Our thinking

Human rights – it’s our business

23 February, 2024

Last year marked the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), an international statement affirming the dignity and equal rights of all people. At a time where human rights violations are globally seen, and there is still so much work to be done, the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) has published its view of the top ten business-related human rights issues for 2024.  

We would encourage people to read the whole article to understand the global human rights crisis through the lens of these ten issues, which range from heat stress on agricultural workers to the exploitation of indigenous people for materials facilitating the renewable energy transition. One area that is highlighted is the natural world, and the analysis is a great example of how human rights intersects with other issues which are also at the top of the global agenda.  

It won’t surprise you to learn that nature is at serious threat from climate change, which right now is a very real human rights issue. Natural disasters and loss of agricultural productivity lead to early death and poverty across the globe. And business has a clear role to play here.  S+P estimated that 85% of the world’s largest companies have significant dependency on nature. Where currently there are high levels of exploitation of resources and the people that work there, these practices are not sustainable long-term and will lead to losses in the business’ resources. Thus, the IHRB suggests working with local people on nature-based solutions, improving the prosperity of their land is the key to a sustainable future and healthy population.  

Business is very much part of the solution to global human rights issues – as these ten issues make emphatically clear. 

By Anna Heis