BHR

OHCHR Releases Report on Israeli Settlements List

February 01, 2018

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has released a report on the methodology it has used to identify over 200 companies that "facilitate" or "profit from" Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories, warning it may not be possible for companies to comply with the global business and human rights agenda when operating in this region.
Report Evaluates Banks' Violations of BHR Agenda

February 01, 2018

Nongovernmental coalition group BankTrack has published a report reviewing examples of banks' alleged contributions to violations of the international business and human rights (BHR) agenda in their provision of financial products and services with the aim of encouraging more BHR due diligence among banks to prevent future financing of rights abuses.
UN Groups Seek Global Adoption of Gender-Pay Laws

January 29, 2018

Two UN human rights working groups have called on governments around the world to combat gender-pay discrimination using the example of Icelandic legislation requiring businesses with 25 or more employees to obtain an "equal pay certificate" showing they "have classified jobs according to equal value and have then analysed people’s wages accordingly."
UN Group Pushes WEF to Focus on Rights Agenda

January 24, 2018

The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (BHR) has called on governments and businesses convening in Davos for the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to work toward a "fairer economic system that spreads the rewards of economic development to all" and to base their strategic decisions on the global human rights agenda.
UN Agent Critiques Australian Delay of BHR Action Plan

January 16, 2018

The Chairperson of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (BHR) has published a letter to Australia's UN office in Geneva expressing disappointment regarding the Australian government's decision not to develop a "National Action Plan" on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on BHR at this time.
Unilever Embraces BHR-Focused Corporate Model

January 09, 2018

Marcela Manubens, a Vice President of global consumer products company Unilever focused on "sustainability," has published an article calling on corporations around the world to develop "new inclusive business models" implementing the business and human rights (BHR) agenda in their operations and supply chains.
Lawyer: EU Should Adopt Class Actions for Rights Victims

January 08, 2018

Christopher Patz of the European Coalition for Corporate Justice writes that the European Commission should expand proposals permitting consumers based in the EU to pursue class-action lawsuits against companies to people around the world claiming corporate violations of human rights and environmental laws.
Bank Group Explores BHR Due Diligence Duties

January 08, 2018

The Thun Group of Banks has published guidance advising banks, "in the context of business relationships with clients," to conduct "due diligence" to determine risks of human rights violations as part of the framework of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR) and, in some cases, to use leverage to push clients to refrain from human rights impacts.
NGOs Seek Action on Extractives Industry in NAPs

January 05, 2018

The International Corporate Accountability Roundtable and the Due Process of Law Foundation have published global guidance to governments on how to address alleged rights violations committed by the oil, gas, and mining industries in their "National Action Plans" (NAPs) implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
NGOs Launch Website on BHR and "Hard Law"

January 04, 2018

A group of human rights-focused nongovernmental organizations have launched a website called "BHR in Law" that track legal developments related to the global effort to bind corporations to a business and human rights (BHR) regime, "with a focus on mandatory human rights due diligence and parent company liability."