UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights utveckling som norm: En analys av Sveriges regering, Volvo och Göteborgs Stad

Abstract

Since the 1990s, when the number of transnational companies increased, it has created challenges regarding the responsibility of human rights. As a response to these challenges the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) unanimously endorsed the new policy UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) in 2011. UNGP does not have the status av international law, yet simply as guidelines and its implementation is based on good will and voluntary efforts. Now, 10 years later, this study aims to get understanding regarding if UNGP is considered as norm by the Swedish Government, Volvo and Gothenburg Municipality. The material of the study consists of sustainability reports, annual reports and governmental documents with focus on human rights in relation to business published between the year of 2011, when UNGP was endorsed, until 2020. The material has been analyzed through a thematic analysis and the theory of norm life cycle has featured as theoretical framework. The main results show that there has been a stable development of addressing and including UNGP by the Swedish Government and Volvo. As a result of the gradual development by the two actors makes them reach the third and final stage of the norm life cycle, internalization, and summarizes in that they consider UNGP as norm. The Gothenburg Municipality has during the same time period neither addressed nor included UNGP and is, for that reason, not regarded to consider UNGP as norm. The results indicate that the UNGP is included by its target groups, states and businesses, yet to do such a generalization there is need to extend this research to a greater number of actors.