Human rights may not at first seem to be a major concern of business. But in an era of globalization, in which multinational corporations have gained unprecedented power over people in many parts of the world, the issues of the behavior of some companies in creating or tolerating conditions in which human rights violations occur and the extent to which companies have the responsibility to try and improve the human rights situation in countries where they operate are very real. This pathfinder is intended for business people and others interested in a basic grasp of human rights and their importance for business in today's world. Resources are grouped in several categories beginning with an examination of human rights in general, the importance of the concept to business, followed by a variety of web resources. The sources selected give a broad picture of the topic, specific issues may be explored in several of the sites listed.

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Universal Rights Network
This site contains an excellent history of the concept of human rights, with links to the texts of several historical documents, in three parts: up to the Second World War, the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the influence of the Universal Declaration since 1948.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The text of the 1948 UN document that set the human rights standards for modern international law.

Human Rights Research Guide
The human rights page of the UN's Dag Hammarskjöld Library. Under "Treaty-Based Bodies" may be found links to the texts of the six international human rights conventions together with information on their status of ratification, declarations and reservations, and the monitoring body.

"Are Human Rights Universal?"
Article by Tharoor Shashi from the World Policy Journal 16, no. 4 (Winter 1999/2000).
 

II. The Importanceof Human Rights for Business

"Why Human Rights Should Matter to the Business World"
Article by Pierre Sane, former Secretary General of Amnesty International, from Earth Times News, January 8, 2001.

"Why do human rights matter to business?"
A good summary of the case for business concern by Amnesty International.

"Corporate Responsibility and Human Rights"
Paper by Bennett Freeman delivered at the Global Dimensions United Nations seminar, June 1, 2001. A thorough examination of the issue.

"Thinking about business action on human rights"
A useful summary from the Ashridge Business School (UK) online newsletter.

"Arguments Against Corporate Social Responsibility"
A summary of frequently heard arguments with response from Mallen Baker's Corporate Social Responsibility web site.

Business & Human Rights
A vast directory of hundreds of online resources maintained by British lawyer Christopher Avery. Links are organized by twenty topics as well as special links for recently added material and a Getting Started list of 24 online articles and web sites.

Business for Social Responsibility
The human rights page of a nonprofit made up of member companies committed to achieving commercial success while respecting "ethical values, people, communities and the environment."

Business and Human Rights Links
Maintained by the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center Library.

Corporate Social Responsibility Forum
A joint collaboration by Amnesty International and the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum, this site presents seven maps that depict where various kinds of human rights abuses occur and where multinational corporations are most at risk of being associated with them. An excellent site to get a quick picture as to where and what kind of human rights violations companies may have to deal with.

Social Science Information Gateway (SOSIG) Human Rights Page
This site is maintained by the UK Resource Discovery Network and aims to provide a source of selected, high quality Internet information. The Human Rights Page is a good directory of web resources.

Many corporations have adopted human rights policies during recent years, sometimes in the face of controversies surrounding their presence and behavior in regions where human rights abuses occur. Below are two samples. A collection of statements by corporations and CEOs may be found on the Business & Human Rights web site.

Better World, British Telecommunications Group
BT Group policies on human rights.

Human Rights and Unocal: A Discussion Paper
Unocal's human rights policy and partial defense of its much criticized activities in Myanmar (Burma), where the military government is alleged to have used forced labor in the construction of the company's pipeline.

Amnesty International
This web site of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization contains a wealth of information. The Library link provides access to Amnesty's reports on individual countries and topics, valuable because of the organization's reputation for impartiality and accuracy. There is also a special Economic Relations section focusing on business. This site is maintained by Amnesty International's International Secretariat in London, the worldwide headquarters.

Amnesty International USA
The web site of the American section contains information on current issues and campaigns, Urgent Actions, and an online action center for e-mail appeals, among much else. There is also a special Business and Economic Relations page.

Human Rights Watch
Originating as a watchdog group to monitor the compliance of the Soviet block to the Helsinki Accords of 1978, Human Rights Watch has grown into a major human rights organization which addresses a broad range of issues worldwide. This web site provides access to its numerous topical and country reports and has a special section on Corporations and Human Rights.

The United States State Department issues annual reports on human rights in many countries that are often quite useful and accurate. This site also contains other information related to human rights.