The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights is undertaking a new project to chart a course for a decade of action on business and human rights – Corporate Justice Coalition has made a submission to the call for inputs.
We argue that to date, we have failed to see a “smart mix” of measures on business and human rights. Instead, measures have been largely voluntary, with those touted as mandatory often lacking the necessary means to really be such.
Our submission focuses on the need to strengthen the implementation of Pillars I (the State duty to protect) and III (access to remedy) – specifically referencing mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence legislation, the UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights, and recent developments in UK common law.
We also highlight a number of other issues, such as the interdependence of human rights and the environment; the need for greater protection of human rights defenders and fulfilment of indigenous peoples’ rights; neglected areas in UNGPs implementation: the financial sector, end use of products and services, and public procurement; and the need for a more holistic approach which tackles the primacy of economic growth, damaging dominant business models and harmful state policies in other areas that inhibit corporate accountability, such as trade and investment.
