Policy paper

Implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: May 2020 update

This page provides an update on the UK government’s work since 2016 to implement the principles across UK government departments.

• From: Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
• Published: 27 May 2020

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

Documents

UK National Action Plan on implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: progress update, May 2020

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UK government partners implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights across government departments

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Details

The UK government is committed to promoting of human rights in business, both at home and abroad.

The UK was the first country to produce a National Action Plan to implement the United Nations Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The UNGPs are a voluntary international framework, which promotes:

• the duty of the State to protect human rights
• the responsibility of businesses to respect human rights
• access to remedy for victims of abuses

The Action Plan, published on 4 September 2013, responds to these issues and emphasises practical action to implement the UNGPs in the UK. An update of the action plan, published on 12 May 2016, reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to the UNGPs and continuing cross-government activity.

This page provides an update on what the UK government has done to implement the UN Guiding Principles since our last update in 2016. It also gives an overview of how each government department contributes to this work.

Published 27 May 2020