UN-BHR

Law Firm “Peer Learning Process” Seeks BHR Engagement

April 29, 2019

Law firms participating in the Law Firm Business and Human Rights (BHR) Peer Learning Process have published a summary report of their 2018 activities seeking increased engagement among law firms with BHR developments and demonstrating efforts to embed the BHR agenda into firms’ advice and operations.
NGO: Business Activity in Israeli Settlements Violates UNGPs

April 04, 2019

An Amnesty International report asserts that any business activity in or with the Israeli settlements in “occupied” Palestinian territory violates the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and calls on businesses to conduct due diligence to ensure they are not contributing to “war crimes” in these settlements.
Asian Countries Move to Implement BHR Agenda

March 04, 2019

Melissa Chong of the nongovernmental organization Corporate Citizenship writes that plans in countries like Thailand and India to develop national guidelines on implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR) could portend a shift toward corporate supply chain BHR due diligence across Asia.
NGO Seeks Mandatory Corporate Due Diligence Under UNGPs

February 27, 2019

The activist organization Shift has issued a statement calling on governments to implement a “smart mix” of voluntary and mandatory measures to ensure companies are complying with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), including by requiring companies to carry out “human rights due diligence.”
NGO Critiques Action Plans on Implementing UNGPs

February 22, 2019

The Danish Institute for Human Rights has published a global review of national action plans on implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) in government policy, including critiques of many governments for failing to follow NGO recommendations in creating these plans.
Swiss Council Considers Corporate Due Diligence Law

February 14, 2019

Juliane Kippenberg of Human Rights Watch explains how the Swiss Council of States, under pressure by nongovernmental organizations, is considering a bill that would impose requirements on Swiss companies to perform human rights due diligence to address negative social impacts of their global supply chains.
NGOs: “Sustainable” Europe Must Include Due Diligence Mandates

February 14, 2019

The European Coalition for Corporate Justice criticizes a European Commission reflection paper on the EU’s efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals for failing to preview policies requiring corporate “human rights due diligence” and easing lawsuits against companies over alleged rights violations.
NGO Calls for Broader Impact of BHR Treaty on Digital Issues

February 14, 2019

The nongovernmental organization Access Now has published an article calling on the intergovernmental panel developing a binding UN treaty on business and human rights (BHR) to tackle a broad range of “digital rights” issues, including through BHR due diligence and reporting requirements.
CoE Publishes Handbook on BHR Rules in Europe

February 11, 2019

The Council of Europe (CoE) recently published a handbook by Claire Methven O’Brien of the nongovernmental organization Danish Institute for Human Rights informing legal practitioners regarding business and human rights (BHR) laws and standards applicable in Europe.
NGOs Call on Finland to Advance UNGPs in EU Bodies

February 06, 2019

A group of nongovernmental organizations has called on the Finnish government to use its time holding the rotating presidency of the EU Council to pursue the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) at the EU level, in particular by imposing “human rights due diligence” requirements on businesses across the bloc.