"Business enterprises: Consult, respect and protect human rights defenders, says cross regional group of NGOs"

Business can and should play a proactive positive role to engage and support human rights defenders and civil society, a cross regional group of 39 rights organisations together with ISHR said today on the occasion of the United Nation’s Forum on Business and Human Rights. The statement highlights concrete ways for businesses to consult, respect and protect human rights defenders, while also deploring the significant risks to their lives and livelihoods many human rights defenders face on a daily basis...As documented in ISHR’s new Human Rights Defender Toolkit for Promoting Business Respect for Human Rights, there is a strong business case for proactively respecting and protecting human rights - on the basis that it protects a company’s reputation, safeguards its customer and investor base, assists in attracting and retaining employees and reduces operational and legal costs...Some of the steps which business can take are legal obligations, such as the requirement to desist from direct or indirect attacks against them. Others, such as speaking out publicly in support of HRDs who are at risk, constitute good business practice, the statement said.