IBLF Statement of support for UN
Draft Human Rights Principles and Responsibilities for Transnational
Corporations and other Business Enterprises
"The
Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) works with
multinational companies to promote responsible business practices. It does this
through partnership with NGOs and public sector bodies, in particular in
developing countries and emerging markets. It engages with but does not
represent its member companies. One of our key areas of focus is business and
human rights where we engage with companies and stakeholders to raise awareness
of specific human rights challenges, corporate responsibilities and constructive
responses. We work closely with Amnesty International, having jointly published
"Human Rights - is it any of your business?", a management primer for
companies, and "Business and Human Rights - a Geography of Corporate
Risk" raising awareness of human rights risks in six industry sectors
globally. The IBLF has also been involved in the UN Global Compact from the
outset.
We
welcome the UN Sub-Commission Draft Norms on the Responsibilities of
Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Regard to Human
Rights, which is the most authoritative and comprehensive set of guidelines to
date on the applicability of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to
companies. They distill the numerous other sets of human rights guidelines,
providing a unique common reference point for companies and bringing much needed
clarity to a difficult area. Relevant to all businesses, large or small, the
Norms do not attempt to provide a “one-size fits all” approach, but rather
offer specific human rights guidance on the diverse challenges affecting a broad
spectrum of industries. The Norms reinforce initiatives such as the UN Global
Compact, the ILO Conventions and other human rights related guidelines. The
inclusive, cross-sector consultation process has ensured that as many
representative voices as possible have been taken into account.
We
hope that the Draft Norms, together with the elucidating commentary, will be
adopted by the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights
and that significant emphasis be placed on strong implementation
and verification in order to strengthen the framework in which companies,
large and small, multinational and domestic, are held to account for their human
rights performance."
IBLF
July
2003