United Nations Radio

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Business and Human Rights has stressed the need to protect human rights in the face of the current financial and economic meltdown.

Presenting his report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, Professor John Ruggie noted that policymakers everywhere are focused on restoring the global financial system and economy.

He said even countries that were relatively insulated from the original financial meltdown, including the majority of developing countries, are hard hit by the effects of the crisis.

Professor Ruggie pointed out that human rights are most at risk in times of crisis and economic crises pose a particular risk to economic and social rights.

Professor Ruggie added that the same types of governance gaps and failures that produced the current crisis also create a situation that permits corporate-related human rights violations:

"The solutions for the economic crisis and for business and human rights, point in exactly the same direction: governments must adopt policies that induce more responsible corporate behavior and companies must adopt strategies that reflect the fact that their own long-term prospects are tightly coupled with society's well-being."

Professor Ruggie said governments need to preserve their ability to meet their international human rights obligations and take human rights into account when they do business.

Even when they are not directly connected to a business venture, he stressed, governments need to foster a corporate culture that respects human rights at home and abroad.

Diane Bailey, United Nations.
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