A/HRC/21/21 (c) Investment and trade 49. The Guiding Principles can serve as a benchmark to ensure coherence between international human rights standards and the development of business-focused development policies, including as they relate to trade and investment. 50. Agencies and programmes focused on investment and trade, particularly the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, can advance the business and human rights agenda and help States to meet their duty to protect by ensuring integration of the Guiding Principles into policy guidance and capacity-building efforts. Of particular relevance for integrating business and human rights components into investment-related work are the principles for responsible contracts developed by the former Special Representative. 17 51. The Guiding Principles may also contribute to ongoing deliberations on the links between human rights and international trade law. Work to clarify the application of the Guiding Principles in this domain, including to the World Trade Organization, is, however, needed. One entry point for dissemination and implementation of the Guiding Principles is through the texts and programmes of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, for example, those relating to arbitration rules for private investments and eligibility criteria for public procurement. 52. The global financial sector is another strategically important realm. On the one hand, it can contribute to the enhancement of business practices with regard to human rights; on the other, however, it also has the potential of undermining the enjoyment of human rights. As a partnership with the financial sector to promote research, capacity-building and policy dialogue, the Finance Initiative of UNEP is an important platform. Ongoing efforts to integrate the Guiding Principles should be strengthened, including in cooperation with OHCHR. (d) Peacebuilding and security 53. Given the range of human rights challenges arising from business activities in conflict-affected situations and their direct correlation with any potential successful peacebuilding strategies, the Guiding Principles can make an important contribution to ensuring that business activities support rather than undermine the building of sustainable peace. Specifically, the Guiding Principles provide a particularly interesting and authoritative roadmap for all actors involved to ensure that any negative impact of economic activities is mitigated and, importantly, prevented. 54. A strategically key focal point for promoting and integrating the Guiding Principles into peace and security activities is the Peacebuilding Support Office, which services the Peacebuilding Commission, administers the Peacebuilding Fund and supports the efforts of the Secretary-General to coordinate the United Nations system in its peacebuilding operations. 55. The Guiding Principles are particularly relevant to the due diligence requirements developed by the Security Council for extractive companies in certain conflict zones, the further exploration on policy questions on the linkages between business human rights and peacebuilding in the intergovernmental Peacebuilding Commission, 18 and the Peacebuilding Fund (the multi-donor trust fund that provides a critical bridge between conflict and recovery), which is increasingly focused on natural resources management as a 17 18 A/HRC/17/31/Add.3. See A/HRC/17/32. 11