"Putting the Blame on Governments: Why Firms and Governments have Failed to Advance the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights", June 2014

We have been studying the adoption of the GPs since 2011. Although the number of firms implementing the GPs is gradually increasing, the number of corporate adopters remains small. Herein, we blame governments, as well as business. We believe governments are not doing enough to inform their firms about their human rights responsibilities or about the GPs. After all, under international law governments have the principal responsibility to protect human rights against abuse by third parties, including business enterprises. According to the GPs, states “should set out clearly the expectation that all business enterprises domiciled in their territory and/or jurisdiction respect human rights throughout their operations.” The GPs also recommended that states could use tools, including regulatory or procurement policies, to encourage business respect for human rights...Until governments provide the incentive for executives to act, uptake of the GPs will continue to be minimal.