Critiques of Guiding Principles by Amnesty Intl., Human Rights Watch, FIDH, others - debate with Ruggie
On 22 November 2010, UN Special Representative on business & human rights John Ruggie proposed draft "Guiding Principles for the Implementation of the United Nations 'Protect, Respect and Remedy' Framework", and launched a consultation on the Guiding Principles to which all stakeholders could submit comments.
- Draft report by Special Representative Ruggie with full text of Guiding Principles & commentaries [PDF]
The consultation received over 100 submissions (all available here), positive and negative, including many from NGOs. Among them, Amnesty International, CIDSE, ESCR-Net, Human Rights Watch, International Commission of Jurists, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID) made a joint submission:
"Joint Civil Society Statement on the draft Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights" [PDF], 14 Jan 2011
This submission garnered coverage in the Financial Times: "Rights groups slam UN plan for multinationals", Hugh Williamson, 17 Jan 2011. Ruggie responded with this letter [PDF], 17 Jan 2011. Amnesty International and FIDH then issued rejoinders:
Amnesty Intl. response to John Ruggie, 20 Jan 2011
FIDH response to Financial Times article & John Ruggie [PDF], 20 Jan 2011
Sir Mark Moody-Stuart and Stéphane Brabant of the law firm Herbert Smith made statements supportive of Ruggie in response to the NGO statement:
Letter to Financial Times by Sir Mark Moody Stuart, Vice Chairman, UN Global Compact Board, 20 Jan 2011
Commentary by Stéphane Brabant, Herbert Smith LLP [DOC], 25 Jan 2011
Human Rights Watch, Ruggie and Amnesty Intl. UK then engaged in this exchange:
Human Rights Watch letter to Financial Times, in response to John Ruggie, 28 Jan 2011
John Ruggie response to Human Rights Watch [PDF], 28 Jan 2011
Response [PDF] by Peter Frankental, Amnesty UK, to Ruggie's 28 Jan statement, 4 Feb 2011