From Rhetoric to Practice: Implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

2012年12月，第一届工商业与人权年度论坛在联合国日内瓦举行，讨论如何最好地实施联合国人权指导原则。经过联合国秘书长工商业与人权问题特别代表约翰·鲁格数年的努力，人权理事会于2011年6月一致通过了这些原则。来自85个国家的1，000多名与会者出席了论坛，其中包括50个国家代表团、150家公司和180个民间社会组织以及其他团体，这说明了联合国全球伙伴关系作为当前关于企业行为者对侵犯人权行为的责任的全球辩论的焦点的重要性。在2012年的论坛上，鲁格本人强调了联合国指导原则的重要性，指出它们“为加强和更好地调整公共治理与社会合规机制以及企业与人权方面的公司治理指明了道路”，并指出“它们旨在产生一种相辅相成的动态，从而产生累积性的变化。“这一系列研讨会将探讨联合国全球政策框架能够在多大程度上确保企业遵守人权标准，以及它们是否实际上是变革的有效催化剂。联合国全球政策框架确立了三大支柱：国家保护人权的义务;企业行为者尊重人权的责任;以及获得补救的机会。ESRC系列研讨会提出了一个主题方法，以解决2012年论坛提出的关键执行问题，并贯穿所谓的“保护、尊重和补救”三大支柱。例如，在首届论坛期间，工商界行为者表示关切，许多国家未能履行其人权义务，并试图将工商界作为自己失败的替罪羊。土著群体的代表反对对土著社区面临的挑战缺乏具体的了解，也反对未能将土著权利纳入联合国全球政策框架。民间社会普遍抱怨缺乏有效的司法和非司法补救措施。这些问题影响到所有部门的所有企业行为者，无论是在英国还是其他地方。在现有的国家和国际网络的基础上，ESRC系列研讨会将汇集来自各种学科（法律，地理，政治，国际关系），商业部门（律师事务所，行业）和民间社会（国家人权机构，非政府组织）的利益相关者。与会者将为2013年及以后的联合国工商业与人权年度论坛以及在联合国全球政策框架下设立的工商业与人权工作组正在开展的工作做出贡献，以期影响未来的执行政策。联合国工作组成员热衷于参加系列活动，将建立一个机制，促进研讨会与会者与联合国工作组之间的协作与合作。为期一天的研讨会将举行九个系列，核心与会者和6-8个资助演讲者将被邀请从学术界，非政府组织，国际和区域组织，政府，法律的专业和行业。可邀请更多的发言者，费用由东道机构承担。每次研讨会的报告将提交给联合国工作组，并在项目结束时提交一份附有建议的最后报告。此外，还将出版经过编辑的研讨会论文集以及《冲突和安全法杂志》特刊。我们还希望，该系列研讨会将有助于建立一个感兴趣的各方网络，这些各方可以继续申请该领域的更大研究赠款，例如欧盟资助的地平线2020。

In December 2012 the 1st Annual Business and Human Rights Forum took place at the United Nations in Geneva to consider how best to implement the UN's Guiding Principles on Human Rights (UNGPs). These Principles were unanimously approved by the Human Rights Council in June 2011 after several years of work by the UN Secretary General's Special Representative on Business and Human Rights, John Ruggie. Over 1000 participants attended the Forum, representing 85 countries, including 50 State delegations, 150 companies and 180 civil society organizations, as well as other groups, illustrating the importance of the UNGPs as the current focus of the ongoing global debate about the responsibility of business actors for human rights violations. At the 2012 Forum, Ruggie himself emphasised the importance of the UNGPs, stating that they 'prescribe paths for strengthening and better aligning public governance with social compliance mechanisms and corporate governance in relation to business and human rights' and that 'they aim to generate a mutually reinforcing dynamic that produces cumulative change.' This seminar series will examine the extent to which the UNGPs can ensure business compliance with human rights standards and whether they are in fact acting as an effective catalyst for change.The UNGPs establish three pillars: the State duty to protect human rights; the responsibility of business actors to respect human rights; and access to remedy. This ESRC Seminar Series proposes a thematic approach to the key implementation issues that emerged from the 2012 Forum and cuts across all three of the so-called 'Protect Respect Remedy' pillars. For example, during the inaugural Forum, concerns were expressed by business actors that many States are failing to uphold their human rights obligations and are seeking to scapegoat the business community for their own failures. Representatives of indigenous groups objected to the lack of specific understanding of the challenges facing indigenous communities and the failure to include indigenous rights within the UNGPs. Civil society generally complained about the lack of effective judicial and non-judicial remedies. These issues affect all business actors in all sectors whether based in the UK or elsewhere.Building on existing national and international networks, this ESRC seminar series will bring together stakeholders from a variety of academic disciplines (law, geography, politics, international relations), the business sector (law firms, industry) and civil society (National Human Rights Institutions, Non-Governmental Organisations). Participants will contribute to the Annual UN Business and Human Rights Forum 2013 and beyond, as well as to the ongoing work of the Business and Human Rights Working Group established under the UNGPs with a view to influencing future implementation policy. UN Working Group members are keen to attend the Series events and a mechanism will be established to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between seminar participants and the UN Working Group. A series of nine one-day seminars will take place with core group of participants and 6-8 funded speakers will be invited from academia, NGOs, international and regional organisations, government, the legal profession and industry. Additional speakers may be invited at the expense of the host institution. A report from each seminar will be submitted to the UN Working Group, with a final report with recommendations being submitted at the end of the project. In addition, an edited collection of papers from seminars will be published as well as a special edition of the Journal of Conflict and Security Law. It is also hoped that the seminar series will help to establish a network of interested parties who could go on to apply for larger research grants in the area, such as the EU-funded Horizon 2020.