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ii. Operational Principles of the Corporate Responsibility to
Respect
To operationalize the corporate responsibility to respect human rights,
business enterprises should act with due diligence to avoid infringing on
the rights of others and to address adverse impacts of their operations. To
do so, business enterprises must first understand their human rights risks.
Thus, the operational principles of the corporate responsibility to protect
call on business enterprises to conduct due diligence processes403 and survey
their entire business landscapes as a means to effect policy commitments404
that reduce adverse impacts on human rights, and design remedial measures
where needed.405 In general, the operationalization of corporate human
rights responsibilities must include a) the investigation and evaluation of
business activities and assessment of corporate policies that may lead to
possible human rights abuses;406 b) integration of “findings about each salient
human rights issue into decision-making processes and actions” through
company policies and practices;407 and c) addressing each issue or providing
remedy for harms caused “by its actions or decisions in relation to a salient
human rights issue.”408 Due diligence processes, when done correctly, will
provide business enterprises with the understanding of the harm its activities
may cause, and define the ways these harms may be addressed. It does not,
however, end at undertaking due diligence procedures. The findings must be
made public,409 reported to investors and stockholders, and submitted to
appropriate government agencies.
iii. The UNGP Reporting Framework
The UN Guiding Principles (UNGP) Reporting Framework provides
a comprehensive guide for companies to identify and report issues that
403
Id. (Principle 17).
404
Id. (Principle 16).
405
Id. (Principle 22).
407
Id. (Principle 19).
406
408
409
Id. (Principle 18).
Id. (Principle 20).
Id. (Principle 21).
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