When we ran our very first workshops on the UN Guiding Principles, back when they were all shiny and new nearly 15 years ago, there was one concept in particular that company participants loved to delve into. ⚡
Can you guess what it was?
The pillars. 🏛️
The fact that the first pillar, the State duty to protect people’s human rights, comes first, and that the second pillar, the companies’ responsibility to respect rights, sits next to it.
I’d always ask: “If the first pillar is crumbling, it makes it very hard for companies to keep their pillar standing. How far does the first pillar need to fall, before the second pillar can stand no more?” 🤔
This would always spark lively debates about how strong the first pillar needs to be for the second to have a chance and what companies can do in their second pillar to strengthen the first pillar belonging to governments. 💪
We’d always leave those sessions buzzing with ideas, from ideas of quiet diplomacy, to public advocacy and multi-stakeholder dialogues, and many more. 🌟
Over the years, these debates have changed. The energy has dimmed. 🔅
Now, we speak about this in more hushed tones, with more reticence and more nervousness.
While the debate has become even more important than ever, what we can do about it has become harder. And there’s concern about overstepping in a world of growing political volatility and uncertainty. ⚠️
Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, highlights this stark reality in her latest report to the UN General Assembly. She describes a dire situation for those advocating for human rights and a just transition across the globe.
In her words, crackdowns on people aren’t just increasing, they’re happening to “safeguard private interests and the unjust, unsustainable status quo.” 😔
This paints a very different picture from those early workshop days.
One in which the first pillar of State duty is disintegrating - and the second pillar is piling on top of it.
So, as Grandmother Smoo says in my favourite Julia Donaldson book: I’ll say again what I’ve always said 📚💙
The more governments crack down on human rights and people’s ability to advocate for their rights, the harder it is for companies to respect rights, and the greater the need for companies to do something about it.
According to Mary, the threats on the rise include:
So, tell me:
What system does your company have in place to monitor what is happening in real time in operating contexts?
Does it include these factors of crackdowns on voice?
And what is the company doing about it?
If the answer is none, no, and nothing, then let’s be honest: we’re not talking about implementation of the UN Guiding Principles and human rights due diligence. We’re talking about corporate risk management.
We can’t throw away the essence of the UN Guiding Principles just because it’s getting harder to do.
And now, because I have The Smeds and The Smoos in my head, I’ll say it like this: 😊
Anna 🌍💫
