UN-BHR

Article: BHR Principles Must Guide AI Development

May 09, 2018

In a recent article, Sherif Elsayed-Ali of Amnesty International writes that the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies must fit within the framework of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR) in terms of preventing discrimination and requiring transparency and access to remedy.
MEPs, NGOs Push for BHR Focus in Sustainable Finance

May 08, 2018

A letter from Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and nongovernmental organizations calls for the inclusion in an EU technical "sustainable finance" group stakeholders who can guide the group on how to fulfill the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR) while encouraging environmentally friendly investment.
NGO Seeks Broad Application of Binding BHR Treaty

May 07, 2018

The German Institute for Human Rights has issued a position paper calling for the adoption of a binding UN treaty on business and human rights (BHR) issues that applies to all corporations, requires corporate "due diligence" to review and redress BHR impacts, and provides for the involvement by national human rights institutions in overseeing compliance with the treaty.
Berlin Summit Seeks Rights-Focused Corporate Governance

April 20, 2018

Joanna Radeke and Tammi Coles examine how business and nongovernmental organization representatives at a recent summit in Berlin identified as a "significant corporate blind spot" the idea among business leaders that they do not have responsibility, beyond legal obligations, for human rights violations in their complex, transnational supply chains.
NGOs Seek EU Government Support for BHR Treaty

April 20, 2018

Representatives of two nongovernmental organizations call on European governments to support the process of the UN Working Group on the development of a UN treaty on business and human rights (BHR) in forming a legally binding instrument requiring governments to ensure companies perform BHR due diligence and provide access to justice for alleged BHR violations.
UK Lawyer Calls for BHR Due Diligence Rules

March 30, 2018

British barrister Alison Macdonald QC recently published a blog calling for UK laws requiring British companies to establish mechanisms aimed at preventing major violations of the business and human rights (BHR) agenda in their global supply chains, in line with "due diligence" requirements under the UN Guiding Principles on BHR.
UN Rights Chief Pushes Papua New Guinea on BHR Agenda

March 30, 2018

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged the government of Papua New Guinea to prevent, investigate, and punish human rights abuses, especially those in violation of the global business and human rights (BHR) agenda, and pushed for the creation of an independent national human rights body to enforce rights protections.
Ruggie Pushes for Swiss "Due Diligence" Rules

March 28, 2018

Identifying laws requiring corporations to perform "due diligence" on the human rights impacts of their operations and supply chains as the "new normal" in Europe and North America, Professor John Ruggie of Harvard University recently wrote in favor of an initiative seeking to impose due-diligence requirements on Swiss companies.
NGO Announces Updates to BHR Benchmarking Method

March 28, 2018

The nongovernmental organization Corporate Human Rights Benchmark has announced updates to its methodology for the 2018 version of its global review of the compliance of companies from the agriculture, apparel, and extractives industries with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR) and other global BHR initiatives.
Apple Reports BHR Violations Among Global Suppliers

March 28, 2018

Technology giant Apple has embraced the movement for corporate reporting on the business and human rights (BHR) agenda by releasing a Supplier Responsibility Progress Report indicating that an audit of the company's global supply chain revealed "core violations" of labor and other rights.