The 14th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva brought together governments, companies, investors, unions, communities, human rights defenders and civil society organisations. Each year, this gathering offers a lens on the state of the global economy: how we produce, how we trade, and ultimately, how we treat one another.
As discussions drew to a close, several threads stood out. They reflect what has been achieved since the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) were adopted in 2011, and what still needs to change for people on the ground to feel the difference.
1. Fifteen years of the UNGPs: progress, but challenges remain
Nearly fifteen years on, the UNGPs have shaped how companies understand and address human rights risks. Policies are in place, risk assessments are common, and reporting has improved. Regulations inspired by the Principles are emerging across regions, and investors increasingly expect companies to demonstrate credible action.
Yet throughout the Forum, one concern resurfaced: the distance between commitment and reality. Workers continue to face unsafe conditions and unstable livelihoods. Children are still pushed into child labour. Communities experience land disputes, environmental harm and inadequate consultation. Rights-holder groups reminded participants that progress is often too slow and too far from daily life.
The next phase is clear: it is not about restating principles, but about deepening implementation so their benefits move beyond boardrooms and annual reports.
2. No one can act alone: shared responsibility and clear leadership
A recurring theme echoed across sessions: no actor can address systemic challenges alone. Global supply chains extend from smallholder farms to multinational buyers, financial institutions and regulators. When responsibilities are pushed “down the chain,” the burden falls on those least able to absorb it: small producers, informal workers and families living on the margins.
During the discussions, our Executive Director underscored that child labour is not only a market failure; it is also a governance failure. Where enforcement is weak, institutions under-resourced and public systems absent, abuses take hold. Effective due diligence requires governments to lead.
In countries where we work, such as Tanzania and Indonesia, we have seen this leadership take shape through three practical steps. Governments begin with national baseline surveys to understand real practices in agriculture and other informal sectors: who is sourcing, which policies companies have, and how those policies are implemented. With this evidence, they convene stakeholders to establish a shared standard that levels the playing field. They then take responsibility for training, monitoring, dissemination, capacity building and reporting, turning due diligence into a national system rather than a patchwork of voluntary efforts.
These experiences point to a simple reality: due diligence becomes stronger, more equitable and more sustainable when governments lead—and when companies, investors and civil society work alongside them, not instead of them.
3. Sustainable change when those most affected lead the way
Some of the Forum’s most compelling insights came from those directly impacted: human rights defenders, Indigenous leaders, workers and groups disproportionately affected by discrimination, including women, persons with disabilities and LGBTQ+ communities.
They reminded participants that consultation is not participation. Being invited to speak at the end of a process is not the same as being involved from the beginning. Their knowledge is essential when assessing risks, designing policies and defining what “effective remedy” should look like. Solutions that overlook lived experience often falter; solutions co-created with rights holders tend to endure.
Meaningful participation requires more than listening. It requires protection from reprisals, respect for community voices and recognition that those most affected are not beneficiaries—they are decision-makers.
4. Tackling poverty is central: living incomes and fair wages prevent child labour
Throughout the Forum, one reality was repeatedly highlighted: poverty is not a backdrop to human rights violations. It is one of their primary drivers. This is especially evident in agriculture, where families operate on margins so thin that even basic needs remain unmet.
When farm incomes do not cover production costs, or when wages fall below what is needed for food, housing, healthcare and education, households turn to survival strategies—including child labour. In these circumstances, audits and awareness campaigns cannot deliver lasting change.
Speakers called for a shift from minimum wage compliance to economic dignity. This means living incomes for small producers and living wages for workers. It requires looking closely at how value, profit and risk are distributed along supply chains: purchase prices, payment terms, contracting practices and buyer expectations.
5. Due diligence is meaningful only when it leads to action
Human rights due diligence is now embedded in regulations, corporate frameworks and investor standards. Yet one point was clear across the Forum: due diligence protects no one unless it drives real improvement.
Effective due diligence goes beyond compliance forms and disclosure metrics. It requires identifying severe risks early, prioritising them and working collaboratively to reduce them. It depends on continuous dialogue with workers, communities, local organisations and authorities—not one-off surveys or audits.
Ultimately, due diligence should be judged not by the documents it produces but by the lives it improves.
Looking ahead
The 14th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights showed both how far the agenda has advanced and how much remains to be done. Nearly fifteen years after the UNGPs, there is clear consensus that businesses must respect human rights. The question now is not whether—but how, and how quickly.
Turning principles into reality will require shared responsibility, leadership from those most affected, wages and prices that address root causes, and due diligence that drives tangible action.
In a world marked by overlapping crises and rapid transitions, advancing business and human rights is not a technical exercise. It is about ensuring that global value chains, investments and business models protect dignity and expand opportunity for the people who make them possible.