This client alert underscores three themes from the 2022 UNBHR Forum: 1) the accelerated implementation of the UNGPs through international, national, and regional actions; 2) the link between human rights and the environment; and 3) the importance of considered business decision-making in conflict situations.
1. Accelerated implementation of the UNGPs
The UNGPs have taken root in a variety of ways. Since 2013, 28 countries have launched National Action Plans (NAPs), which set forth voluntary steps to incorporate human rights into business practices. Another 18 are in development, while three countries that do not have business and human rights-specific plans have at least addressed the topic in their broader human rights plans. Against this backdrop, the UNGPs are now starting to progress from non-binding “soft law” to binding “hard law.” The nature of the obligations such laws impose is also evolving – from earlier…
