A/HRC/20/29 context of the mandate, as well as some strategic considerations that will inform its work for the remainder of its mandate. II. Background 6. In 2005, following a request by the Commission on Human Rights, 1 the SecretaryGeneral appointed Professor John Ruggie as his Special Representative on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, with a mandate to identify and clarify standards of responsibility and accountability for business enterprises with regard to human rights, and to elaborate on the role of States in this regard. 7. In 2008, drawing on the research and consultations conducted over the course of the first three years of his mandate, the Special Representative introduced the “Protect, Respect, Remedy” Framework to the Human Rights Council at its eighth session, as a foundation on which thinking and action could be developed. 2 8. The Framework rests on the differentiated but complementary duties and responsibilities of States and companies on the issue of business and human rights. States have the primary duty to protect against human rights abuses by third parties, including business; businesses have the responsibility to respect human rights; and there is a need for greater access by victims to effective remedies, both judicial and non-judicial. 9. In its resolution 8/7, the Human Rights Council welcomed the Framework and requested the Special Representative to operationalize it. The resulting Guiding Principles provide concrete and practical recommendations for implementation of the Framework. The normative contribution of the Guiding Principles lies not in the creation of new international law obligations, but in elaborating the implications of existing standards and practices for States and businesses; integrating them within a single, logically coherent and comprehensive template; and identifying where the current framework falls short and how it should be improved.3 They highlight the steps that States need to take in order to ensure business respect for human rights and to provide effective remedy to those whose rights have been adversely; they provide a blueprint for companies to know and show that they respect human rights; and they constitute a benchmark that stakeholders can use to better assess, engage in and promote business respect and accountability for human rights. 10. The Guiding Principles are already widely supported as the authoritative global standard on business and human rights by States, business4 and civil society.5 From this advantageous starting point, the next step is to ensure the effective and broad-scale implementation of the Guiding Principles by States and companies. This unassailable goal is the focus of the mandate of the Working Group. 1 2 3 4 5 4 Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/69. A/HRC/8/5. A/HRC/17/31, para. 14. See www.business-humanrights.org/media/documents/ioe-icc-biac-submission-to_the-un-hrc-may2011.pdf. See the commentaries on the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights at the website of the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (www.businesshumanrights.org/Documents/UNGuidingPrinciples/Commentaries).