Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America to the Human Rights Council
at the Panel: Role of the United Nations in Promoting Business and Human Rights
UN Human Rights Council – 23rd Session
Geneva
May 29, 2013
Thank you, Mr. President and thank you to all panelists for the information provided today.
The United States is encouraged by work of other UN agencies to promote implementation and dissemination of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The United Nations plays a fundamental role in these efforts, and in gaining and retaining broad stakeholder support. To this objective, we encourage UN agencies to build internal capacity within their institutions to increase understanding of and coordination on strategies to promote implementation of the Principles. This could involve holding workshops on the UN Guiding Principles within the UN system, including but not limited to the International Labour Organization, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank Group to discuss how to further integrate the principles into the work of these groups, and how to educate other stakeholders on their utility and significance.
To conclude, two questions to the panelists:
1. How do you foresee your institution best supporting the work of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights in the coming year?
2. How will you consult with stakeholders in the coming year on the issue of business and human rights issues?