Professor John Ruggie on business and sustainability
Wednesday 16 June 2021
The IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU) has created a series of podcasts on business and sustainability, to look at the rapidly increasing need for companies to act responsibly and sustainably. The series will consider not only their legal obligations but also what is referred to as 'soft law', which is now hardening at pace. When we refer to soft law in this context, we should start with reference to the cornerstone of the business and human rights framework: the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs).
The UNGPs were unanimously endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011, exactly ten years ago. Their aim was to identify and clarify policies and standards for business and human rights. While they do not have legally binding force, the political consensus behind their endorsement established them as the most authoritative global framework to address adverse business impacts on all human rights.
In this episode, Sara Carnegie, Director of the LPRU and Maria Pia Sacco, LPRU Senior Project Lawyer, speak to Professor John Ruggie, the author of the UNGPs, who was appointed by Kofi Annan as the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for business and human rights in 2005. Together, they discuss the impact of the UNGPs and future developments in the area of business and sustainability.
