"The new frontier? Inequality, business and human rights," Jun 2016

It has been…five years since the adoption of the UN Guiding Principles (UNGP)…This…progress of the Business and Human Rights field has been promising…But for the…field to remain relevant, it needs to…adapt…[I]nequality, human rights and business are inextricably intertwined…Not only do human rights violations drive inequality (e.g. erosion of labor rights…) but unequal societies are also more likely to pose challenges to…human rights…[C]orporate tax abuse and…shareholder interests have served to skew…wealth…towards the world’s wealthiest individuals and largest corporations. There is…consensus…that the existing economic paradigm…has reproduced a dynamic that has led to…concentrated market power into the hands of a few…[T]he rise in inequality has also contributed to a…proliferation of initiatives that aim to transform the dominant economic model in service of a more humane economy…[A] global economic system that enables a more equitable distribution of incomes and wealth goes hand in hand with ensuring greater respect for human rights…Business and Human Rights can help to ensure that the transformative efforts needed to overcome…inequality…occur in respect of human rights…