UN-BHR

NGOs Call for G7 Follow-up on BHR Agenda

April 06, 2016

Praising leaders of past Group of Seven ("G7") summits for addressing the implementation of the UN's business and human rights ("BHR") agenda, a group of nongovernmental organizations is calling for Japan, as the current G7 chair, to ensure that the next summit includes a discussion of BHR issues, including supply chain standards and adoption of BHR national action plans.
Australia Announces Consultations on BHR Implementation

March 30, 2016

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights reports that the Australian Government has responded to its recent Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council by announcing consultations on its implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights ("BHR"), which may lead to the development of an Australian BHR "national action plan."
Academic: International Courts May Help "Shame" Businesses

March 23, 2016

In a review of an Inter-American Court of Human Rights ("IACHR") decision dealing with business and human rights ("BHR") issues, Professor Nicolás Carrillo-Santarelli of La Sabana University in Colombia praised the IACHR for facilitating the "shaming" of companies that violate the BHR agenda.
Resigning Official: UN Must Confront Companies on BHR

March 23, 2016

In her letter of resignation, former member of the UN Working Group on business and human rights ("BHR") issues Margaret Jungk called for the UN to do more to pressure businesses directly on fulfilling the BHR agenda, including through "missions" to and hearings on companies' BHR records.
Group Hosts Meeting on HRIAs in Tourism

March 21, 2016

A group called Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism recently hosted a meeting with business representatives in Berlin to emphasize the importance of human rights impact assessments ("HRIAs") in the tourism industry to comply with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Australian Law Council Pushes BHR Promotion

March 17, 2016

The Law Council of Australia has published a background paper calling on industries across the country, in particular the Australian legal profession, to "raise awareness of and encourage compliance with" the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights ("BHR").
Paper Points out Extraterritorial BHR Jurisdiction Problems

March 17, 2016

A paper from the International Organisation of Employers argues that extraterritorial jurisdiction for courts in developed countries "is not a quick fix" for remedying business and human rights ("BHR") violations and calls instead for UN action seeking to strengthen national judicial systems in the developing world.
LSE Project Releases BHR Guide on Investment Policymaking

March 10, 2016

The London School of Economics ("LSE") Investment & Human Rights Project has published a guide for policymakers on how to regulate investments in a way that furthers fulfillment of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights ("BHR").
International Court Finds Government BHR Violation

March 09, 2016

Chris Esdaile of the law firm Leigh Day writes that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has found that Suriname violated the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights ("BHR") by not requiring a mining company to perform a "human rights impact assessment" regarding the rights of indigenous people affected by its operations in the country.
CoE Pushes Government Implementation of UNGPs

March 09, 2016

The Council of Europe ("CoE") Committee of Ministers has issued a recommendation for CoE members on implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights ("UNGPs"), including access to judicial remedy for alleged human rights violations, and on compiling a list of "best practices" for furthering the UNGPs.