Protecting and promoting human rights is not only the responsibility of the government. Businesses, too, are accepting that they have corporate moral obligations.

This is the theme of the recently published report, 'How to do business with respect for human rights – a guidance tool for companies', by Global Compact Nederland. André Haspels, Deputy Director-General for International Cooperation accepted a copy on behalf of foreign minister Maxime Verhagen. Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Mr Haspels said, ‘A better human rights situation will certainly be to the advantage of the business community. Moral duty and considered self-interest go hand in hand. The merchant and the preacher do not exclude but complement each other.’

The report gives companies insightful guidelines for promoting human rights, especially in countries where the situation is not as good as in the Netherlands. ‘Businesses should work together as partners, not opponents,’ said Mr Haspels.

The publication is based on an initiative by ten major Dutch multinationals, all of which are members of Global Compact: AkzoNobel, Essent, Fortis Bank Nederland, KLM, Philips, Rabobank, Randstad, Shell, TNT, and Unilever. They researched ways of applying the recommendations of the UN’s business and human rights envoy John Ruggie, as set out in ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy,’ a now widely accepted framework for governments’ and businesses’ responsibilities on human rights.

Comments/Questions? Email netherlands@un.int