The Dreyer Foundation provided support for an international conference on Human Rights and Business with the participation of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on business and human rights, Harvard professor John Ruggie.
On 8 and 9 November 2007 the Danish division of the International Commission of Jurists hosted the international conference on human rights and business. At this event, politicians, specialists and representatives from the business community, NGOs and other organizations discussed John Ruggie’s recommendations for the UN’s human rights committee surrounding the business community’s role in enforcing human rights.
The Dreyer Foundation provided support for the conference as this was a unique opportunity for Denmark and Danish companies to distinguish themselves as leaders within Corporate Social Responsibility and as important players on the international scene in relation to international business and human rights.
Just after the conference, John Ruggie told Berlingske Tidende: ”Ever since the subject appeared on the agenda, there has been confusion over which human rights were the responsibility of businesses. And it just can’t be positioned that way. It is absurd to begin to pick apart the basic human rights and filter them. Businesses must respect and comply with all of them.”
John Ruggie’s final report with recommendations to the UN’s human rights committee was filed in 2008.
