The Business of Human Rights

In a world in which ESG is firmly part of the landscape, successful risk management depends on shared prosperity between companies and communities if value is to be protected. Fundamental to this is an understanding of the business value of human rights. Alex Newton's `The Business of Human Rights' is a `must read' for all business leaders who want to understand the environment in which business will increasingly be conducted. Sir Richard Shirreff, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Strategia Worldwide; formerly NATO's Deputy Supreme Commander Europe The Business of Human Rights provides both a powerful argument for why businesses should take on the protection of human rights and a thoroughly practical guide book to how they can do so. It should be on the required reading list of every human rights activist and every corporate executive. Michael W. Doyle, Columbia University, former UN Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Planning and Special Adviser to SG Kofi Annan The old business mantra that human rights are matters for politicians is even less valid in today's world of full transparency and media- and social media-intrusive scrutiny than it ever was. Corporate reputations can stand or fall on their treatment of human rights - see the hugely costly damage to the bottom lines of those global corporates complicit in ex-South African President Zuma's corruption. I strongly recommend Alex Newton's The Business of Human Rights as a straight-forward and engaging guide for business executives, public officials and students. Lord Peter Hain, Former British Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament This must-read primer on business and human rights should be required reading for business, civil society and government practitioners at a time of great need for unvarnished facts and wise policy prescriptions. Author Alex Newton gives the reader, practitioner and policy-maker the needed background and information as well as the tools and equipment to do the right thing in their organizations - something that seems to be in short supply in today's turbulent business and geopolitical world. I loved this book - practical, knowledgeable, clearly written and passionate. Andrea Bonime-Blanc, Founder, GEC Risk Advisory, Global Strategist, Board Member and Author of Gloom to Boom: How Leaders Transform Risk into Resilience and Value (Routledge 2019) Alex Newton's book, The Business of Human Rights, sets out a clear and concise account of corporate responsibility and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. By providing clear explanations and practical examples, the book takes the language out of the realm of the theoretical and is a must read for anyone seeking to understand more about the intersection of business and human rights. New South Wales and the Commonwealth of Australia have recently legislated to require certain organisations to submit a modern slavery statement each year addressing the risk of modern slavery in supply chains. This book guides businesses and other entities about the steps they should take when applying due diligence as a way to identify and mitigate the risk of modern slavery in supply chains. Professor Jennifer Burn, Anti-Slavery Australia, University of Technology Sydney