Business and Human Rights, The International Perspective - CINMEPETROL Conference

IHRB's Executive Director John Morrison was invited to Cartegena Colombia to speak at the 9th annual International Congress of Mining and Petroleum (CINMIPETROL). He spoke on business and human rights, focusing on the international perspective, and started by saying:

"I have three key messages for you today. 

First, human rights are no longer an optional matter for business in Colombia or in any of the world’s leading economies. 

Second, Colombian companies have played a major role in dealing with hard questions about conflict, security and human rights. There are lessons that Colombian companies can impart to the international community. 

And finally, as peace negotiations currently taking place in Havana have shown, once conflict ceases, business has a major role to play to make peace sustainable. Businesses will have to work together to make sure that old conflicts and underlying grievances do not resurface, and peace becomes real."

Read the full speech here.