What is the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights?
The Global Business Initiative on Human Rights (GBI) is a highly respected global, cross-industry and business-led organisation focused on advancing corporate respect for human rights around the world. GBI works to shape practice, inspire commitment and build capability to implement respect for human rights, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Our vision is that all companies respect human rights throughout their business operations and value chains.
Our members
GBI comprises a committed group of multinational corporations operating in diverse industries and regions. GBI members convene multiple times per year, in person and remotely, through a unique programme of peer learning and global engagement work that supports them to deepen, strengthen and share their progress. In addition to member meetings in countries where our members are headquartered, GBI organises, participates in and contributes to business and human rights meetings and workshops in different parts of the world in order to facilitate peer learning discussions and promote cross-sectoral exchanges. Our work is supported by our core team and network of Advisors, bringing decades of experience and expertise to our work.
GBI engages regularly with others across business, government and civil society where members and the team can add unique insights and deep experience to address governance gaps and promote corporate respect for human rights. The organisation is known for its high-quality peer learning and global engagement, supported by internationally recognised experts, and for the in-depth learning and trust between members. These enable discussions that focus on practice at very granular, as well as strategic, levels and the exploration of sensitive real-time challenges.
Our Member Peer Learning programme
GBI is dedicated to advancing corporate respect for human rights by providing practical, innovative solutions aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), and other international standards and laws which reflect the UNGPs. Through our peer learning platform, we support our member companies in embedding human rights in their business strategies and practice, and help them to navigate evolving regulatory demands and growing stakeholder expectations.
As a thought leader, GBI ensures its voice aligns with both human rights responsibilities of companies and the practicalities of getting business done. By delivering expert insights on emerging trends and regulations, we support members not only to meet compliance requirements and think beyond compliance, but also to anticipate and shape future regulatory landscapes. We foster company leadership in human rights, position businesses for success in an era of heightened scrutiny and accountability, and support companies in grounding their practices in respect for human rights as a foundation for creating a positive impact on society.
Our External Engagement & Informing Policy programmes
GBI engages key global stakeholders to drive policy development and corporate best practices. Through strategic partnerships and GBI Regional Advisors, our External Engagement and Informing Policy work supports members’ learning and delivers tailored insights that address members’ geographic, sector-specific and field-level human rights challenges. GBI’s Informing Policy work seeks to share GBI’s practice-based insights from engaging with companies on implementing the UNGPs to inform policymakers. This includes actively engaging and participating in global policy developments to ensure that GBI’s experience and know how informs key regulatory and policy initiatives.
GBI holds regular regional peer learning discussions with local partners and business practitioners to further develop networks for practitioners to engage in peer learning discussions to advance the corporate respect for human rights. We prioritise engagement in regions where members have strong business interests and we use regional insights to strengthen the Member Peer Learning programme.
Access more about our global engagement work, including
webinars, summaries of our engagements and regional analysis
Our unique position in business and human rights
Founded in 2009 and emerging from the Business Leaders’ Initiative on Human Rights (BLIHR), GBI has become a leading force in advancing corporate respect for human rights globally. The fast-evolving regulatory landscape, growing stakeholder expectations, and the global shift towards a green economy are reshaping the responsibilities of businesses. These changes present both challenges and opportunities for companies seeking to embed respect for human rights throughout their business operations and value chains.
GBI’s strength derives from our expertise in focused peer learning, in human rights, in deep member engagement, and our ability to engage in and interpret global developments impacting responsible business conduct. Through our collaborative peer learning platform, GBI provides tailored support to members, helping them to deepen their respect human rights across business operations, navigate emerging regulations and mitigate risks. Our members rely on the organisation to deliver in-depth, practice-based insights and expertise, enabling them to anticipate and meet both current and future human rights responsibilities.
How we work
GBI continues to be an intentionally small group with a cross-sectoral, multinational membership base, specialised focus on human rights, with strong regulatory expertise, and insights into regional and global developments. We are a trusted partner, providing our members with the tools, knowledge, and networks needed to strengthen respect for human rights in their value chains, contribute to responsible business conduct on a global scale, and lead in human rights compliance.
We do all this through:
How we achieve this:
-
Enhancing member capabilities
We equip member companies with the knowledge and strategies needed to strengthen respect for human rights, and address evolving human rights risks and regulatory demands.
We do this through high-quality peer learning events focused on human rights challenges, sharing good practices, and exploring emerging regulatory changes in a fully confidential setting.
GBI also holds working and discussion groups on key issues, holds peer review sessions, provides our free online Business Practice Portal aimed at practitioners with focused research and practical advice that help companies deepen their understanding of human rights practices and compliance through resources designed ‘by business, for business’.
-
Anticipating regulatory changes
We prepare our members to anticipate and respond to emerging regulatory changes, ensuring continued compliance in a manner aligned with the expectations of the responsibility to respect human rights.
We do this through providing an online members-only Legal and Policy Tracker, regularly updated to help monitor developments globally, to provide timely information to members and their colleagues on significant legal and regulatory developments, particularly those affecting due diligence requirements.
We offer workshops and specialised training sessions that prepare members to navigate new legal frameworks, integrate human rights compliance into corporate strategy, and stay ahead of regulatory requirements.
We share practice and insights widely with companies, policymakers, and other stakeholders to help build common ideas of how to design enabling legislation that facilitates meaningful human rights due diligence.
-
Driving corporate leadership on human rights
GBI is a highly regarded global organisation, contributing to advancing corporate respect for human rights through proactive engagement, thought leadership and strategic communications.
We do this through executive engagement, thought leadership in the form of in-depth blogs, webinars, podcasts, and reports that stress the importance and value of respecting human rights, and tackle the most pressing challenges. This is supported through high-profile speaking engagements and social media opportunities.
-
GBI’s engagement with policy development through peer learning
GBI uses its peer learning platform to inform key international policy discussions, leveraging collective insights from peer learning sessions in GBI’s public policy inputs, ensuring member perspectives are represented in key regulatory discussions. We participate in global policy forums such as with the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, advocating for practical and business-friendly regulatory solutions grounded in practice and based on peer learning insights. We foster member discussions on shared human rights and regulatory challenges to strengthen members' capacity to engage constructively in policy developments.