Between BHR-push and SDGs-pull: is it time to part ways with CSR?


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2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) – time to reflect on what has been achieved in the business and human rights field and on the road that still lies ahead. In this contribution I will first take a look back at the historical development of BHR and at the role the UNGPs were able to play in advancing the discussion to where we are today. Currently, we see two developments that seem to be aligned in some areas, but creating tensions in others: on the one hand, there is a strong movement to rein in the corporate role by mandatory BHR regimes, be it domestic, regional, or international; on the one hand there is a push to expand precisely this corporate role within the UN Sustainable Development Goals framework (SDGs). Squeezed in between the BHR-push and the SDGs-pull is the CSR concept, which seems increasingly ill-equipped to capture and deal adequately with these developments. Looking ahead, is it time to part ways with CSR?