Business and Human Rights

HUMAN RIGHTS NAVIGATOR

6. Business and Human Rights

Monica Vinader

General Resources and Tools

General Resources and Tools

Grievance Mechanisms & Access to Remedy

Standards and Tools

Research reports and literature

Glossary of Human Rights Terms

Technical human rights language is used in this Navigator. The following glossary provides a common understanding of key terms.

Human Rights:

The idea of human rights is simple and powerful: people have a right to be treated with respect and dignity. Human rights are inherent in all humans, no matter their nationality, residence, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual identity religion, language, or other status.

The ‘UNGPs’:

In 2011, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) were unanimously adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Drafted in consultation with business, civil society groups, and governments, the UNGPs are the authoritative global standard on business and human rights.

State duty to respect:

First & foremost the UNGPs clearly state that governments have the responsibility to protect human rights.

Corporate responsibility to respect:

The UNGPs state that business has a ‘corporate responsibility to respect human rights’ and at a high-level, defines this as, “Business enterprises should respect human rights. This means that they should avoid infringing on the human rights of others and should address adverse human rights impacts with which they are involved.”

Priority focus areas:

companies are expected to identify the most likely and severe human rights impacts that could occur in its own operations or business relationships in the value chain and take action.

Due diligence:

An ongoing risk management process companies should deploy to identify and assess human rights impacts: integrate and act on the findings; tack effectiveness and communicate results.

Rights-holders:

In general terms, all human beings are rights-holders, under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For companies, they are individuals or social groups that have particular entitlement in relation to a companies’ value chain, e.g., own employees, supply base workers, distribution base workers, patients, caregivers, local communities…

Vulnerable groups:

While all human beings are “rights-holders”, some groups or individuals face specific hurdles in relation to the enjoyment of rights – these are identified as potentially ‘vulnerable groups’, e.g., children, women, migrant workers, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples.

Grievance Mechanism:

A process through which a human rights grievance can be raised (including anonymously), assessed, investigated, and responded to, without retaliation or fear of retaliation.

Remedy:

Remedy is both the process of providing remedy for a negative human rights impact and the substantive outcomes that can counteract, or make good, the negative impact. The role of the company in remedy is often defined by how connected it is to the human rights impact – did it cause, contribute or was it linked to the harm?


Return to Introduction

HUMAN RIGHTS NAVIGATOR

6. Business and Human Rights

Monica Vinader

General Resources and Tools

General Resources and Tools

Grievance Mechanisms & Access to Remedy

Standards and Tools

Research reports and literature

Glossary of Human Rights Terms

Technical human rights language is used in this Navigator. The following glossary provides a common understanding of key terms.

Human Rights:

The idea of human rights is simple and powerful: people have a right to be treated with respect and dignity. Human rights are inherent in all humans, no matter their nationality, residence, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual identity religion, language, or other status.

The ‘UNGPs’:

In 2011, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) were unanimously adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Drafted in consultation with business, civil society groups, and governments, the UNGPs are the authoritative global standard on business and human rights.

State duty to respect:

First & foremost the UNGPs clearly state that governments have the responsibility to protect human rights.

Corporate responsibility to respect:

The UNGPs state that business has a ‘corporate responsibility to respect human rights’ and at a high-level, defines this as, “Business enterprises should respect human rights. This means that they should avoid infringing on the human rights of others and should address adverse human rights impacts with which they are involved.”

Priority focus areas:

companies are expected to identify the most likely and severe human rights impacts that could occur in its own operations or business relationships in the value chain and take action.

Due diligence:

An ongoing risk management process companies should deploy to identify and assess human rights impacts: integrate and act on the findings; tack effectiveness and communicate results.

Rights-holders:

In general terms, all human beings are rights-holders, under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For companies, they are individuals or social groups that have particular entitlement in relation to a companies’ value chain, e.g., own employees, supply base workers, distribution base workers, patients, caregivers, local communities…

Vulnerable groups:

While all human beings are “rights-holders”, some groups or individuals face specific hurdles in relation to the enjoyment of rights – these are identified as potentially ‘vulnerable groups’, e.g., children, women, migrant workers, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples.

Grievance Mechanism:

A process through which a human rights grievance can be raised (including anonymously), assessed, investigated, and responded to, without retaliation or fear of retaliation.

Remedy:

Remedy is both the process of providing remedy for a negative human rights impact and the substantive outcomes that can counteract, or make good, the negative impact. The role of the company in remedy is often defined by how connected it is to the human rights impact – did it cause, contribute or was it linked to the harm?

Grievance Mechanisms & Access to Remedy

Standards and Tools

Research reports and literature

Wouters & Hendrix

Glossary of Human Rights Terms

Technical human rights language is used in this Navigator. The following glossary provides a common understanding of key terms.

Human Rights:

The idea of human rights is simple and powerful: people have a right to be treated with respect and dignity. Human rights are inherent in all humans, no matter their nationality, residence, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual identity religion, language, or other status.

The ‘UNGPs’:

In 2011, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) were unanimously adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Drafted in consultation with business, civil society groups, and governments, the UNGPs are the authoritative global standard on business and human rights.

State duty to respect:

First & foremost the UNGPs clearly state that governments have the responsibility to protect human rights.

Corporate responsibility to respect:

The UNGPs state that business has a ‘corporate responsibility to respect human rights’ and at a high-level, defines this as, “Business enterprises should respect human rights. This means that they should avoid infringing on the human rights of others and should address adverse human rights impacts with which they are involved.”

Priority focus areas:

companies are expected to identify the most likely and severe human rights impacts that could occur in its own operations or business relationships in the value chain and take action.

Due diligence:

An ongoing risk management process companies should deploy to identify and assess human rights impacts: integrate and act on the findings; tack effectiveness and communicate results.

Rights-holders:

In general terms, all human beings are rights-holders, under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For companies, they are individuals or social groups that have particular entitlement in relation to a companies’ value chain, e.g., own employees, supply base workers, distribution base workers, patients, caregivers, local communities…

Vulnerable groups:

While all human beings are “rights-holders”, some groups or individuals face specific hurdles in relation to the enjoyment of rights – these are identified as potentially ‘vulnerable groups’, e.g., children, women, migrant workers, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples.

Grievance Mechanism:

A process through which a human rights grievance can be raised (including anonymously), assessed, investigated, and responded to, without retaliation or fear of retaliation.

Remedy:

Remedy is both the process of providing remedy for a negative human rights impact and the substantive outcomes that can counteract, or make good, the negative impact. The role of the company in remedy is often defined by how connected it is to the human rights impact – did it cause, contribute or was it linked to the harm?


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