As stakeholders from around the world prepare for the 2017 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, here are three areas in which business is already making a difference... 

1. Advancing gender equality

Ensuring that women are afforded equal opportunities and pay in the workplace makes solid business sense. According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund, the underutilisation of the female labour force results in losses of up to 27% of GDP in some world regions. While government policies can be helpful in addressing persistent gender gaps in economic participation and pay, the private sector has already stepped up to combat such structural inequalities. Coca-Cola’s 5by20 initiative aims to develop 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2020...

2.  Promoting rights online [...]

3. Responding for refugees

Private sector companies have often been vocal in challenging negative narratives around migrants and have a key role to play in helping the newly arrived men, women and children integrate into economies and societies... Further case studies of how business is productively engaging in the promotion of human rights can be found in the Human Rights and Business Dilemmas Forum.