Listen to Caroline Rees, President and co-Founder of Shift, the leading center of expertise on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
How can companies and investors be agents of change for human and social rights?
After a tribute to Professor John Ruggie’s work (author of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights), you’ll hear Richard Howitt and Caroline discuss:
“The jury is in. The ways in which we’ve constructed this capitalism have not led to a trickle down of benefits - they have in fact led to a growth in inequality.
Reporting is a critical driver of business respect for human rights. If you’re doing it right and treating it as more than a minimal compliance exercise, there shouldn’t be a tension between reporting and action. We need accountability – external reporting drives internal conversation and shines a light on egregious impacts on people’s dignity and equality.”
Is it really is possible for companies to "do the right thing"?
There's very little pressure being applied to companies by investors looking at how they're actually behaving and treating human rights as a core business priority. This needs to change.
Investors shouldn't just take companies' word for what they're doing; they should investigate what the companies are actually doing regarding human rights.
