UN-BHR

UN Rights Chief Pushes BHR Agenda in Davos

January 18, 2017

On the occasion of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra-ad Al Hussein highlighted his office's attempts to use the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR) as a comprehensive tool to pressure companies to contribute to nontraditional economic and social "human rights."
Paper Suggests Indicators to Track BHR Impacts

January 13, 2017

A paper by Dylan Tromp, a project manager at the UN's International Labour Organization, suggests a set of indicators for use by governments, businesses, and "other stakeholders" to assess corporate influence on human rights, with the aim of holding specific businesses accountable for their human rights impacts around the world.
NGO Guide Links SDGs to Human Rights

January 13, 2017

As part of human rights activists' and UN officials' efforts to suggest an enforcement mechanism to force businesses and governments to implement the UN's "sustainable development" agenda, the Danish Institute for Human Rights has published a guide to how the UN Sustainable Development Goals are anchored in a "legally-binding framework" of global human rights.
HRW Criticizes US Action Plan on BHR

January 05, 2017

Arguing that the plan "largely restates the status quo" and provides no new measures for implementing the global business and human rights (BHR) agenda, Human Rights Watch has criticized the recently released US National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct for failing to offer "legal teeth" to address BHR violations by American corporations.
NGO Calls on Trump to Enforce BHR Action Plan

January 04, 2017

Gregory Regaignon of the Business & Human Rights (BHR) Resource Centre has published a piece warning President-Elect Donald Trump to take seriously the need for the US to implement the global BHR agenda by enforcing the commitments made by the Obama Administration under its new National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct.
UN Rights Office Explores Non-Judicial BHR Mechanisms

January 04, 2017

As part of its "Accountability and Remedy Project," the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has released a "scoping paper" containing its research on how governments should improve their "State-based non-judicial mechanisms" to remedy alleged violations of the global business and human rights (BHR) agenda.
NGO Criticizes "Disappointing" Swiss BHR Action Plan

January 04, 2017

The Swiss Coalition for Corporate Justice has criticized the Swiss government's National Action Plan on implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR) for its lack of binding measures, including the absence of plans for legislation requiring companies to perform "due diligence" on their BHR impacts.
Italian Action Plan Implements Global BHR Agenda

January 04, 2017

The Government of Italy has published a National Action Plan, produced in consultation with a variety of stakeholders in business and nongovernmental organizations, on the country's implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR) and contributions to the UN's "sustainable development" agenda.
UK Law Society Issues Latest BHR Guidance

January 03, 2017

The Law Society of England and Wales has released new guidance for solicitors in the UK on how to integrate the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR), along with other BHR-related policies and legislation, into their firm's operations and their legal advice to corporate clients.
EU Adviser Proposes BHR Treaty Focus on Disclosure

January 02, 2017

In a recent opinion piece, European Commission policy adviser Dr. Gosia Pearson writes that the negotiation of a global, binding UN treaty on business and human rights (BHR) should focus on bridging gaps internationally between national laws and regulations, including through corporate reporting requirements.