Message from the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP-BHR) speaks not only of the duty of States to prevent human rights abuses by businesses, but also of the responsibility of businesses to respect human rights, even without State intervention. Indeed, the UNGP-BHR, derived from laws and principles, recognized under international law – including customary law and human rights laws, treaties and conventions – sets the standards for corporate behavior, which States must guarantee to their citizens, through the creation and firm implementation of laws. Business enterprises contribute to the growth and development of society: they help provide jobs, improve public services, increase access to healthcare, develop new technologies, and do many more. Unchecked, however, the pursuit of profit makes businesses prone to commit abuses against people, the environment, and, of late recognition, the global climate system. In September 2019, the Commission on Human Rights, through its Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Center, organized the Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Business and Human Rights. It convened national government agencies, civil society organizations, the academe, and the business sector to advocate the implementation of the UNGP on BHR in the Philippines. Out of this forum emerged the Multi-Stakeholder BHR Group, a network of partners, advocating the mainstreaming of the UN Guiding Principles for businesses in the country. It prepared this Guidance Document, which especially considers conditions unique to the country. This document also seeks to address the lack of understanding and appreciation within the private sector of its responsibility to respect human rights, and the importance of upholding human dignity and eliminating all forms of discrimination in their business operations. In promoting a Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) to doing business in the Philippines, the Multi-Stakeholder BHR Group hopes to establish better transparency and accountability in business, as well as provide effective access to remedies where human rights are infringed. This Guidance Document is a testament to what can be achieved with cooperation among the business sector, non-government organizations, the academe, the government, and a National Human Rights Institution. I wish to congratulate all the members of the MultiStakeholder BHR Group for this noteworthy effort. ROBERTO EUGENIO T. CADIZ Commissioner ii