Human Rights Impact Assessments - Resolving Key Methodological Questions

This report by the UN Special Representative on human rights and business deals with some general issues and questions regarding human rights impact assessments for business activities. The report discusses what the similarities and differences are between HRIAs on the one hand and environmental and social impact assessments on the other hand. Moreover, current initiatives in the field of HRIA and business are described and a brief outlook into the future of HRIA and business is provided.

UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises

2007, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva [Switzerland]

Pages: 1-11

Source(s):

Document symbol

A/HRC/4/74

Abstract

The present report is submitted pursuant to Commission resolution 2005/69, which asks the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises to develop materials and methodologies for undertaking human rights impact assessments for business activity (paragraph 1 (d) of the mandate), and Council decision 1/102. While the Special Representative of the Secretary‑General indicated in his interim report that developing such materials and methodologies would be beyond the mandate’s time and resource constraints, this report describes principles and characteristics of human rights impact assessments for business, including similarities to environmental and social impact assessments, and provides updates on current initiatives.

Table of contents

I. Framing the issue: Human rights impact assessments - resolving key methodological questions
II. Similarities with environmental and social impact assessments
III. Distinctiveness of human rights impact assessments: a different approach
IV. Current initiatives 
V. Outlook

Human Rights Impact Assessments - Resolving Key Methodological Questions

UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises

2007, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Geneva [Switzerland]

Pages: 1-11

This report by the UN Special Representative on human rights and business deals with some general issues and questions regarding human rights impact assessments for business activities. The report discusses what the similarities and differences are between HRIAs on the one hand and environmental and social impact assessments on the other hand. Moreover, current initiatives in the field of HRIA and business are described and a brief outlook into the future of HRIA and business is provided.

Source(s):