UN-BHR

Officials Call for EU "Responsible Business" Plan

October 18, 2017

A group of national authorities has published a letter calling on the European Commission to proceed with developing an EU Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct that would make businesses responsible for addressing issues including "unemployment, poor working conditions, human rights violations, corruption and threats to the environment" across the globe.
UN Group Seeks Recognition of Duty to Provide BHR Remedies

October 18, 2017

Ahead of a discussion of corporate remedies for rights violations at the next UN Forum on Business and Human Rights (BHR), the UN's BHR Working Group has published a report recognizing a business responsibility to cooperate in the remediation of BHR abuses and to avoid discouraging claims of such abuses.
UN Agent Pushes BHR Agenda at World Bank

October 18, 2017

In line with the push by the UN human rights apparatus for the wide-ranging business and human rights (BHR) agenda, UN Independent Expert Alfred de Zayas has called on the World Bank to amend its constitution to ensure that it only pursues the financing of projects that advance human rights, protect the environment, and promote "the equitable distribution of wealth."
NGO Condemns Bank Services in West Bank

October 18, 2017

The nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch has released a report criticizing Israeli banks for providing services to Israelis in the West Bank as a violation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
NGO Produces "Due Diligence" Guide for ICT Contractors

October 06, 2017

The nongovernmental organization Electronics Watch has produced global guidance for contractors who sell information and communications technology (ICT) to the public sector on how to provide "due diligence," in line with the global business and human rights agenda, to prevent and report on rights violations in the production of the goods they sell.
UN Office Sets Corporate Standards on LGBTI Action

October 04, 2017

In partnership with the activist organization Institute for Human Rights and Business, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has produced a set of global Standards of Conduct on the responsibility of businesses to protect and promote the rights of LGBTI people in the workplace and through community advocacy.
NGO Calls for UK BHR Measures After Brexit

September 22, 2017

The British Institute of International and Comparative Law has published a document exploring "Frequently Asked Questions" about the application of the global business and human rights (BHR) agenda in the UK after Brexit, finding that the UK will need a new legal framework on supply chain reporting and due diligence after the country leaves the EU.
UN Observers: Adopt BHR Principles to Advance SDGs

September 21, 2017

Members of the UN Working Group on business and human rights (BHR) have called on businesses to adopt the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as a “roadmap” to pursue the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by respecting human rights.
NGO Pushes for Global Rules on Labor Due Diligence

September 20, 2017

A report from the Business and Human Rights (BHR) Resource Centre calls for the development of "robust" and "harmonised" global standards for national legislation combating "various forms of modern slavery" by imposing broad BHR due diligence requirements on companies to rid their complex, global supply chains of forced labor.
NGOs Review National BHR Action Plans

September 19, 2017

The nongovernmental organizations International Corporate Accountability Roundtable, European Coalition for Corporate Justice, and Center for the Study of Law, Justice, and Society have produced a 2017 assessment of national action plans on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR) published within the last three years.