John Ruggie

John Gerard Ruggie ( born October 18, 1944 in Graz) is a political scientist at Harvard University and since 2005 the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and transnational corporations.

Ruggie was born as the son of Joseph and Margaret Ruggie in the Styrian Graz, before he emigrated with his parents to the United States.

His academic career led him to Columbia University, where he headed the Institute of International Relations for many years as director of the institute. Also at the University of California he taught, among others, in Berkeley and San Diego. For the UC, he directed the renowned Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation.

Ruggie is seen especially in the Anglo-American area as one of the most influential political scientists and theorists of international relations of our time. His work on liberalism and the economic system of the western states in the postwar order are often cited in the economic policy discourse in the United States.

From 1997 to 2001, Ruggie was Deputy Secretary-General, UN Special Envoy and Kofi Annan 's chief advisor on strategic planning matters.

From 2005 to 2008, Ruggie was UN Special Representative on business and human rights. Its mandate included the preparation of reports on the human rights responsibilities of multinational companies for the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The In December, 2008 for the Ruggie report provided an overview of the debate and existing initiatives and showed solution approaches.

His mandate was renewed in 2008 for another three years.