A/HRC/23/32 health, food, water, work and adequate housing. The Working Group received an especially large number of cases involving conflicts between local communities and businesses over land and resources, including multiple reports of forced evictions as well as of businesses operating or having an impact on land traditionally used by, or of cultural significance to, indigenous peoples without their free, prior and informed consent. In many reports it was noted that conflicts between communities and businesses had led to the harassment and persecution of members of the communities affected, as well as of human rights defenders investigating, protesting, seeking accountability and access to remedies for victims of alleged abuses linked to business activities. This included instances of arbitrary detention, threats, violence and killings, targeting by armed groups, disappearances, restrictions of the freedoms of assembly and expression, and other violations of rights. The Working Group will continue to receive and analyse such submissions to inform its work and strategy, to identify barriers to the effective implementation of the Guiding Principles and gaps in the protection of human rights in the context of business activities, and to inform recommendations made to States, business and other actors on the implementation of the Guiding Principles. IV. Results of pilot surveys of States and business enterprises 14. Today, policymakers and business enterprises broadly acknowledge that States have a duty to protect and that companies have a responsibility to respect human rights, as set out in the Guiding Principles. Much attention is therefore now focused on how States and business enterprises should or do engage with multiple stakeholders as part of their efforts to implement the Guiding Principles, including what issue areas or groups require priority attention, and how to identify and disseminate best practices. 15. While the Working Group and stakeholders across the globe recognize that comprehensive integration of the Guiding Principles into State and corporate policies and practices through multi-stakeholder consultation and participation takes time, the current political reality around the globe, especially in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, is raising expectations on the issue of corporate conduct. The pace at which States and companies act, and the pace of action by the constellation of actors that incentivize and facilitate implementation, will certainly need to increase if businesses are to manage social and political risk. 16. To integrate the Guiding Principles effectively and to increase the pace of action requires a solid baseline of credible and complete data on existing initiatives and lessons learned that can support States, business enterprises, the United Nations and other stakeholders as they progress in their work of disseminating, implementing and embedding the Guiding Principles globally. 17. To that end, and in order to assess progress and to identify how best to assist the implementation of the Guiding Principles, the Working Group has elaborated and commissioned two pilot surveys12 of States and business on the issue of business and human rights, and awareness and implementation efforts. The Working Group thanks all those States and business enterprises that responded to the surveys. 12 6 See A/HRC/23/32/Add.2. The State survey was developed and disseminated in cooperation with Denver University and the University of Minnesota. The corporate survey was developed and disseminated in cooperation with the Global Business Initiative, the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organisation of Employers and the University of Denver. Preliminary findings from the State survey and the findings of the corporate survey were presented by the Working Group at the 2012 Forum on Business and Human Rights.