Are 'Human Rights' the 'Business of Business'?

Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Unternehmensethik › Band 6 Nr. 3, September 2005

Verfasser: Leisinger, Klaus M

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Zusammenfassung

When the UN Global Compact was introduced in 1999 by Kofi Annan at the World Economic Forum in Davos, companies were asked to embrace, support, and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labor standards, the environment and since June 2004 also including anti-corruption. Thus any company that pledges support to the Global Compact commits itself to two human rights-related principles: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights within their sphere of influence. Businesses should make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses. Enlightened companies do not define their mission narrowly. Being aware of their responsibilities as corporate citizens, they measure their success more comprehensively than just in terms of quarterly profits. "Business and human rights" has become a prominent subject within the corporate responsibility debate and is likely to gain even more importance in the years to come. Given this, companies are well advised to strive for more than just compliance with national laws in their global business actions.