Human Rights vs. Competitiveness: A False Dilemma?

Description

Human Rights vs. Competitiveness: A False Dilemma? is a data-driven UNDP report that examines whether improving corporate human rights performance undermines financial competitiveness. Using five years of data from 235 large, publicly listed companies across high-risk sectors and drawing on the World Benchmarking Alliance’s Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB), the study finds no evidence of a financial trade-off. Instead, it shows that stronger human rights due diligence is associated with neutral to positive impacts on operational efficiency and investor valuation. The report provides investors, companies, and policymakers with empirical evidence that respecting human rights is compatible with and can support long-term resilience and sustainable competitiveness.