“The need for a human rights economy has never been more urgent,” said UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk. “We need leaders who recognize that anchoring our economies and business activities in human rights can make our societies more stable, more predictable, more peaceful – and ultimately, more prosperous.”

Türk was speaking during the opening session of the 13th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights. The Forum brought together governments, business, international organizations, civil society, trade unions, academia and communities to discuss business practices and the respect for human rights.

Since 2011, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights has provided a globally accepted framework for enhancing standards and practices with regards to business and human rights. The Guiding Principles call on States to adopt a “smart mix” of voluntary and mandatory measures to foster business respect for human rights.

Türk said the last decade has seen important progress, with States and businesses adopting relevant measures.

But he warned that business-related human rights abuses were rife in some parts of the world. The fossil fuel industry and its impact on biodiversity, the extraction of raw materials in countries in conflict, agriculture practices that forcefully evict Indigenous Peoples from their lands, and AI-powered surveillance technologies were leading to deeper inequalities and injustices, Türk said.

“Voluntary approaches alone are not enough,” said Türk, adding that governments, businesses and civil society needed to work together to find solutions that are sustainable, equitable and just.

“There is increasing evidence that a smart mix of coherent policy and regulatory measures, national and international, mandatory and voluntary measures, is an effective way for States to provide clarity for business, level the playing field, and ultimately ensure better results for people harmed by business operations.”

Record participation

The three-day meeting was an opportunity for the 4,000 participants from 156 countries to discuss topics such as climate change, new technologies, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, the protection of persons with disabilities, access to remedy in business-related rights abuses and human rights due diligence, among other topics. A record number of nearly 3,000 participants attended in person.

Fernanda Hopenhaym, Chairperson of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, said States had obligations to respect human rights in the context of business activities through public policies that place “people and the planet at the centre.” But she said the private sector also had a key role to play in today’s global context of geopolitical tensions and the climate crisis.

“We also need initiatives from the private sector, including investors, that improve our practices and accelerate change,” Hopenhaym told the opening session.

Sanda Ojiambo, Chief Executive of the UN Global Compact, said that since the UN Guiding Principles were adopted, there has been acceptance globally that businesses have the responsibility to respect human rights. She gave examples of companies in Asia using satellite technology to monitor deforestation in raw material sourcing or agrobusinesses in Africa that work to build trust with workers and community members.

Under the UN Guiding Principles, companies have a responsibility to undertake human rights due diligence. However, Ojiambo said there is growing momentum worldwide to require companies to undertake mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence and called for better consistency.

“While some regions are advancing mandatory due diligence and protecting human rights, others are simply lagging behind, creating a patchwork of standards and operating contexts,” she said.

For Hannah Koep-Andrieu, Head of Due Diligence at the OECD’s Centre for Responsible Business Conduct, cooperation among States was key.

“Supply chains are global so creating meaningful mandatory and voluntary measures requires international cooperation.”

Global value chains

From the Global South, Chantal Chambu Mwavita, Minister of Human Rights of the Democratic Republic of Congo, said corporate responsibility and human rights are more important than ever as global value chains today are interconnected, with impact going beyond national borders.

She mentioned the case of her country, rich in natural resources but suffering from serious human rights violations related to the exploitation of precious minerals.

“It is imperative to find concrete solutions to regulate commercial practices and guarantee that human rights are respected at all stages of the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services,” she said.

Civil society has been pushing for years for more robust human rights requirements on companies in their global supply chains. At the Forum, business leaders joined calls for strong policy frameworks to ensure respect for human rights.

“Our supply chains are riddled with human rights abuses, and the improvements that we are seeing are not significant enough. We must do better,” said Annie Agle, Senior Director of Impact and Sustainability at US apparel retailer Cotopaxi.

Rachel Cowburn-Walden, Global Head of Human Rights at Unilever, the consumer goods multinational, said that any business that wants to survive for the long term must be economically, environmentally and socially responsible.

“The only way that it can do that effectively is if it has respect for human rights as the foundation of everything that it does,” Cowburn-Walden said.

Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge

Indigenous Peoples said their communities can contribute knowledge on ways of doing business that respect the environment and their rights. For David Chemutai, coordinator of the Benet Mosopisyek community in Uganda, it was high time for States and businesses to make real commitments and take action to end violations and impunity.

“Indigenous communities are forced off their lands for mining, agribusiness, energy projects, and so-called climate solutions like carbon trading, biofuel production, and even protected areas controlled by private entities,” he said.

“Defending Indigenous rights is defending humanity’s path to equity, sustainability, and justice for all. We are ready to engage, but our message is clear: Nothing about Indigenous Peoples without Indigenous Peoples.”