New Handbook offers insights on how to address the impacts of business activities on human rights

While it is clear that business activities have profound impacts on human rights, both positive and negative, it is less clear how to assess and address these impacts. One method that has increasingly gained traction among state, business and civil society actors since the endorsement of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights by the Human Rights Council in 2011, is human rights impact assessment (HRIA).

The new “Handbook on Human Rights Impact Assessment” (Edward Elgar, 2019) provides state-of-the-art analysis by a diverse group of 35 leading academics and practitioners working with impact assessment. Collectively, their critical and insightful appraisals shed light on the role that HRIA can play in addressing the adverse human rights impacts of business activities and fostering sustainable development.

The Handbook, edited by Nora Götzmann, Senior Adviser at The Danish Institute for Human Rights, is one of the first comprehensive compilations on the topic of HRIA. With contributions on a range of industrial contexts and global regions, the Handbook is intended to contribute to increased learning, capacity building, and dialogue across all stakeholder groups involved in promoting responsible business conduct.

Global relevance

The world of business is diverse and the possible impacts on human rights of specific business activities come in many forms. The Handbook addresses this range of perspectives by examining case studies from around the world – from the mining industry in Mexico to infrastructure development in Africa or to the role of information technology on a global scale. The authors dive into a range of methodologies in the field – from the assessment of the activities of a specific company to the big picture of sector-wide impact assessment and trade agreements. Finally, the Handbook looks into the possible future trajectories of HRIA and outstanding challenges.

One of the key purposes of HRIA is to contribute to actual improvements for right-holders. Among other things, the authors point out that an important step for enhancing HRIA methodology and practice going forward, is to increase the focus on evaluation and monitoring of the effectiveness of HRIA processes undertaken.

“In the past years there have been great leaps forward in strengthening the methodologies and practice of HRIA, but the field is still young and there is much work to be done. Paying increased attention to effectiveness evaluation and ensuring that rights-holders are at the centre of HRIA processes must be a key focus going forward. Continuing efforts to make HRIA approaches relevant to the range of business sectors that face different challenges when addressing human rights impacts of their activities is likewise essential,” says Nora Götzmann.