"Business And Human Rights… More Than Lofty Rhetoric?," 13 Jun 2016

This Thursday, it will be five years since the United Nations Human Rights Council first adopted the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This post argues that while the UK has demonstrated its commitment to these principles and the protection of human rights in business, there is still room for improvement… Since 2011, the UK National Contact Point (NCP)…has been tasked with handling complaints relating to multinational companies and their human rights compliance…However, out of 25 human rights cases brought to the NCP since 2011, only one has been fully accepted and concluded…The good news is that efforts to ensure companies uphold human rights appear to be increasing. The G7…met…and discussed enhancing supply chain transparency and accountability. The Equality and Human Rights Commission…recently published guidance helping company directors ensure human rights are respected…The key is making sure these efforts are more than lofty rhetoric from companies jumping onto a fashionable bandwagon…[Also refers to BT, Nike, and Shell.]