The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and Networked Governance: Improving the Role of Human Rights Ombudsman Institutions as National Remedies

National human rights institutions (NHRIs) fully compliant with the United Nations (UN) Paris Principles are important actors for implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (GPs). Their work is facilitated by networked governance including the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, the global network of NHRIs, and regional NHRI networks. NHRIs must have mandates to promote and protect a full range of human rights and jurisdiction over public and private sector conduct, although complaints investigation is not required. National human rights ombudsman (HRO) institutions are NHRIs, but their core responsibility is human rights protection through complaints-based and own-motion investigations. Increasing numbers of HRO institutions have some human rights promotion powers and private sector jurisdiction, and some are addressing business and human rights issues. In this article I argue that the HRO institutional ability to implement the GPs can be strengthened through expansion of their human rights promotion powers, expansion of their jurisdiction over the private sector and capacity-building assistance.