The newly released guide, which the EU Commission published under its CSR policy actions, translates the UN Ruggie Principles into the context of European SMEs. It explains why it is important for SMEs to respect human rights, what they are and why their respect sometimes means going beyond mere legal compliance. It introduces six basic steps to expected of SMEs according to the UN Guiding Principles. The document also illustrates business situations which may carry a risk of human rights abuse and carries a list of all human rights and the potential negative impact of business on each one of them, as well as a list of relevant references. One of the co-authors of the report is Sune Skadegaard Thorsen of Global CSR, who also sits on the AIM-PROGRESS Advisory Board. You can access the report in the Human Rights section of this website.
