The Global Network Initiative (GNI) welcomes the opportunity to engage with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the practical application of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) to the activities of technology companies ahead of the March 7–8 consultation and subsequent thematic report to the Human Rights Council.
In our submission, we detail relevant guidance and lessons learned from over a decade of multistakeholder collaboration to implement the GNI Principles, covering each of the four focus areas of the consultation: Human Rights Risks in Business Models; Human Rights Due Diligence and End-use; The State Duty to Protect (and related regulatory responses); and Accountability and Remedy. We share current GNI efforts to address these topics, including the action coalitions on responsible technology and meaningful transparency under the Danish Tech for Democracy Platform. We also share recommendations for the growing number of regulatory efforts introducing specific legal requirements for due diligence and assessment of ICT companies’ human rights and other societal impacts. Read more in the full submission.