On September 19, the Atlantic Council, together with LexisNexis, launched the Global Rule of Law Business Principles, an international effort to engage businesses in advancing the rule of law. The Principles were introduced by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon alongside the inaugural LexisNexis Rule of Law Awards honoring Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, and Laurel Bellows, immediate past president of the American Bar Association.

The Atlantic Council-LexisNexis Global Rule of Law Business Principles aspire to be a set of commonly held principles to which companies that conduct their business globally—regardless of industry, or locale—can support. A platform for companies to pursue higher standards of ROL, the code seeks to highlight the impact that businesses can have in promoting the rule of law by raising the collective awareness of its stakeholders, including governments, vendors, and organizations with which they do business. You can read the full, draft Principles here.

The Council will continue to work with LexisNexis and the UN Global Compact to develop this initiative.