The Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, adopted by the UN in 2011, delineated that firms have human rights responsibilities. However, the Guiding Principles are unlikely to have much influence unless policymakers make human rights a policy priority. Executives will need guidance, tools, and experience to learn how to respect and remedy human rights. This policy brief outlines recommendations to policymakers, so they can help more executives “get rights right.” Susan Aaronson also argues that policymakers from countries committed to the Guiding Principles should work with other states to educate executives, citizens, and government officials regarding the human rights responsibilities of corporations.

Click here to read How Policymakers Can Help Firms Get Rights Right (12 pages, pdf, 365KB)