Waiting for Big Business: The Godot of Human Rights

In Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly for the arrival of a mysterious figure named Godot. They pass the time with conversations that range from philosophical to absurd, but their hopes for Godot's arrival never wane. In many ways, the human rights community is like Vladimir and Estragon, waiting for big business to arrive and fulfill its responsibilities. But as the hours, days, and years pass, the hope for corporate accountability diminishes. At times, the conversations in the business and human rights community are philophical, and others absurd. In this parallel, the question remains: Will Godot ever come? Will big business ever take human rights seriously? The waiting continues, and the consequences of inaction become ever more dire.

As the world becomes more globalised, multinational corporations have gained immense power and influence over our daily lives. They shape our economy, our politics, and even our culture. With this power, however, comes great responsibility. Multinationals must be accountable for their impact on human rights, the environment, and social justice. Unfortunately, despite numerous attempts by the international community to regulate them, many multinationals continue to flout human rights standards, engaging in exploitative practices that harm people and the planet.

In this article, I draw this parallel between "Waiting for Godot" and the current state of human rights due diligence by multinationals. Just as the characters in the play wait in vain for the arrival of Godot, the human rights community is waiting for big business to take responsibility for their actions. However, it remains to be seen if big business will ever show up. To illustrate the dire need for increased corporate accountability, we present four statistics that highlight the poor uptake of human rights due diligence by multinationals.

1. According to a study by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, only 41 out of 100 of the world's largest corporations have a publicly available human rights policy. Even worse, only 20 out of these 41 companies have policies that are considered adequate.
2. In 2020, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights reported that over 60% of companies surveyed in the garment and footwear sector failed to meet human rights due diligence expectations. This sector is notorious for exploitation and abuse of workers, especially in low-income countries.
3. A survey by the Danish Institute for Human Rights found that out of 100 companies from diverse sectors, only 25% have conducted human rights due diligence that aligns with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Even more alarming, only 2% of these companies have reported on the effectiveness of their due diligence processes.

1. The 2021 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) ranked 230 companies across various sectors, finding that only 16% of companies scored above 50%, indicating that they were taking human rights seriously. Shockingly, almost 50% of companies scored below 10%.
2. According to a survey conducted by the German government, only a small percentage of businesses were able to show that they are adequately meeting the National Action Plan (NAP) requirements on human rights due diligence. In fact, the results showed that merely 17-19% of businesses were able to demonstrate compliance. This lack of response from businesses is alarming and suggests a disregard for human rights responsibilities. The final quantitative survey, which included 455 companies, showed that only 13-17% of those that submitted a valid response were in compliance.

These statistics illustrate the dismal state of human rights due diligence by multinationals. Despite numerous calls for action, the vast majority of companies continue to ignore their responsibility to respect human rights. In many cases, corporations prioritize profit over people, resulting in widespread exploitation, environmental degradation, and social inequality. The parallels with "Waiting for Godot" are clear: just as the characters wait in vain for the arrival of Godot, the human rights community is waiting for big business to take responsibility for their actions. However, just like Godot, it remains to be seen if big business will ever show up.

The lack of corporate accountability has serious consequences for human rights. Workers are subjected to unsafe working conditions, forced labor, and poverty wages. Indigenous communities and people living in poverty are forcibly displaced to make way for corporate projects. Environmental degradation caused by multinational corporations disproportionately impacts marginalised communities, leading to loss of livelihoods and displacement. And in many cases, corporations are complicit in human rights abuses committed by governments and security forces.

It's time for big business to be held accountable. Governments, civil society, and the private sector must work together to create enforceable human rights standards that hold multinationals accountable for their actions. Consumers can also play a role by demanding that companies take responsibility for their impact on people and the planet. The parallels with "Waiting for Godot" may be bleak, but we can still take action to ensure that big business shows up and takes responsibility for their actions. Let's make sure Godot does turn up. Eventually.

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