Business and Human Rights: Towards a Decade of Global Implementation

Completed in March 2022

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June 2021 marked the tenth anniversary of the endorsement by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs).

The UNGPs provide a global normative framework backed by UN member states that clarifies state duties and business responsibilities in addressing business related-human rights abuse. Their creation and endorsement represent a major step forward to promoting responsible business in line with international human rights standards.

Since their adoption, they have become the common reference point for efforts to address adverse human rights impacts arising in a business context and have been widely integrated into both public and private sector policy frameworks.

THE UNGP 10+ PROJECT

In the context of this tenth anniversary and as part of its mandate to promote the UNGPs, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights undertook the UNGPs 10+ project to take stock of achievements, assess existing gaps and challenges, and develop a vision and roadmap for implementing the UNGPs in the next decade, based on its ‘stocktaking’ of the first ten years of implementation.

Our Role

The Geneva Academy supported the UN Working Group’s UNGPs 10+ project since its launch in 2020.

This support is part of a wider engagement with various UN Special Procedures that involves reinforced research, stakeholder outreach, and organization of Geneva-based events and consultations. In this case, it aims at supporting the UN Working Group in its work to finalise the UNGPs 10+ roadmap and its roll-out.

NEWS

Peru, Fruit processing plant in Chincha, south of Lima. News

Holding States Accountable for Implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

25 March 2022

Our new Working Paper examines existing mechanisms at the national, regional and international levels for holding states accountable for their performance in implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

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A Chinese female worker News

A Roadmap to Further the Implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

9 December 2021

A Geneva Academy research supported the entire process that led to the development of the Roadmap, including support to the stocktaking analysis, roadmap drafting and coordination of the consultation and research process.

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Knitwear Factory in Mymensingh News

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights will Turn 10: Our Contribution

7 July 2020

The Geneva Academy supports the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights' project for the 10th anniversary of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

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OUTPUT

Contributing to the Roadmap for the Next Decade of Business and Human Rights

On 29 November 2021, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights launched its ‘Roadmap for the Next Decade of Business and Human Rights’. This roadmap aims at providing strategic orientation for states, businesses, civil society, international organizations, and others to make greater headway in translating the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) from policy-level commitments to concrete changes in government and business practice.

Our research supported the entire process that led to its development, including support to the stocktaking analysis, roadmap drafting and coordination of the consultation and research process that generated more than 200 written submissions from states, business organizations, civil society organizations, national human rights institutions, law firms, UN entities and others.

Mechanisms for Holding States Accountable for their Performance in UNGPs' Implementation

Our Working Paper Strengthening State Accountability on Business and Human Rights at International Level examines existing mechanisms at the national, regional and international levels for holding states accountable for their performance in implementing the UNGPs. In doing so, the paper analyses gaps and opportunities and formulates a series of recommendations to improve this accountability.

Publications

Cover of the Publication

Strengthening state accountability on business and human rights at international level

March 2022

John E. Grova

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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Past Events

Expert Consultation on the Role of Business in Transitional Justice Contexts

23 September 2021, 13:00-15:00

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Virtual Launch UNGPs 10+ Stocktaking Report on Institutional Investment

17 June 2021, 16:00-17:15

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New Report Sheds Light on what Governments, Business and the UN need to do in Conflict-Affected Areas: but what’s Next for this Field?

10 November 2020, 16:00-17:30

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MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

News

New Publication Proposes a New Take on Human Rights Universality

28 November 2022

Our new Briefing The Universality of Human Rights: Developing Narratives to Overcome Polarization zooms into the main challenges that the idea of universality faces nowadays and seeks to offer some elements to devise a more consequential and effective narrative of human rights universality to overcome these challenges.

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News

New Website on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants

12 December 2022

On this 4th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas, we are launching – with FIAN International, La Via Campesina and CETIM – a new website dedicated to this Declaration.

Read more

Cover page of the Commentary Event

Taking Stock: Women’s Rights and Gender-Based Discrimination under Scrutiny at the International Level

12 May 2023, 10:00-12:00

This event marks the publication of the second, fully revised and updated, edition of ‘The UN Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol. A Commentary’.

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EU flag before the European Commission Building Event

UNDROP AND THE EU SEED MARKETING REFORM: PERSPECTIVES FROM BELGIUM

3 April 2023, 15:30-17:00

This online workshop – held in English and French – aims to raise awareness of the upcoming reform of the EU seed marketing legislation and explore pathways to align it with the right to seeds recognized by UNDROP.

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A general view of participants during of the 33nd ordinary session of the Human Rights Council. Training

The Universal Periodic Review and the UN Human Rights System: Raising the Bar on Accountability

13-17 November 2023

This training course will explore the origin and evolution of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and its functioning in Geneva and will focus on the nature of implementation of the UPR recommendations at the national level.

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View of a session of the UN Human Rights Committee Training

The International Human Rights Standards and System: Monitoring and Implementation Strategies at the National Level

3-7 July 2023

This training course will delve into the means and mechanisms through which national actors can best coordinate their human rights monitoring and implementation efforts, enabling them to strategically navigate the UN human rights system and use the various mechanisms available in their day-to-day work.

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Mine Project

Business, Human Rights and Conflict-Affected Regions

Completed in July 2021

This project aimed at identifying and clarifying policies and practices for states and businesses, including public and private investors, across the full ‘conflict cycle’ and the ‘protect, respect and remedy’ pillars of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

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Sign: National Human Rights Commission of Nepal Project

Local Implementation of Global Human Rights

Started in May 2020

The Geneva Human Rights Platform collaborates with a series of actors to reflect on the implementation of international human rights norms at the local level and propose solutions to improve uptake of recommendations and decisions taken by Geneva-based human rights bodies at the local level.

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Cover of the publication Publication

The Emergence of Digital Human Rights Tracking Tools and Databases

published on March 2023

Domenico Zipoli

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