Our Mission and Vision
The Institute for Multi-Stakeholder Initiative Integrity (MSI Integrity) is a nonprofit organization originally dedicated to understanding the human rights impact and value of voluntary multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) that address business and human rights. MSI Integrity researched key questions surrounding the effectiveness of MSIs, facilitated learning and capacity building in the field, and developed tools to evaluate initiatives from a human rights perspective. MSI Integrity took a particular interest in how MSIs include, empower, and impact affected communities.
After a decade of intensive research and analysis in the MSI field, MSI Integrity concluded that while MSIs may facilitate dialogue and learning, they are not effective tools to ensure that corporations respect human rights, to hold corporations accountable for abuse, or to provide rights holders with access to remedy for abuses.
A New Direction
MSI Integrity will continue to encourage the human rights community and beyond to discuss and debate the role of MSIs in global governance and human rights protection, but in the coming months, MSI Integrity will embark on defining its new focus: learning from the limitations and failures of MSIs in global governance and human rights protection to move beyond corporations and reimagine our economic enterprises.
MSI Integrity ultimately envisions a world where the private sector respects and protects human rights and the environment; a world where corporations are held accountable for any human rights abuses they commit, and provide remediation for any harm caused. Our new direction will look into how the corporate form itself is a central force in human rights abuses globally, and how other community and worker-centric business models might lead the way toward a more economically and environmentally just future.
To understand why we focused on MSIs, please see: What Are MSIs?. It explains how these initiatives have become popular as corporate accountability tools, despite minimal evidence or understanding as to whether they have been effective instruments for the protection of human rights. For more information on our new focus, please see: Beyond Corporations.
To stay up to date about this exciting new focus, please sign up for our newsletter.
Our Principles
MSI Integrity is committed to independence, transparency and human rights principles. We seek to facilitate a culture of open dialogue and debate in all aspects of our work.