Complementing Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence : Using Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives to Define Human Rights Standards

This commentary focuses on Article 30 of the UNGPs, which refers to the role of industry, multi-stakeholder, and other collaborative initiatives that are based on respect for human rights-related standards in addressing human rights matters. We consider the role of collaborative initiatives in business practice, and argue that these initiatives play a broader role than the one assigned to them by the UNGPs. We draw attention to and discuss the role of one type of MSIs in particular, namely, Human Rights Governance MSIs (HRG MSIs). We submit that the role of these MSIs should be strengthened, and that these types of voluntary initiatives can complement mandatory regulatory approaches to advancing human rights