Support for the Work of the SRSG

In June 2011 the SRSG for business and human rights, Professor John Ruggie presented his final report to the UN Human Rights Council.  The report included a set of Guiding Principles for the operationalization of the UN "Protect, Respect and Remedy" framework. For more information visit:

Cerrejόn letter in support of UN Guiding Principles addressed to Professor John Ruggie - 27 May 2011 “We believe the framework is a valuable contribution to responsible and respectful company human rights behaviour and it offers companies, States, and civil society a set of clear, broad, and comprehensive principles to promote and respect human rights” Julián B Gonzalez, Vice President for Sustainability and Public Affairs PDF of full letter

 

The Coca-Cola Company letter supporting Professor John Ruggie's Guiding Principles on 26 May 2011.“The Guiding Principles provides a foundation and flexible framework for companies like ours .... The Coca-Cola Company is pleased to strongly endorse and support the Guiding Principles.” Ed Potter, Director, Global Workplace Rights, The Coca-Cola Company, PDF of full letter

 

Flextronics letter in support of UN Guiding Principles sent to Professor John Ruggie - 26 May 2011 “The ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ framework and the Guiding Principles provide clear guidance for businesses, whether international or domestic, in taking practical actions to fulfill their responsibility to ensure their operations respect human rights.  ...... I am confident that the Guiding Principles will be well received and supported by the Human Rights Council.” Richard Wong, VP, Global Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Relations, Flextronics PDF of full letter

 

Jindal Stainless Limited letter to Professor John Ruggie in support of UN Guiding Principles - 26 May 2011 “Business interface with human rights issues in today’s context in the developing world can be very complex and most of these very complexities have in some form found initial guidance and redress mechanisms in the GPs. ......... JSL would like to acknowledge that your work has been a key driver for JSL to become systematic in implementing corporate respect for human rights ......” Mr. Ratan Jindal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Jindal Stainless Limited PDF of full letter

 

Total S.A.'s letter in support of the UN Guiding Principles, sent to John Ruggie on 24 May 2011“We write to express our support to the Framework and its Guiding Principles you are proposing to the Human Rights Council.  We believe that these guiding principles will help companies to better  understand their roles in the Human Rights field.” Peter Herbel Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Total S.A. PDF of full letter

 

General Electric Company sent a public letter of support to Professor John Ruggie supporting the UN Guiding Principles on 24 May 2011."While additional work lies ahead as States and businesses seek to measure up to both the practical guidance and aspirational elements of your work, the Guiding Principles will no doubt serve as a lasting beacon for business entities seeking to grow their service and product offerings while respecting human rights." Bob Corcoran, Vice-President, Corporate Citizenship, GE and President of the GE Foundation PDF of full letter

 

Sime Darby sent a public letter to Professor John Ruggie in support of the UN Guiding Principles on 20 May 2011."We support the United Nations 'Protect, Respect and Remedy' Framework. We believe that this, together with the Guiding Principles for Implementation, will help businesses better understand and manage their roles and responsibilities in human rights" Puvan Selvanathan, Group Chief Sustainability Officer, Sime Darby PDF of full letter

 

On the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the UDHR, Novo Nordisk welcomed the Draft Guiding Principles presented by Professor John Ruggie, Special Representative to the UN Secretary General. "We welcome the guidelines as a tool for business to understand their responsibility and implement human rights management. We will now review the draft carefully to assess the implications for Novo Nordisk and also begin to analyse how our current practices measure up." Susanne Stormer, Vice President, Global Triple Bottom Line Management, Novo Nordisk more

 

In the light of the work of the mandate, GE’s Statement of Principles has been modified to more explicitly address the company’s responsibility to “respect” human rights more

 

View the speech given by Andrew Vickers, Vice President, Policy & External Relations, Shell International to the World Legal Forum in The Hague, December 6, 2010 more

 

Download Christophe de Margerie's key note speech at the 5th October 2010 UN SRSG international Business Consultation in Paris here (PDF) "Total is a full participant in the consultation process being conducted by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Business & Human Rights, John Ruggie.The framework developed by the Special Representative is based on complementary responsibilities and comprises three core principles: the State duty to protect against human rights abuses by third parties, including businesses; the corporate responsibility to respect human rights, and the need for more effective access to remedies. We have spelled out our position vis-à-vis the initial draft and since 2005 have been attending and taking part in the consultations, meetings and working groups organized by the Special Representative and his team." more

 

"I have always believed that core of all business are the people who run that business and hence it is a moral obligation on the part of business houses to engage with people on the three principles of human rights i.e. ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy'." Mrs. Deepikaa Jindal, Chairperson JSL Foundation, 10 August 2010 - Download PDF of this speech

 

“Demonstrating respect for human rights remains a key challenge for society and business - one to which HP is fully committed.  The role of business in respecting human rights is currently being shaped by the work of John Ruggie, professor and special representative of the United Nations secretary-general on business and human rights. In 2008, Professor Ruggie published his main report: Protect, Respect and Remedy: a Framework for Business and Human Rights. HP supports the framework and accepts our corporate responsibility to use our size and influence to promote human rights in the business community. Our commitments in this area are outlined in HP’s Human Rights and Labor Policy.”   Hewlett-Packard is part of a pilot project of five global companies road-testing the mandate’s grievance mechanism framework. more