The International Bar Association (IBA) Business and Human Rights Committee (‘Committee’) and the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU) have announced the release of the 2023 Updated IBA Guidance Note on Business and Human Rights: The role of lawyers in the changing landscape (Updated Guidance).

In 2016, the IBA Practical Guide on Business and Human Rights for Business Lawyers was issued to assess the implications of the 2011 United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and related standards for the legal profession.  It noted the widespread uptake of the UNGPs, their growing importance to States, businesses and civil society, as well as their incorporation into law and impact on legal practice.

In 2023, relevance of the UNGPs to the legal profession has rapidly increased, as evidenced by many factors. The 2023 Updated Guidance seeks to provide lawyers with insight into the UNGPs and other standards between 2016 to now and reflects on the hardening of soft law during this time.

Over the last 18 months work has been underway to update and simplify the 2016 IBA Guidance on Business and Human Rights for Business lawyers by a small group of expert lawyers. The Updated Guidance received approval from the IBA Bar Issues Commission earlier this year. Following this, during the 2023 IBA Annual Conference in Paris, France the IBA Council unanimously endorsed and approved the Updated Guidance for release. This work falls within the scope of the wider IBA Gatekeepers Project.

You can view the Updated Guidance at this link.