COVID-19 has affected the full range of human rights, though some rights holders have experienced a disproportionate impact. This has triggered debate about the respective obligations and responsibilities of states and business enterprises under international human rights law. Against this backdrop, this article examines critically whether the “protect, respect and remedy” framework operationalised by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights is “fit for the purpose” to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. I argue that while the UNGPs’ framework provides a good starting point, it is inadequate to bring transformative changes to overcome deep-rooted socio-economic problems exposed by this pandemic. Realising human rights fully would not only require harnessing the potential of states’ tripartite obligations, but also move beyond limiting the responsibility of businesses to respect human rights.

COVID -19 已经影响到所有人权，尽管一些权利持有者受到了不成比例的影响。这引发了关于国家和工商企业在国际人权法下各自义务和责任的争论。在此背景下，本文批判性地研究了由《联合国商业与人权指导原则》实施的“保护、尊重和补救”框架是否“适合”应对COVID -19 危机。我认为，虽然UNGPs 的框架提供了一个很好的起点，它不足以带来变革性的变化来克服这一流行病暴露的根深蒂固的社会经济问题。充分实现人权不仅需要利用国家三方义务的潜力，还需要超越限制企业尊重人权的责任。