UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, turned into due diligence that works.

What it is

What are the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights?

The Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights implement the United Nations "Protect, Respect and Remedy" Framework. They were presented to the UN Human Rights Council in 2011 and endorsed by it in June of that year, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) publishes them together with its own guidance.

For a company, the principles describe a responsibility to respect human rights across its own activities and its business relationships, and to provide or take part in remedy where harm occurs. Human rights due diligence is the process that turns that responsibility into daily management.

Status. The Guiding Principles date from 2011 and remain the UN reference; OHCHR continues to publish guidance and statements on them, including a June 2026 statement. Many newer laws and frameworks draw on them.

Who it is for

Who needs to apply the UN Guiding Principles?

The principles apply to all business enterprises, but the push to act usually comes from outside. Clients come to Sterling from four starting points:

• Customers ask about human rights due diligence. Supplier questionnaires and codes ask for a policy, a risk assessment and a grievance channel.
• A law in one of your markets draws on them. Transparency and due diligence laws expect processes that follow the same logic. Your lawyers confirm which laws apply.
• Investors or ratings want evidence. ESG ratings and investors ask how human rights risks are identified and managed.
• Leadership wants to know its risks. The board wants to understand where its operations and suppliers could harm people, and what to do about it.

The principles ask how you find and address harm, not only what your policy says. The work has to reach that process.

Requirements

What do the UN Guiding Principles expect of companies?

The principles are organised around the framework's three words, protect, respect and remedy; the full text is published by OHCHR and is not reproduced here. The list below is what Sterling's work covers for a company.

• Policy commitment: a human rights policy approved by leadership and communicated.
• Risk and impact assessment: where your operations and business relationships could affect people.
• Action on what is found: prevention and mitigation built into purchasing, HR and operations.
• Tracking and reporting: indicators and reviews that show whether actions work, and how you report on them.
• Grievance and remedy: channels people can use, with cases handled and closed.

Your engagement

What your UNGPs engagement includes

One team takes you from a first risk picture to a working due diligence process, under one all-inclusive proposal.

• Scope, gap assessment and plan

  Against the Guiding Principles and your customers' expectations, with owners and dates.

• Policy and due diligence process

  A policy and a risk process built with procurement, HR and operations.

• Effivity ISO & GRC software

  Risks, suppliers, grievances and actions in one workspace, included with the engagement at no additional cost.

• Training for leaders, buyers and staff

  Awareness for everyone, with preferential Sterling Academy access, including complimentary awareness training for your people as part of the engagement.

• Supplier assessment support

  Questionnaires, prioritisation and follow-up for higher-risk suppliers.

• Review and reporting support

  A management review and the information your public reporting needs.

The Guiding Principles are guidance and cannot be certified. Sterling does not give legal advice.

Often combined with

Standards organisations pair with UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

• amfori BSCIamfori BSCI audit preparation for producers: gap assessment across the 13 performance areas, remediation, worker-facing evidence and support from Sterling.
• CSDDDCSDDD compliance and requirements after Omnibus I: scoping, risk-based due diligence, complaints, monitoring and the 2029 start, delivered in one all-inclusive proposal.
• FairtradeFairtrade certification and requirements: which Fairtrade International standards apply, FLOCERT's audit, cost and timing, and how Sterling prepares you.
• ISO 26000ISO 26000 social responsibility consulting: apply its seven core subjects in your decisions and reporting.
• ISO 30415ISO 30415 diversity and inclusion guidance applied in your organisation: gap assessment, policies, HR processes, measures and training.
• ISO 45003ISO 45003 psychosocial risk consulting: manage work-related stress and wellbeing within your ISO 45001 system.