"Human rights defenders & civic space - the business & human rights dimension." 

The safety and security of human rights defenders (HRDs) and increased threats to civic freedoms has become increasing public concern globally. It is also one of the most urgent issues for the business and human rights agenda, as defenders find themselves at great personal risk, including the risk of death and grave bodily harm... The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights has decided to focus on this critical issue in its own work... The Working Group organized a workshop in Geneva, Switzerland, on 11 May 2017... [and] aims to consult further with a wider range of stakeholders, including human rights defenders themselves. Inputs will be sought through the Working Group’s country visits and participation in meetings in different world regions... A call for written inputs has been issued, with an initial deadline of 1 September 2017. The Working Group plans to issue a draft guidance document toward the end of 2017 for stakeholder feedback, and to finalize the guidance document for publication in 2018... [and] hopes to come up with practical recommendations that elaborate on implications of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.