Three and a half years after the UN Human Rights Council's endorsement of the Guiding Principles, only four governments have National Action Plans in which they set out a coherent policy strategy for business and human rights. Two thirds of the governments we spoke to cited challenges in coordinating business and human rights actions across government departments as well as a lack of awareness about the field. Despite this seemingly slow progress, I am optimistic about the growing momentum among governments around the world to protect human rights from business impacts...When we recently contacted over 100 governments with questions on their actions on business and human rights, more than a dozen said that they are considering or developing a National Action Plan, including Brazil, Germany and the US...National Action Plans can be a useful first step for governments to clearly align and communicate priorities, but plans must be paired with effective follow-through including continuous dialogue with civil society and affected stakeholders. This will make the difference between a "leap frog race" of commitments and one that delivers change.