Two important reports published this week to coincide with UNGC Summit in New York

22 June 2010 | Updated 28 June 2010

The Institute for Human Rights and Business has launched two important reports to coincide with the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit that took place in New York from 24-25 June.

The first, titled The State of Play of Human Rights Due Diligence: Anticipating the Next Five Years [58 pages, 875kb] reviews how human rights due diligence processes - which involve developing policies, assessing impacts, integrating into management practices, and tracking and monitoring performance - are being taken up by 24 prominent companies from different industry sectors and from different parts of the world.

The report was discussed at a breakfast meeting of business, UN, trade union and civil society leaders organized by the Institute prior to the opening of the Leaders Summit on 24 June.

The aim was to inform companies as they seek to match their commitment to the human rights principles of the Global Compact with tangible actions.

The Institute has also released a consultative draft report which assesses the overall impact of the Global Compact and its role in mainstreaming human rights within business.

The report will be finalized in September following stakeholder feedback and will include recommendations on how the Global Compact’s strategic approach could be further developed to build on successes, address criticisms and achieve greater impact over the coming years.

Comments on the draft report are welcome and should be sent to by 31 July 2010.