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UN human rights body approves guidelines for multinational corporations

UN human rights body approves guidelines for multinational corporations

In an important step forward in developing human rights standards for corporations, an expert subsidiary panel of the top United Nations rights body today approved a set of ethics guidelines bringing together a range of legal obligations for companies drawn from existing human rights, labour and environmental standards.

The Geneva-based UN Sub-commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights today unanimously adopted a resolution that included "draft Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Regard to Human Rights." The text sets out, among other things, the responsibilities of companies for human rights and labour rights, and provides guidelines for companies operating in conflict zones.

The Sub-Commission, the main subsidiary body of the Commission on Human Rights, was established in 1947 under the authority of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The panel's 26 experts are charged with undertaking studies, mainly in light of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and making recommendations to the Commission on ways to prevent discrimination of any kind relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms and the protection of racial, national, religious and linguistic minorities.

The draft guidelines were adopted today as the Sub-commission aims to complete the work of its fifty-fifth session this Friday. The resolution requests that governments and other parties provide information to a working group that deals with transnational corporations, concerning the possible negative impact of the activities of such corporations and other business enterprises on human rights.