Gender lens to the UNGPs

Women and girls experience business-related human rights abuses in unique ways and are often affected disproportionately. The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people are also often affected in a distinct and disproportionate manner in the business context. Women and LGBTI people also face multiple forms of discrimination. They experience additional barriers in seeking access to effective remedies for business-related human rights abuses.

The UNGPs acknowledge the importance of gender in several places:

• The commentary to Principle 3 establishes that States should provide appropriate guidance to businesses on “how to consider effectively issues of gender, vulnerability and/or marginalization”.
• Principle 7 underlines that States should provide adequate assistance to business enterprises operating in conflict affected areas “to assess and address the heightened risks of abuses, paying special attention to both gender-based and sexual violence”.
• The commentary to Principle 12 states: “Depending on circumstances, business enterprises may need to consider additional standards.”
• The commentary to Principle 20 underlines that business enterprises “should make particular efforts to track the effectiveness of their responses to impacts on individuals from groups or populations that may be at heightened risk of vulnerability or marginalization”, underlining the importance of “using gender-disaggregated data where relevant”.

Unpacking the gender dimension of the UNGPs

Despite these references to gender in the UNGPs, the business and human rights (BHR) discourse has, so far, not given adequate attention to the differentiated impacts of business-related human rights abuses on women, girls and LGBTI people Nor has the discourse given enough attention to the unique barriers women. girls and LGBTI people face in accessing effective remedies.

Against this background, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights launched, in 2017, a thematic project to unpack the gender dimension of the UNGPs for women and girls. Based on the project findings, the Working Group prepared a report on the Gender dimensions of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which was presented during the 41st session of the Human Rights Council, on 26 June 2019. The guidance provides practical recommendations for what it means to "protect, respect and remedy" the rights of women in a business context in line with the UNGPs.

Access the illustrated, "user-friendly" booklet of the report on Gender Dimensions of UNGPs.

Drawing on this report and  OHCHR standards of conduct for business : Tackling Discrimination against LGBTI people,  the Working Group has embarked in developing further gender-related guidance, which will be embedded in a report to be presented to the General Assembly 79^th session in October 2024. This report will focus on how to adopt an  LGBTI lens in implementing the UNGPs, with practical recommendations for what it means to protect, respect and remedy the rights of LGBTI persons in the context of business operations.

To inform this report, a call for inputs has been issued and global and regional consultations with key stakeholders are being organized. If you want to get involved, reach out hrc-wg-business@un.org.