Time for business to take action for human rights, Türk says

Greetings.

I am very pleased to be addressing you all today.

I welcome opportunities for engaging with the business community as you can be key partners in the human rights movement.

This year we mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

This remarkable document - emerging out of decades scarred by war, atrocity crimes, poverty, exploitation and injustice - gifted us with a blueprint for reshaping our world in the pursuit of lasting peace, freedom and equality.

Adopted in December 1948 by a young United Nations, the Declaration was a collective and determined response to the unprecedented destruction and suffering wrought by two world wars and the Holocaust.

A firm “never again”.

Acknowledging that the only pathway to a lasting peace was through protecting human rights.

And articulating, as a global community for the first time, what those rights are - drawn from shared values across cultures and histories.   

Freedom of opinion and freedom of expression. Freedom of association and peaceful assembly. Freedom of religion or belief.  

The right to live free of any form of discrimination and to participate, freely and meaningfully, in public affairs.

The rights to education, healthcare, adequate food, clean water and housing.

The right to fair conditions of work.

Grounded in full recognition of our common humanity, the Declaration is truly visionary.

But it was no exercise in pure idealism.

It is pragmatic to the core, providing us with a powerful compass as relevant today as it was then.

The most translated document in history, the Declaration has had an extraordinary role in so much of the progress we have seen since its adoption in 1948.

From the dismantling of many structures that perpetuated racial and gender discrimination, to remarkable advances in education and healthcare, and the opening up of public life - in particular, facilitating an extraordinary flourishing of civil society across the world.

75 years on, we are now, again, at a crossroads.

Where the decisions we make will determine the course of humanity for generations to come.

We face existential crises in the climate emergency and the unprecedented technological marvel of Artificial Intelligence.

At the same time, we must contend with deepening geopolitical tensions, devastating conflicts and a determined pushback on human rights.

So, as we celebrate the Declaration, this is not a moment simply for reflection.

Or, indeed, complacency.

It must be one of action and I am calling on everyone to play their part.

While the Declaration was drafted primarily with States in mind, its Preamble clearly asks “every organ of society” to work towards the achievement of its vision.

And, as you know, since its adoption, the international human rights framework has evolved not only to encompass a rich body of treaties for States, but also to embrace the role business can and should play to realise the full potential of human rights.

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights provided much needed clarity about the responsibility of business in relation to all internationally-recognised human rights standards.

The Guiding Principles also elaborated on the existing obligations of States to ensure that business operates without doing harm to people.

And, just as importantly, the avenues for remedy that must be available if harm occurs.

Many of the companies present at this Conference have made public commitments to the Guiding Principles.

I strongly welcome that and encourage all of you to work with your peers to get them on board.

But human rights do not live only in public commitments.

They have to live in practice - in “small places, close to home” - to quote Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the drafters of the Declaration.

In today’s world, “small places, close to home” means for many of us the ways in which we interact with digital technologies.

Yesterday, you had what looked to be an excellent panel on AI and human rights.

This included representatives from some of the companies who find themselves at the sharp end of unpacking what their human rights responsibilities involve when it comes to managing risks to individuals from AI and other digital technologies.

At the UN General Assembly, which I am currently attending in New York, the Secretary General has expressed deep concern, again, about the risks of AI, in particular generative AI.

This is not to ignore the enormous opportunities offered - not least, the potential to accelerate much-needed progress towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

But the human rights harms from AI are not theoretical.

We are already seeing them.

From reinforcing bias in criminal justice systems to enabling mass surveillance and the increasing polarisation of our societies as we endure an avalanche of hate speech and disinformation, often disproportionately targeting women and girls.

The complexity of the human rights challenges posed by AI requires us all to work together.

It is my firm belief that companies will only be able to play their part in preventing and mitigating these human rights risks if they anchor their responses in the values espoused in the Declaration and affirmed in the Guiding Principles.

To that end, my Office is engaging with a number of tech companies, including Microsoft, META and Google who were represented on yesterday’s panel, through our B-Tech Project.

This initiative is generating a better understanding of how tech companies can implement their human rights responsibilities.

And it has forged a community of practice where shared experiences can inform more robust human rights approaches all round.

I encourage everyone in the tech sector to make use of the practical guidance and tools that we have made available from the B-Tech initiative.

And to engage with us directly as you refine your policies and practices.

Collective, constructive approaches - that bridge different experiences through the shared values captured in human rights principles - are also key to ensuring a Just Transition.

