Authorities in Liberia, as well as businesses operating there, must prioritize people over profits and ensure a responsible corporate environment, UN-appointed human rights experts said on Friday in the capital, Monrovia.
Although more companies are committing to respect human rights, gaps and challenges remain, UN experts said on Wednesday in assessing a decade of standards for business that take the wellbeing of people and the planet into consideration.
As businesses struggle to cope with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, they need to remain aware of their responsibilities as partners in efforts to build a sustainable future, says the outgoing head of the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative.
Women who set up their own businesses will succeed if they are knowledgeable about their field and “trust their knowledge”; that’s according to the owner of a successful wine bar and store in the city of New Orleans in the United States.
Doing the right thing is “good business” and companies that don’t see the connection won’t survive in the long run.
That’s what the head of a non-profit that helps businesses build a more just and sustainable world said, on the margins of a UN debate on ending forced labour.
People need to make the connection between the long-term commercial survival of businesses and operating responsibly.
