Human rights & business

Human rights are increasingly acknowledged to be not just a concern for nation states and international organisations, but also a concern for business. Business organisations operate around the world with increasingly complex structures and supply chains. Their operations can have a number of impacts, good and bad, on human rights. This has led to the development of a number of international initiatives aimed at increasing business awareness of, and respect for, human rights.

This Overview introduces the key issues business organisations need to know about human rights. It summarises some of the key human rights standards and initiatives that apply to business and the key actions that business organisations need to take in order to avoid causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts.