Under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights companies have a responsibility to undertake human rights due diligence.Yet a decade after their adoption benchmarks and analyses demonstrate low levels of commitment: almost half (46.2%) of the largest companies in the world analysed in the latest Corporate Human Rights Benchmark failed to show any evidence of identifying or mitigating human rights issues in their supply chains. Similarly, KnowTheChain benchmarks find companies score on average a mere 29% for their human rights due diligence efforts. This is what mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence laws seek to address.
There is more and more understanding that the smart mix prescribed by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights means that there needs to be legislation in order to reach the stated aims.
Heidi Hautala, Vice-President of European Parliament
There is growing momentum worldwide among governments, particularly in Europe, to require companies to undertake human rights and environmental due diligence, from the French Duty of Vigilance Law and the adoption in 2021 of new laws in Germany and Norway to the proposed EU-wide law. Major investors and companies are also speaking out in favour of such legislation.
Civil society across the world has been pushing for more robust requirements on companies for years and has been outspoken on the key elements these laws should include to be effective: a due diligence obligation for all businesses across their full global value chains; effective and safe stakeholder engagement; mandatory requirements that go beyond tick-box exercises and auditing, address irresponsible business models and purchasing practices, and are embedded in appropriate governance and accountability structures; and a strong civil liability regime.
This portal collects the latest newsonmandatory human rights due diligence,national and regional developments, public company statements in support of mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence,guidance for companies and governments,and examples ofcompany implementation of human rights due diligence. It also hosts a blog series where experts from civil society, governments and business discuss what mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence could mean for advancing human rights in business.
