In 2003, the project "UN Norms on the responsibilities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises with regard to human rights," published by a sub-commission of experts, was rejected by the Commission on Human Rights. One of the strongest criticisms was the desire to make the norms binding without identifying the difference between State and company obligations.
The Commission, however, has not given up on the issue. In a 2005 resolution, it requested that a Special Representative on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises be recruited. Professor John Ruggie was appointed in that capacity in 2005 by the UN Secretary-General, with a mandate to identify and clarify the norms relating to social responsibility and company transparency with regard to human rights.  
His final report, which was submitted to the Human Rights Council in 2008 (the body which had taken over from the Commission) set out a political framework comprising three core principles: the State duty to protect against human rights abuses by business; the corporate responsibility to respect human rights; and the need for more effective access to remedies. This framework clarifies certain legal concepts and defines the responsibilities of the different States and enterprises as regards human rights.
The Human Rights Council decided to extend John Ruggie's term for a further three years (2008-2011). It has requested that he put the three principles into practice by compiling a set of clear recommendations, as well as firm directives on corporate responsibility.

The study aims to clarify the current legal framework for human rights and the environment applicable to EU-based companies when they operate outside the European Union. A better common understanding of existing legal requirements will facilitate an effective implementation of the UN business and human rights framework put forward by Professor John Ruggie, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Business and Human Rights.
The idea of this study emerged during a meeting of the European Multistakeholder Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility in February 2009. A number of stakeholder groups, including employers' associations, trade unions and non-governmental organisations, provided input for the terms of reference. A multistakeholder steering committee helped to guide the study team.
This study was prepared for the European Commission by the University of Edinburgh. It was published in October 2010.

The United Nations Global Compact Network Netherlands has published a guide on "How to Do Business With Respect for Human Rights" in 2010. It builds on th "Protect, Respect and Remedy" framework of Prof. John Ruggie.
The guide was launched in July at the Global Compact Leaders Summit, and many companies have distributed it widely as an introduction to the UN Framework.

The European Commission has been actively supporting Professor Ruggie's work as part of its overall commitment to promote responsible business practice. In this context, it is currently assessing the existing legal framework at EU and member state level to identify potential areas of improvement.
The present paper is meant as a contribution to these efforts, by showing what can and is already being done to increase human rights accountability from the business perspective. It provides a concise overview over the state of affairs of HRIA methodologies. Outlining strengths and weaknesses of the approach, it will analyze which contribution HRIA can make to the business and human rights agenda, and how its development might be taken further. Thus it is aimed at making a useful contribution especially to the operationalization of the second pillar in Professor Ruggie's framework.
This document was published in 2010 by CSR Europe.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre and Realizing Rights publish list of over 270 companies with a human rights policy

A Guide for Business: How to Develop a Human Rights Policy seeks to outline why companies should respect human rights, the principal reasons for adopting a human rights policy, its key ingredients and the best-practice process to develop one.
It was published by the UN Global Compact Office in 2011.