The recent floods in Derma in Libya, where more than 3,500 people are reported to have lost their lives, are a shameful reminder that the costs of the climate emergency are being paid every day by the most vulnerable.

Those who can least afford it are also being asked to shoulder the costs of decarbonisation.

Lost livelihoods - real and feared - along with the escalating cost of living are driving a societal and political backlash against climate action in many countries.

At a point when we cannot afford to lose any more time if we are to have any chance of meeting net zero.

How, then, do we ensure a just transition?

I am convinced that many of the solutions lie, again, in the map set out for us by human rights.

Because human rights puts people front and centre.

It is individuals - workers, communities and consumers - who need to be meaningfully consulted on transition plans from the outset.

And whose rights and concerns must be integral to how these plans are shaped and delivered by business and governments.

If transitions are to be inclusive and fair, we urgently need to develop a clearer understanding of what ‘just’ means.

Without that, efforts by businesses may be well-intentioned but fall short. And there is a risk of co-option.

Stakeholders need to come together to develop clear metrics - and to map out effective ways in which human rights due diligence can operate alongside environmental assessments to ensure adequate prevention, mitigation and remedy for harm.

I strongly welcome initiatives, which we are seeing from civil society in particular, geared towards building an evidence-base for what works and which are grounded in the framework of the UN Guiding Principles.

No doubt, yesterday’s panel on just transition would have been particularly illuminating on these issues.

We also need an enabling environment.

Two factors stand out.  

Adequate investment - and on this I am encouraged by nascent signs within the investment community that markets are starting to grasp the direction of travel.

Alongside effective regulatory and policy measures.

These provide the essential incentives and safeguards for companies, investors and landowners to get on board.

As well as a framework of protection and support for affected individuals and communities.

A ‘smart mix’ that includes adequately resourced green finance funds, regulatory approaches that reward responsible innovative, strong social and labour protections, personalized training and job creation programmes, as well as local and national dialogues that draw together all stakeholders to build consensus.

And it is a ‘smart mix’ of regulatory and voluntary initiatives that will be critical to progress more broadly in the business and human rights space.

As many of you will know, there is an emerging trend towards national legislation on human rights due diligence.

I welcome this development and commend the efforts of civil society and progressive business actors in building momentum.

However, legislation in and of itself is not the answer. Such laws need to be fully aligned with international standards, in particular the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights.

Business can play a key role in ensuring this alignment.

Not least by making sure that their engagement in legislative processes does not cross over the line into lobbying that undermines the international human rights framework.

Friends,

Let me come back to this being a moment of action.

Earlier this year, reflecting on the anniversary of the Declaration, I spoke about the promise of human rights as a promise of solutions.

In that spirit my office has been running a Human Rights 75 Initiative which is aimed at turning this historic moment into one of real opportunity.

We have been listening to individuals and communities from every region to understand their human rights priorities.

Indeed, the global barometer published last month by the Open Society Foundations, confirmed what we know from these consultations and our work every day.

72% of people surveyed believed human rights to have been a “force for good” in the world with a similar percentage considering human rights to reflect their own values.

We must use this anniversary moment to respond decisively to these voices from across the globe united in their belief in the promise of human rights.

As part of our Human Rights 75 Initiative, I am asking for pledges from States, civil society, and all other actors, including business, that can make a concrete difference to the enjoyment of human rights today and for decades to come.

I welcome the pledges received already and invite more businesses to get involved.  

The website of the UN Human Rights Office sets out specific guidance on the kinds of pledges companies can make, individually or in collaboration with others.

It could be a commitment to introduce human rights due diligence practices or to establish consultations with communities affected by your operations.

Or, indeed, it could be through making a donation to UN Human Rights to support the creation of a Helpdesk on Business and Human Rights.

A significant part of our budget is met through voluntary contributions from States and other supporters.

Yet we are trying to meet rising demand from a wide range of business actors for advice as they seek to meet their human rights responsibilities.

An intent driven not only by a wish to do the right thing but also, in some cases, by the growing evidence of the impact on the bottom line.

Pledges to our budget would help us establish a dedicated helpdesk to respond promptly and comprehensively to these requests.

Whatever route you take, I urge you to get involved with this anniversary campaign.

You have the power to make an enormous contribution.

Let us make this a moment of recommitment not just to the spirit of the Declaration, but also to its call for everyone to work towards realising its inspiring vision of a world more equal, peaceful and just.  

Thank you.