At its seventeenth session, in resolution A/HRC/17/4,
the Human Rights Council decided to establish a Working Group on the
issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business
enterprises, consisting of five independent experts, of balanced
geographical representation, for a period of three years, and requested
the Working Group:
- To promote the effective and comprehensive dissemination and implementation of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework;
- To identify, exchange and promote good practices and lessons learned on the implementation of the Guiding Principles and to assess and make recommendations thereon and, in that context, to seek and receive information from all relevant sources, including Governments, transnational corporations and other business enterprises, national human rights institutions, civil society and rights-holders;
- To provide support for efforts to promote capacity-building and the use of the Guiding Principles, as well as, upon request, to provide advice and recommendations regarding the development of domestic legislation and policies relating to business and human rights;
- To conduct country visits and to respond promptly to invitations from States;
- To continue to explore options and make recommendations at the national, regional and international levels for enhancing access to effective remedies available to those whose human rights are affected by corporate activities, including those in conflict areas;
- To integrate a gender perspective throughout the work of the mandate and to give special attention to persons living in vulnerable situations, in particular children;
- To work in close cooperation and coordination with other relevant special procedures of the Human Rights Council, relevant United Nations and other international bodies, the treaty bodies and regional human rights organizations;
- To develop a regular dialogue and discuss possible areas of cooperation with Governments and all relevant actors, including relevant United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, funds and programmes, in particular the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Global Compact, the International Labour Organization, the World Bank and its International Finance Corporation, the United Nations Development Programme and the International Organization for Migration, as well as transnational corporations and other business enterprises, national human rights institutions, representatives of indigenous peoples, civil society organizations and other regional and subregional international organizations;
- To guide the work of the Forum on Business and Human Rights;
- To report annually to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly.
Forum on Business and Human Rights
Please see the webpage of the Forum for further information
Dates of the 2013 sessions of the Working Group
- 4th session: Geneva, 11-15 February 2013
- 5th session: Geneva, 17-21 June 2013 (Please note changed dates)
- 6th session: Geneva, 25-29 November 2013
Dates of 2013 Forum on Business and Human Rights
- 3-4 December 2013
