Article
[DOC] Statement by the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights to the Sub-Committee on Human Rights of the European Parliament
The Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights... express intention has been to demonstrate how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be integrated into business management... Our member companies are...ABB, Areva, Barclays, Ericsson, Gap Inc., General Electric, Hewlett Packard, National Grid, Novartis, Newmont, Novo Nordisk [part of Novo Group], Statoil, The Coca-Cola Company and Zain...In the brief time allowing, I would like to make just three major points to you today: First, that Business needs States to champion this common framework [Professor John Ruggie’s Protect, Respect and Remedy framework]; Second, that the voluntary/mandatory nature of the debate has been over-polarised within the European Union; and Third, there is a real opportunity for European leadership. [also refers to Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Sanofi-Aventis, Suez, Veolia, Thames Water (part of RWE), Pepsi]