Human Rights Watch welcomes the opportunity to open the Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris markets of NYSE Euronext on December 10th, International Human Rights Day. It is a unique opportunity to highlight the responsibility of companies to respect human rights.
Today many of the most powerful and sophisticated actors on the world stage are companies, not governments. There are many situations in which people’s ability to enjoy their basic rights depends directly on the actions of global businesses.
We have already come far. A decade ago, few companies recognized their human rights responsibilities, but today no sophisticated company would deny them. In the last year, those responsibilities were recognized by the United Nations when it approved the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
These are a useful contribution, but the real challenge is to ensure that companies fully follow human rights standards.
To highlight the human rights responsibilities of business and their need to uphold them, Human Rights Watch will open the European markets of NYSE Euronext.
