Florian Wettstein

The transition of the UN mandate on business and human rights from the UN Special representative to the UN Working Group on business and human right has changed both thefocus and the dynamics of the broader debate on the topic. In my contribution I will reflect onthis transition and its significance for the future of the business and human rights debate.Starting with some thoughts on past achievements, I will then outline some of the majorconceptual and practical challenges that still lay ahead. Furthermore, I will provide anargument for the continuing importance of normative-critical research in the field despite, or perhaps precisely because of its shifting focus on questions of implementation anddissemination and the current tendencies of consolidation and mainstreaming of the debate