Professor John Ruggie was a true giant of the human rights field. His passing therefore leaves an enormous void for all who knew him and benefited from his life’s work. Yet his legacy, particularly as the United Nations Special Representative on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, is indelible. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), which he led and the American Bar Association endorsed, set the global standard for the roles of government and the private sector in protecting and respecting human rights and, where they are harmed by business activity, providing reliable and effective remedy.
The Center for Human Rights will honor Ruggie’s legacy in the best way we can – by continuing to advocate the full realization of the UNGPs and the human dignity they seek to protect.