Business and Human Rights

The NCHR supports capacity building and research in the area of business and human rights.

What we do

Meeting in the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room

Photo by Jean-Marc Ferré, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

  • We actively promote the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) to foster greater understanding and implementation. 

  • We support initiatives that build capacity and increase knowledge on the linkages between business and human rights in the academic sector.

  • Partnership and dialogue with scholars, UN agencies, government institutions, and civil society actors.

  • We engage in activities which promote sharing of best practice in the area of business and human rights.

About Business and Human Rights

The growing impact and influence of business enterprises have led to increased attention to their roles and responsibilities in relation to human rights. 

Scholars at the NCHR have been engaged on this topic for a long time, and contributed to the development of the 2003 Draft Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights (un.org). The International Department has been engaged in this field since the adoption of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP).

Our collaboration projects are based on international standards, acknowledging how companies can positively impact the development agenda while at the same time addressing human rights violations related to business activities. 

Projects

  • Business and Human Rights in China
    • The NCHR supports several initiatives to strengthen knowledge and expertise on the relationship between business and human rights within Chinese academia and the industry sector.
  • Business and Human Rights in Africa
    • The programme aims to strengthen the implementation of business and human rights standards in Africa by supporting initiatives building awareness and capacities to uphold human rights among scholars and practitioners.
  • Business and Human Rights in Asia
    • The NCHR is dedicating support to activities promoting a Human Rights Education network that bridges Northeast and Southeast Asia. Over many years these meetings annual regional network meetings have focused on Business and Human Rights.
  • Previous projects

News

Publications

NCHR supports the publication and translation of material and resources on business and human rights. The resources are available for free in our library. Please feel welcome to use them! 

Find examples of our publications here

Illustration photo, library

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