The Business of Human Rights

This is just a quick note to remind loyal readers that the U.N. second annual Forum on Business and Human Rights kicks off this Monday (with pre-session events) and continues through Wednesday. I am also thrilled (and slightly stunned) to report that I will have the opportunity to present at one of the Forum’s side events on December 3rd. I will try and provide some updates along the way but, between the jet lag, the preparation and the nerves, this blog might go dark for the next couple of weeks.

I hope to see many of you there at the Forum.

In 2010, Jernej Letnar ČERNIČ published his book titled Human Rights Law and Business: Corporate Responsibility for Fundamental Human Rights. We were very fortunate to have ČERNIČ attend WVU’s conference on business and human rights where he discussed many of the concepts that are developed in his book. The book itself is an interesting read, in that it allows one to stop and reflect on both the positive and negative developments which have resulted from globalization. With globalization comes the expanding of economic, social, cultural and political power of corporations, a power expanse which had resulted in conflicting outcomes.

Cernic notes that, although corporate activities can have many positive outcomes (such as increased livelihoods of not only individuals but also communities and governments), the risk still exists that the corporations will violate human rights.

This book calls for a victim-oriented approach to addressing corporations that commit violations against humanity. It goes on to suggest that corporations have normative obligations in relation to fundamental human rights, and further argues that the normative approach to human rights obligations is a result of national legal issues and not necessarily on the international level.

November 5th kicked off the First Annual  People’s Forum for Business and Human Rights. The three day conference began with a keynote address by Olivier DeSchutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. During his talk, Dr. Schutter discusses issues such as judicial remedies and the intersection between business and human rights and the right to food. It’s worth watching. Thanks to the International Accountability Roundtable for making this available.

A look at a world where there’s no tool to assess our risk priorities…

As we move on from what Special Representative John Ruggie famously called ” The End of the Beginning” for business and human rights issues, a significant issue that has come up is implementation. Companies are struggling with the best way to measure and assess human rights impacts and what those metrics should include. There are many issues that arise within this context. First, how do you quantify and measure something like “human rights” for bean counters who are used to quantifiable financial risks? Something as nebulous as “the deprivation in indigenous communities” can be terrifying for those folks. Another issue that frequently arises is, how do you prioritize within the many things that could affect a human rights risk assessment?

Well, below are two different takes on “assessing” human rights impact assessment. The first was presented by Roger Branigin during WVU’s business and human rights conference. Mr. Branigin, Executive Director of the Global Community of Practice for Business and Human Rights (a project endorsed by the UN Global Compact Office) proposes a “bow tie” assessment model that filters risk analysis through two-ended filter.(Look for “WV Presentation PowerPoint on the conference websitehere, for a full explanation of the tools).

In the United States, it can sometimes be easy to take education for granted. Because many, if not all, states mandate attendance in some form of education – be it public, private, or home school – one can easily overlook that education is a right not afforded to many in other countries. However, Target 2.A of the MDG addresses the need to achieve universal primary education. This goal, discussed here, seeks to ensure that children everywhere will have the opportunity to complete a full course of primary schooling.

By ensuring that children everywhere are provided a basic education, the MDG is seeking to not only help individuals better themselves, but also provide for a better economic system in general. When individuals can read and write, they are better able to communicate their needs and understand the world around them. Further, by ensuring that al children receive the opportunity for a primary education, the gender disparity should decrease, thus working to put all individuals on equal footing.

Image taken from http://iif.un.org/content/universal-education