Table of Contents
UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (2011)
As of 1 October 2026. Information only, not legal advice – see the disclaimer.
| Full title | Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework (A/HRC/17/31) |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-binding principles endorsed by a UN body |
| Adopted by | UN Human Rights Council (resolution 17/4) |
| Adopted | 16 June 2011 |
| Legal status | Not legally binding; reference standard for national and EU legislation on corporate due diligence and for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises |
| Official text | OHCHR |
| Subject area | Private actors, liability and insurance |
Overview
The Guiding Principles, developed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General John Ruggie, rest on three pillars: the State duty to protect against human rights abuses by business, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights, and access to remedy. Companies are expected to carry out human rights due diligence: to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for adverse impacts. The principles address conflict-affected areas expressly. They are referred to in discussions on the role of technology companies – providers of connectivity, cloud, platform and surveillance services – in armed conflicts and in information operations.
Provisions relevant to the cyber and information sphere
- Principle 7 – States should help ensure that business enterprises operating in conflict-affected areas are not involved in gross human rights abuses.
- Principle 12 (commentary) – In situations of armed conflict, enterprises should respect the standards of international humanitarian law.
- Principles 17–21 – Human rights due diligence.
- Principle 23© – Enterprises should treat the risk of causing or contributing to gross human rights abuses as a legal compliance issue wherever they operate.
- Principles 25–31 – Access to remedy through judicial and non-judicial mechanisms.
Application to cyber and information operations
The UN Working Group on business and human rights has described “heightened human rights due diligence” in conflict-affected contexts (report A/75/212, 2020), and published a guide with UNDP in 2022. In the European Union, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (EU) 2024/1760 draws on the Guiding Principles; its scope and timetable were amended by the Omnibus I directive published in the Official Journal on 26 February 2026, which, among other things, postponed application to 2029 and removed the harmonised EU civil liability regime in favour of national law.
Recent developments
- 2020-07: Working Group report A/75/212 on business, human rights and conflict-affected regions.
- 2022: UNDP and Working Group guide on heightened human rights due diligence for business in conflict-affected contexts.
- 2026-02-26: Omnibus I directive amending the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive published in the Official Journal.
Related entries
Sources
- OHCHR: Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, accessed 2026-10-01
- UN Working Group: Business, human rights and conflict-affected regions (A/75/212), accessed 2026-10-01
- Latham & Watkins: EU Sustainability Omnibus published in the Official Journal, accessed 2026-10-01
Change log
- 2026-10-01: Entry created.