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G7/B7 - German Presidency
G7/B7 - German Presidency - The Group of Seven (G7) is a forum of leading industrialized nations and democracies. The G7 consists of the USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom (UK).

G7/B7 - German Presidency

Promoting and implementing human rights worldwide

Even more than 70 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed, human rights are still being disregarded and violated to varying degrees in many countries around the world. This is unacceptable. Human rights must be promoted and implemented worldwide.

©AdobeStock escapejaja
©AdobeStock escapejaja
Companies are committed to human rights in a variety of ways for ethical and economic reasons: On the one hand, their direct investments increase the potential for more democracy and human rights; on the other hand, companies actively promote human rights as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR). As part of their foreign trade activities, companies often encounter major challenges in emerging and developing countries, which do not allow for hasty, quick fixes but require long-term strategies: According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), 62 percent of employees worldwide work in the informal sector and 41 countries have not ratified the 8 ILO core labour standards. A hasty withdrawal from countries due to the human rights situation there or the hasty termination of business relationships with suppliers with deficits would in many cases not improve the situation on the ground, but rather tend to make it worse ("cut and run" instead of the necessary "stay and improve"). Responsibility towards local stakeholders, employees and the local environment, requires long-term commitment, e.g. in the area of training and education for suppliers. Companies cannot replace the responsibility of states to implement human rights. However, they can support the strengthening of human rights as a complementary, not a substitute for national government policy.