Alan Miller, Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission has presented the Edinburgh Declaration on business and human rights to the Human Rights Council in Geneva today.

 

The Edinburgh Declaration, which calls for more national and international monitoring of businesses’ compliance with human rights law, was agreed at the international conference of national human rights institutions, held at the Scottish Parliament in October 2010. The Human Rights Council accepted the Edinburgh Declaration from Professor Miller acting on behalf of the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions. The Human Rights Council is meeting to discuss a wide range of issues including the role of transnational corporations and human rights.

 

In a statement delivered at the Palais des Nations in Geneva Professor Miller, on behalf of the ICC, highlighted the broad range of challenges in promoting human rights and business.

 

He said: “As we discussed at our Conference in Edinburgh, national human rights institutions are encountering diverse challenges to human rights resulting from business activities on a daily basis, ranging from human trafficking, forced and child labour, to human rights abuses resulting from environmental damage and in the context of privatization and public procurement.”

 

The statement also welcomed the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations on Business and Human Rights, Professor John Ruggie, who presented his final report on options to further operationalization of his Guiding Principles to the Human Rights Council.

 

The statement delivered by Professor Miller can be read in full here

 

There is more information on the 17th Session meeting which takes place 30 May – 17 June here