General Human Rights Principles are important as a foundation for understanding the effect any investment or action has on societies. The Human Rights Principles offer a basis for understanding how to not only avoid harm but also how to address it once it has happened, as well as for understanding the interconnectedness between not only rights but between environmental impact (and the rights involved in environmental actions, see below) as well as the concepts around good governance and the importance of engagement and of identifying stakeholders to fully understand the effect of investment decisions as well as company actions. They are also helpful to understand the underlying notion of engagement which has to be around continued efforts towards positive change.
The principle of universality of human rights is the cornerstone of international human rights law. This means that we are all equally entitled to our human rights. As first emphasized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this principle is repeated in many international human rights conventions, declarations, and resolutions.