Human rights are universal and every person around the world deserves to be treated with morality equally. Basic rights include freedom of speech, privacy, health, life, liberty and security, as well as an adequate standard of living. While governments have the duty to protect individuals against human rights abuses by third parties, businesses are recognizing their legal, moral and commercial need to get involved.

Businesses, as the sector who has minimum responsibilities to meet to respect human rights must act with due diligence to avoid harming the rights of others. This means they must address any negative human rights impacts related to their business and must also abide by international standards and avoid causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts through their activities and relationships.

The UN Global Compact’s human rights principles (Principles 1 and 2) are derived from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We call on companies to respect and support internationally-proclaimed human rights, and to ensure they are not complicit in human rights abuses. The UN Global Compact promotes tools and resources aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We also offer engagement opportunities to help businesses respect and support human rights.