"Human Rights, the Sustainable Development Goals and Business: A Shared Responsibility", 25 Sep 2015

Development must be about more than just measures of poverty and increasing financial resources - it must be about advancing human dignity...The focus now must be on promoting understanding and implementation. Governments cannot and should not be expected to shoulder the burden of upholding human rights single-handedly. Whilst the roles of NGOs and academics have long been recognised, businesses of all shapes and sizes also have a transformational impact...Businesses possess the capital, jobs, infrastructure and new technology necessary to help reshape the development landscape for the better. To achieve this, corporate leaders must focus on creating shared value and avoiding human rights risks...The international business and human rights framework, especially the 2011 UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, should be the starting point for this...I hope that companies engage with the SDGs and build respect for human rights into the fabric of their businesses and commercial strategies, and in this way play their part in championing the human right to development.