Project overview
June 2021 marked the 10-year anniversary of the adoption of the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights (UNGPs) by the UN Human Rights Council. To mark this occasion, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights launched a new project to further drive and scale up implementation of the UNGPs more widely over the next 10 years. The project had two main components:
- Take stock of the first ten years of UNGPs implementation. This included assessing progress, gaps, and challenges, as well as obstacles and opportunities for advancing more robust policy action and change in the coming years. This analysis was presented in a “stocktaking” report to the Human Rights Council. Recognizing the important role of the financial sector as a driver for faster UNGPs implementation, the general stocktaking report was accompanied by an addendum report focused on uptake by and recommendations for institutional investors and others in the investment community.
- The stocktaking was followed by a “roadmap for the next decade”, with forward-looking recommendations for State actors and businesses, as well as other actors who have a role to play in promoting implementation of the UNGPs.
This portal includes key material and updates about the UNGPs10+ project.
This 10-year anniversary is an important milestone but there is much more at stake in our current environment which makes today a real inflection point for the future we want.Anita Ramasastry & Dante Pesce, UN Working Group on Business & Human Rights
Focus Areas
The UNGPs10+ project looked at drivers and opportunities for speeding and scaling up implementation of the UNGPs, including:
Mandatory Due Diligence
Effective legal drivers are critical to creating large-scale changes in business practices. The current momentum among governments worldwide to require human rights due diligence from companies is a key opportunity to advance business respect for human rights.
Financial Sector Actors
The role of financial actors and rise in ESG investing is a significant leverage point for driving corporate respect for human rights. The UNGPs10+ project carried out research and consultation in the areas of development finance and institutional investment.
Applying the UNGPs to COVID-19 Responses
Canva
The UNGPs are more relevant than ever. It is critical that they are applied when responding to COVID-19 and building a better future.
Thematic Work
UNGPs10+
For other thematic work of the UN Working Group, which helped inform the UNGPs10+ work further, see the official project page.
To remain powerful, the UNGPs will need to demonstrate they can contribute to system-wide solutions to [current] challenges.Phil Bloomer & Mauricio Lazala, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
Featured contents
A roadmap for the next decade of business & human rights
Raising the Ambition - Increasing the Pace: The Working Group sets out key action areas for the road ahead and for getting closer to fuller UNGPs realisation.
UNGPs at 10: taking stock of the first decade
The Working Group’s stocktaking report
UNGPs 10+ stocktaking report on institutional investment
Taking stock of investor implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
Working Group statements
Statements delivered by members of the UN Working Group at various global events
A vision for the next decade of business and human rights
The UNGPs have contributed to significant achievements, but much more is needed to realize their vision, write Anita Ramasastry and Dante Pesce, as they look to the path ahead on business and human rights.
UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights at 10 – A vision for the future
The UNGPs10+ agenda must be used to create a New Social Contract and Green New Deals to deliver greater shared prosperity and security in the next decade, write Phil Bloomer and Mauricio Lazala.
