Gender Dimension of the Guiding Principles on Business and Humans

The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), which were unanimously endorsed by the Human Rights Council in June 2011, are the global authoritative standards to prevent, mitigate and remediate business-related adverse human rights impacts.

It is widely documented that women and girls experience adverse impacts of business activities differently and often disproportionately. They also face additional barriers in seeking access to effective remedies. Moreover, because of intersecting and multiple forms of discrimination, different women and girls may be affected differently by business activities in view of their age, colour, caste, class, ethnicity, religion, language, literacy, access to economic resources, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, residence in a rural location, and migration, indigenous or minority status. It is, therefore, critical that measures taken by States and business enterprises to implement the UNGPs are gender responsive.