International Cooperation and Solidarity: The Missing 4th Pillar of the UNGPs

Daniel Aguirre (Advisor)

Faculty of Business and Law

Activity: Public engagement and outreach › Media Article or Participation

Description

This blog post by Dr Daniel Aguirre is part of a Blog Series on Colonization in, of and through Business and Human Rights published on Rights as Usual.

A solid table is built upon four legs. While three will do, and are better than none, the table will never be stable and will inadequately perform its function. The same goes for the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), an edifice built upon three Pillars: The State Duty to Protect Human Rights, the Business Responsibility to Respect Human Rights, and Access to Remedy. International problems require international solutions. The UNGPs, without commitments to international cooperation and solidarity remain, as suggested in this symposium, colonial in nature, and undermine Article 28 of the UDHR that states, ‘[e]veryone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.’ In the face of global inequality, social injustice, and ecological disaster, alongside unprecedented wealth, a fourth pillar of international cooperation and solidarity is required to confront an exploitative and unsustainable business model and promote a just transition to a human rights economy.

Period	1 Feb 2024
Degree of Recognition	International

Documents & Links

A solid table is built upon four legs. While three will do, and are better than none, the table will never be stable and will inadequately perform its function. The same goes for the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), an edifice built upon three Pillars: The State Duty to Protect Human Rights, the Business Responsibility to Respect Human Rights, and Access to Remedy. International problems require international solutions. The UNGPs, without commitments to international cooperation and solidarity remain, as suggested in this symposium, colonial in nature, and undermine Article 28 of the UDHR that states, ‘[e]veryone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.’ In the face of global inequality, social injustice, and ecological disaster, alongside unprecedented wealth, a fourth pillar of international cooperation and solidarity is required to confront an exploitative and unsustainable business model and promote a just transition to a human rights economy.