A/HRC/11/13 page 27 118. First, human rights are most at risk in times of crisis, and economic crises pose a particular risk to economic and social rights. Now more than ever, therefore, the business and human rights agenda matters. Any gains Governments believe can be had by lowering human rights standards for business are illusory, and no sustainable recovery can be built on so flimsy a foundation. Companies must weigh any corresponding temptations against the impact of declining public confidence in business, growing populism and an impending epochal shift in regulatory environments. 119. Second, it was noted earlier that the same types of governance gaps and failures that produced the current economic crisis also constitute what the Special Representative has called the permissive environment for corporate wrongdoing in relation to human rights. The necessary solutions for both similarly point in the same direction: Governments adopting policies that induce greater corporate responsibility, and companies adopting strategies reflecting the now inescapable fact that their own long-term prospects are tightly coupled with the well-being of society as a whole. Strengthening the international human rights regime against corporate-related abuse thereby contributes to, and gains from, the universally desired transition toward a more inclusive and sustainable world economy. Values are becoming a value proposition. 120. Third, the “protect, respect and remedy” framework identifies specific ways to achieve these objectives. For Governments, the key is to drive the business and human rights agenda more deeply into policy domains that directly shape business practices. For companies, the key is to become more fully aware of and responsive to their infringements on the rights of others. Access to effective remedy, judicial and non-judicial, is an essential component enabling individuals and communities to vindicate their rights - the very purpose of the human rights regime. More prosaically, it also serves as a signalling device, a feedback loop, alerting Governments, business and society as a whole when all is not well, while providing opportunities for early intervention and resolution before greater harm occurs. 121. In short, business and human rights is not an ephemeral issue to be considered at some future date. It is and must remain at the core of our common concerns today. -----