Svanberg was speaking at the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights (BLIHR) meeting in Stockholm on June 18, organized principally by Ericsson and ABB in collaboration with the Swedish Foreign Ministry and Stockholm School of Economics. The conference brought together representatives from government, civil society, academia, members of BLIHR and business leaders. The event was the second in a series of three convened by BLIHR to highlight the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Over the last decades, a growing number of companies have recognized that they cannot stand aside from human rights issues, and that they can even play an important part in fostering greater respect for human rights in the countries where they operate.

At the Stockholm meeting Svanberg said: “At Ericsson our approach is to find practical ways of implementing human rights within our sphere of influence. It is not only about responsibility but also about helping to actualize human rights and to protect them. We will be taking the opportunity of the 60th anniversary to reinforce awareness of the relationship between human rights and mobile technology, in particular the realization of rights.”

Pointing out that many businesses still associate human rights with risk, conflict or civil unrest, Svanberg said: “We should not shy away from human rights. The role of business is not just to ask: ‘What must I not do?’ We should also ask:  ‘What might I do to engage with those most socially and economically marginalized in our global community?’”

At the event in the Swedish capital, panel discussions focused on how governments can respond to developments in the field of business and human rights. Some discussions looked at the work of Harvard University professor John Ruggie, UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights, who sets out a framework for states to protect against abuses, companies to respect human rights, and victims to access remedies.

The meeting also considered how business can join forces with governments to achieve human rights goals. Public-private partnerships, especially in complicated markets such as Sudan, can be critical to both social and economic development. 

John Morrison, project director, BLIHR, says: “Governments and business need to work together, to try to limit the problems and maximize opportunities. If you are a Western brand, higher expectations are often placed on you. That’s especially the case when compared to a company from a developing country. BLIHR has been exploring these types of expectations and what a level playing field for all companies should look like.”

“Human rights provide a framework within which you can begin to think about the reasonable and realistic expectations for a company. These help align the different roles of government and business to realize the different rights and provide the opportunity to lift people out of poverty. Human rights are therefore an issue of risk management, responsibility but also opportunity” says Morrison.

The Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights (BLIHR) is a program to help lead and develop the corporate response to human rights. It is a business-led initiative with fourteen corporate members. BLIHR is chaired by Mary Robinson, President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The program was founded in 2003 and will end in March 2009.

The principal purpose is to find "practical ways of applying the aspirations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights within a business context and to inspire other businesses to do likewise." In the second three-year period until 2009 BLIHR is committed to sharing tools and experiences, not only within the group but with all interested companies worldwide.

In addition to Ericsson, the group members are ABB, AREVA, Barclays, GAP Inc., General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, National Grid, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, StatoilHydro, and The Coca-Cola Company. They have been joined for the final year by Newmont Mining and Zain Group (mobile operator in the Middle East and Africa).