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Protect, Respect and Remedy: A Case Study of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

Stenberg, Amanda LU (2023) STVK12 20231
Department of Political Science
Abstract (Swedish)
In 2011, the UN published a framework called the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) and it has been viewed as a first of its kind, by being a global standard of principles that aims to prevent and address risks of human rights violations concerning corporate activities. The framework was ratified by all UN member states and received support from other non-state actors, such as civil society groups, NGOs, and business representatives. Hence the support, skepticism, and criticism of the framework and its principles have been shaping the debate surrounding the UNGP since its publication. At the ten-year mark in 2021, the UN assembled a working group that reviewed the framework’s gaps and challenges, along... (More)
In 2011, the UN published a framework called the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) and it has been viewed as a first of its kind, by being a global standard of principles that aims to prevent and address risks of human rights violations concerning corporate activities. The framework was ratified by all UN member states and received support from other non-state actors, such as civil society groups, NGOs, and business representatives. Hence the support, skepticism, and criticism of the framework and its principles have been shaping the debate surrounding the UNGP since its publication. At the ten-year mark in 2021, the UN assembled a working group that reviewed the framework’s gaps and challenges, along with developing a roadmap for the next ten years to come. This thesis conducts a case study on the debate regarding the UNGP and explores the key issues addressed by the UN itself, along with the criticism and challenges raised by NGOs and the business sector. The case study is applying a theoretical framework on soft governance and its tools, together with multistakeholderism, to analyze eleven different reports from the actors stated above. The findings show that the role of business and states are not as distinct as the framework claims to have illustrated, and the call for binding measures in terms of mandatory due diligence laws are promoted by the NGOs. The business sector is opposing the idea of binding measures and wishes to receive more tools and guidelines. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Stenberg, Amanda LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK12 20231
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
United Nations, Business and Human Rights, Human Rights Due Diligence, Soft Governance, Accountability, Stakeholders
language
English
id
9118297
date added to LUP
2023-09-07 17:05:03
date last changed
2023-09-07 17:05:03
@misc{9118297,
  abstract     = {{In 2011, the UN published a framework called the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) and it has been viewed as a first of its kind, by being a global standard of principles that aims to prevent and address risks of human rights violations concerning corporate activities. The framework was ratified by all UN member states and received support from other non-state actors, such as civil society groups, NGOs, and business representatives. Hence the support, skepticism, and criticism of the framework and its principles have been shaping the debate surrounding the UNGP since its publication. At the ten-year mark in 2021, the UN assembled a working group that reviewed the framework’s gaps and challenges, along with developing a roadmap for the next ten years to come. This thesis conducts a case study on the debate regarding the UNGP and explores the key issues addressed by the UN itself, along with the criticism and challenges raised by NGOs and the business sector. The case study is applying a theoretical framework on soft governance and its tools, together with multistakeholderism, to analyze eleven different reports from the actors stated above. The findings show that the role of business and states are not as distinct as the framework claims to have illustrated, and the call for binding measures in terms of mandatory due diligence laws are promoted by the NGOs. The business sector is opposing the idea of binding measures and wishes to receive more tools and guidelines.}},
  author       = {{Stenberg, Amanda}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Protect, Respect and Remedy: A Case Study of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}