UN-BHR

CoE Holds Seminar on Business and Human Rights

August 14, 2017

The Council of Europe (CoE) has continued its push for its member countries to implement global standards on holding businesses responsible for alleged human rights violations across the globe, convening "international partners, national governments, experts, academics and civil society representatives" for a high-level seminar on "human rights and business" in June.
NGOs Push for Human Rights Reform in Trade Deals

August 11, 2017

The International Corporate Accountability Roundtable and the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations have published a paper calling for the reform of the "investor-state dispute settlement" system model, present in nearly all modern trade deals, to provide for accountability under the global human rights and environmental agendas.
NGOs Call for EU Mandates on BHR in Finance Sector

August 11, 2017

A coalition of nongovernmental organizations has called on the EU to use its completion of the so-called "Capital Markets Union" to impose new regulations on the financial sector requiring broad "environmental, social, and governance" action, including public reporting, due diligence, and redress mechanisms in line with the global business and human rights (BHR) agenda.
UN Rights Office Provides BHR Guidance for Banks

August 10, 2017

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has provided broad guidance, in response to a request from a nongovernmental organization, on factors giving rise to a bank's involvement in a violation of the business and human rights (BHR) agenda, as well as its responsibility to redress such a violation and provide access to a "grievance mechanism."
HRW Seeks BHR Investigator for Canadian Extractives

August 09, 2017

The nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch has published a submission to the UN Working Group on business and human rights (BHR) calling on the body to pressure Canada to appoint an independent ombudsperson to investigate and report on alleged, global BHR violations by Canadian oil, gas, and mining companies.
NGO Evaluates Italian BHR Action Plan

August 09, 2017

The nongovernmental organization Human Rights International Corner has published a review of the initial draft of the Italian National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (BHR), praising the plan for seeking BHR "due diligence" requirements for companies and calling for more civil society participation in the government's review of access to BHR remedies.
UN Group Pushes for BHR "Due Diligence" in Mexico

August 09, 2017

The UN Working Group on business and human rights (BHR) has published a report on its 2016 visit to Mexico calling on the country's government to consult with activists in creating a national action plan on BHR issues and pushing businesses to adopt BHR "due diligence procedures" and to publicly report on their efforts to implement these procedures.
Academic Calls for Lawyer Guidance on "Climate Justice"

August 07, 2017

Sara Seck of the Centre for International Governance Innovation writes on progress by the International Bar Association and others in developing business and human rights (BHR) guidance for attorneys and calls for more activity linking this global BHR legal movement with lawyer action promoting "climate justice."
MEP Seeks EU-wide Integration of BHR Agenda

August 07, 2017

Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Heidi Hautala calls for EU institutions to implement several action items from the global business and human rights (BHR) agenda, including imposing binding human rights due diligence requirements on all companies and formulating an EU-wide action plan on responsible business conduct.
Paper: UN Visit to Canada Should Spur BHR Reforms

August 07, 2017

A paper from the Centre for International Governance Innovation asserts that the May visit of the UN Working Group on business and human rights (BHR) to Canada provides an opportunity for the country to adopt a "national action plan" that clarifies links between the country's policies on BHR issues, indigenous rights, and global warming.