Does business have human rights obligations, and if so, what are they? At a conference convened in Johannesburg this week by the Foundation for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and United Nations (UN) Human Rights Commissioner, reviewed the debate on this issue. During the course of this month, John Ruggie, the Harvard professor appointed by the UN secretary-general to identify standards of corporate responsibility and clarify the accountability of business with regard to human rights, is likely to table a further report on his activities and possibly a few tentative conclusions.