Compact Human Rights and Labour Working Group members as well as other UN Global Compact participants attending the Forum.
The Forum was chaired by Sergei Alexandrovich Ordzhonikidze, Vice-President of the Council of the Civil Chamber of the Russian Federation and featured notable speakers including Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
- Read the business statement reaffirming support for National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights.
- Watch the video-recorded sessions and read statements made at the Forum.
- View programme of events that took place at the Forum.
- Read John Ruggie's remarks on Making Globalization Work for All.
- Learn more about the UN Global Compact’s work to advance the business contribution to human rights.
- Understand the relationship between the UN Global Compact, the UN Guiding Principles and the Sustainable Development Goals.
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About the Forum on Business and Human Rights
Established by the Human Rights Council and guided by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, the Forum provides a global platform to explore progress on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This year’s forum focused on the need for states to step up their efforts to protect human rights and lead by example, for the dual concepts of leadership and leverage to permeate across the company value chain and in business relationships with various stakeholders, and for human rights to intersect with capital markets while also exploring the responsibility of financiers to drive respect.