A/HRC/21/21 of humanitarian assistance, and the key entities identified in the present report. The United Nations system task team set up by the Secretary-General to support efforts to define and advance the post-2015 development agenda, as well as system-wide planning to support the implementation of recommendations made at the Rio+20 Conference, provide another important platform in this context.14 30. The strategic embedding of the business and human rights agenda and the Guiding Principles at the macro-level of the United Nations system will be necessary in order to achieve the further integration of the Principles into existing structures, programmes and activities, at both the global and national levels, as identified in the section below. This will strengthen the Organization’s role in advancing policy coherence and convergence of standards, as well as create greater synergies with other initiatives. It will also strengthen the role of the United Nations in the promotion of enhanced accountability and redress for business-related human rights impact, supporting Governments and business enterprises to fulfil their respective responsibilities, and support national human rights institutions and civil society to advance the implementation of the Guiding Principles. B. Integrating the Guiding Principles: specific areas of work within the United Nations 1. Human rights system 31. OHCHR plays a central role in the implementation of the business and human rights agenda and in taking appropriate action to promote and support embedding and integration of the Guiding Principles into relevant focus areas of existing United Nations system coordination mechanisms, together with their respective secretariats. The efforts of OHCHR in this regard will be reinforced through enhanced strategic engagement with actors such as the United Nations Development Group, the Peacebuilding Support Office, UNDP, the Global Compact, ILO, the UNEP Finance Initiative and others. 32. A particular concern with regard to the integration of the business and human rights agenda and the wider task of advancing the Guiding Principles effectively is the risk that the full benefits of convergence brought about by the adoption of the Principles could be weakened in the implementation process. Various actors are developing their own interpretations of the Guiding Principles, a situation that could lead to fragmentation in interpretation and divergence of understanding among stakeholder groups. To help avoid that outcome, OHCHR developed an interpretive guide on the corporate responsibility to respect human rights as set out in the Guiding Principles. 15 More such guidance is, however, needed. 33. The institutional focal point within the United Nations system for providing uniform guidance and clarification on issues relating to the interpretation of the Guiding Principles rests with OHCHR,16 in close collaboration with the Working Group, as well as other human rights mechanisms and agencies or organizations, as appropriate. As efforts to advance capacity-building and the implementation of the Guiding Principles gain momentum, and both internal and external stakeholders seek guidance and support, the rationale for “one-stop shopping” to ensure alignment with the Guiding Principles is further strengthened. 14 See for example www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Business/BNUNGuidingPrinciplesBusinessHR.pdf. 15 Available from www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Business/RtRInterpretativeGuide.pdf. 16 A/HRC/14/27, para. 126. 8

Select target paragraph3

Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents