UN-BHR

Article Highlights BHR Impact in Asia

February 05, 2019

Melissa Chong of the organization Corporate Citizenship describes a “rising tide” of corporate human rights due diligence regulations, with a particular focus on supply chains in Asia, and considers the potential global impact of a binding UN treaty on business and human rights (BHR).
Academic Cites “Duty” of FIFA to Intervene in Rights Case

February 05, 2019

Professor Sarah Joseph of Monash University illustrates how advocates of the business and human rights agenda are pressuring the sports industry to intervene in rights-related issues, asserting that the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has a duty to push Thailand not to extradite a famous soccer player to Bahrain.
NGO Seeks Broad BHR Measures in Australia

February 04, 2019

The Human Rights Law Centre has published a report calling on the Australian government to address alleged overseas human rights violations by Australian corporations by adopting laws strengthening the country’s OECD contact point, requiring companies to perform “human rights due diligence,” and implementing the UN’s business and human rights (BHR) regime.
Consultant Argues for Positive BHR Duties in Conflict Zones

January 31, 2019

Business and human rights (BHR) consultant Anna Triponel warns that companies operating in “conflict or post-conflict” contexts around the world must be prepared to use their financial and other leverage to push back against human rights violations in these regions and avoid BHR-based lawsuits.
Lawyers: Blockchain Can Help Companies Comply with UNGPs

January 31, 2019

Attorneys from the law firm Hughes Hubbard explain how blockchain technology could help businesses conform to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) by assisting in their efforts to perform “human rights due diligence” to examine the rights impacts of their complex, global supply chains.
UN Working Group Calls for BHR Promotion in Davos

January 31, 2019

The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (BHR) has called on government and business leaders meeting at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos to advance the “sustainable development” agenda by promoting BHR standards and human rights “due diligence” by companies around the world.
NGO Seeks Stronger BHR Reporting from Canadian Mining Companies

January 16, 2019

The nongovernmental organization Shift has produced a report pushing companies in the Canadian mining industry to broaden and strengthen their public reporting on implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR).
NGO Produces Test for Effective BHR Treaty

January 08, 2019

A quarterly update from the Business & Human Rights (BHR) Resource Centre raises critiques of the recently published “Zero Draft” of the binding UN treaty on BHR issues and proposes a three-part test of the effectiveness of such a treaty, focused on consultation with stakeholders, creation of proper BHR remedies, and corporate “due diligence” requirements.
NGO Publishes BHR Priorities for 2019

January 08, 2019

The Institute for Human Rights and Business recently published a list of the top 10 most important business and human rights (BHR) issues in 2019, pushing businesses to help eliminate discrimination across society and increase reporting to investors on BHR issues.
Roundtable Explores Tension Between BHR Agenda, Investment Deals

January 04, 2019

In September 2018, the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment and the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (BHR) published a joint report on a roundtable they hosted exploring how to transform international investment agreements to better advance the BHR agenda in the area of “access to justice.”