“It is a unique occasion to take stock of innovative action by companies but also to address ongoing global challenges relating to business and human rights. Companies have a responsibility to respect the human rights of the people whom their business involves and affects,” said UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.
The Forum will be chaired by Sudan-born telecoms entrepreneur Mo Ibrahim, and among the key speakers include CEOs such as Unilever's Paul Polman, Nestlé’s Paul Bulcke and Safaricom’s Bob Collymore. “By bringing all affected parties together, including CEOs and victims of business-related rights abuses, we can promote workable solutions to human rights challenges and strengthen global governance in this area,” said Michael Addo, who currently heads the expert group leading the event.
The programme includes discussions on global supply chains; the effect of extractive industries on indigenous peoples; financial sector responsibilities; food corporations and the right to adequate food and health; forced labour; the impact of business on children’s rights; privacy in the digital age; and regulation of private security companies. The Forum will also address key human rights issues such as how victims can get justice and compensation.The Forum, now in its third year, has grown from some 1,000 participants in 2012 to an expected 1,500-strong attendance this year. It provides an opportunity to assess global progress in the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights*, endorsed in 2011, the first authoritative global framework to address the impact of business on all human rights.
