Annual Report 2014
of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises was
organized. Among many mandates, this Working Group guides the work of the Forum
on Business and Human Rights for the implementation of the Guiding Principles which
covers the UN bodies, inter-government bodies, national human rights institutions
and business enterprises. The annual Forum on Business and Human Rights, first
held in 2012, is the largest global gathering on business and human rights with more
than 1,500 participants from more than 100 countries.
In the meantime, the OECD adopted the OECD Guidelines for Multinational
Enterprises in 1976 and created a new chapter on human rights in its fifth revision
of the Guidelines in May 2011.
As such, the international community, notably international organizations such
as the UN and the OECD, has been very active in highlighting the importance of
“human rights” in business by performing a variety of activities including organizing
forums, presenting best practices, and holding working group meetings with the aim
of encouraging business enterprises in the world to respect and comply with
international business and human rights standards such as the UN Guiding Principles
on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Integrating human rights in business has become a new challenge for not only
multinational corporations but also domestic companies to respect. However, it is
regretful that many of Korea’s business enterprises have a low level of awareness
of, or interest in the issue of business and human rights. When it comes to business
and human rights, many of them still think solely of social contribution activities
such as philanthropic donations or volunteer services.
In 2014, the Commission performed diverse activities in reflecting the international
trends on business and human rights and expanding the awareness of Korean companies
76 ▪▪▪ Part
II. Major Activities of the Commission