OHCHR Helpdesk on Business and Human Rights

The demand

The OHCHR Helpdesk on Business and Human Rights (BHR Helpdesk) was born out of a growing demand from States, business, civil society, and other stakeholders for authoritative guidance and clarification of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). In response to this, and as the guardian of the UNGPs, OHCHR endeavours to establish a new global resource to ensure that the UNGPs are interpreted, understood and implemented in a consistent manner across jurisdictions and industries.

Efforts to establish the BHR Helpdesk are underway. OHCHR is currently seeking financial contributions to properly resource and launch the helpdesk. Funding permitting, the BHR Helpdesk will be a global effort, with dedicated OHCHR staff in headquarters and in field presences in each region to address questions and requests in each UN language and across time zones. The BHR Helpdesk would be complementary to other similar initiatives at the national, regional, and international levels, and would help convene initiatives to exchange on common challenges, approaches, and good practices.

If you are interested in supporting this initiative, we would love to hear from you! Please find contact details below. For further information about the vision for the helpdesk, please consult the materials below.

Documents

• BHR Helpdesk Concept Note
• BHR Helpdesk 2-Page Info Note

Notable Events

• Side event at the Human Rights Council on Establishing Effective Helpdesks on Business and Human Rights, co-organized with the Geneva Human Rights Platform and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Geneva office (more event info) (26 June 2024)
• Expert meeting on Parameters for a Global Helpdesk on Business and Human Rights, co-organized with the Geneva Human Rights Platform and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Geneva office (8 March 2023)

Contact

To learn more information about the helpdesk, including on how to support the initiative, please contact OHCHR-bhr@un.org and OHCHR-DEXREL@un.org.