UN-BHR

Report Describes Progress Toward BHR Treaty

September 21, 2016

Jens Martens and Karolin Seitz of the Global Policy Forum have published a paper detailing the progress of human rights activists toward establishing a binding UN treaty implementing "global regulation" of business and human rights issues in addition to or in place of the "soft law" UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
UN Group Calls for BHR Implementation in Mexico

September 20, 2016

Following an official visit to Mexico, the UN Working Group on business and human rights issues has released a statement calling on the country's government and private sector to commit to engaging with members of affected communities in development projects and to develop a national action plan on implementing the UN's BHR agenda.
NGOs Scrutinize Colombian BHR Action Plan

September 19, 2016

The International Corporate Accountability Roundtable and Colombian nongovernmental organization Dejusticia have produced a document reviewing Colombia's national action plan for implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, criticizing the plan for vague terms and for failing to set timelines for achieving the BHR agenda.
NGOs Decry EU Avoidance of BHR Treaty Talks

September 16, 2016

A group of nongovernmental organizations have organized a petition calling on European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to ensure that the EU lends credibility to negotiations over the text of a binding UN treaty requiring governments and companies to implement the global business and human rights agenda.
Academic Pushes BHR "Engagement" by Manufacturers

September 16, 2016

Shareen Hertel of the University of Connecticut writes that companies operating abroad in the light manufacturing sector, including clothing production, should implement the "economic rights" element of the global business and human rights agenda through "stakeholder engagement" in affected communities.
Rights Activists Intervene in Irish Tax Debate

September 15, 2016

Dr. Shane Darcy of the National University of Ireland Galway describes the interventions of nongovernmental organizations calling for the Irish Parliament to include in its discussions of tech giant Apple's tax payments the responsibility of businesses to pay taxes to help fulfill economic, social, and cultural rights in the country.
NGOs Seek Focus on Rights in UN Climate Efforts

September 15, 2016

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre and the Center for International Environmental Law have submitted a proposal to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change calling on the agency to include fulfillment of the global business and human rights agenda in implementing the UN deal on climate change reached in Paris last December.
Article Seeks BHR Assessment of ASEAN Trade Policy

September 14, 2016

Legal researcher Shalini Bhutani has called on countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in cooperation with their national human rights institutions, to conduct a formal human rights impact assessment of a regional free trade deal to ensure the "privileges" it grants to corporations comply with the global business and human rights agenda.
Lawyer: Indonesia Must Respect BHR Agenda in Tax Policy

September 14, 2016

Human rights lawyer Nurkholis Hidayat writes that the Indonesian Government must respect the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in implementing a "fair and just" tax policy to ensure that corporations contribute to the fulfillment of the global economic, social, and cultural rights agenda.
Shift Leaders Seek Broad Agenda for UNGPs

September 07, 2016

Leaders of the nongovernmental organization Shift have published an article outlining an ambitious future agenda for governments and businesses on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, including expanding BHR remedies and linking the BHR agenda with the UN's sustainability goals.