UN-ESG

UK Official Criticizes "Modern Slavery" Reporting Efforts

May 25, 2017

In a recent letter to business leaders, the UK's Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Kevin Hyland OBE, who is charged with monitoring corporate implementation of the country's Modern Slavery Act, said he is "disappointed" with the level of compliance by businesses with the law's requirements to report on efforts to eradicate forced labor around the world.
NGO Expresses "Maturity" Concerns with BHR Reporting

May 10, 2017

A study from the nongovernmental organization Shift on the "maturity" of 74 companies' reporting practices on matters related to the global business and human rights (BHR) agenda warns that many of the companies' reports lack clarity regarding relevant BHR risks and the usefulness of human rights impact assessments.
Telecoms Agree to Global Speech, Privacy Standards

May 08, 2017

The multi-stakeholder organization Global Network Initiative has announced that seven telecommunications companies have agreed to become participants in the group's efforts to promote global business standards for users' free expression and privacy rights, including by agreeing to perform "human rights impact assessments" on their operations.
GRI, UN Agree "Responsible Investment" Partnership

May 03, 2017

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the UN Conference on Trade and Development have agreed to a "strategic partnership" through which they will push for "responsible investment" and "green finance" in line with the UN's comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals and the Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative.
ISO Releases International Standard for Sustainable Procurement

April 26, 2017

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has released a new set of standards designed to help companies ensure that their suppliers respect international norms regarding sustainability, workers’ rights, and environmental protection.
GRI Standards Board Considers Further Use of BHR Guidelines

April 19, 2017

The Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) Global Sustainability Standards Board has released a draft project proposal that seeks input on how to further incorporate the UN’s Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (BHR) into the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards.
NGO Ranking Pushes Telecoms on Reporting Policies

April 05, 2017

The nongovernmental research initiative Ranking Digital Rights has released its 2017 Corporate Accountability Index ranking telecommunications companies on their disclosure of policies relating to users' freedom of expression and privacy.
NGO Criticizes Banks over Tax Disclosure

April 05, 2017

A report from nongovernmental organization (NGO) Oxfam demonstrates how NGOs are using and seeking to expand EU rules requiring financial companies to publicly report on their profits and tax payments in every country in which they operate to criticize companies seeking to avoid funding their "economic, social, and cultural rights" agenda through taxation.
Minerals Rule Imposes "Significant Burden" on EU Companies

April 05, 2017

A Squire Patton Boggs analysis of a proposed EU regulation governing the import of "conflict minerals" from war-torn areas of Africa recently adopted by the European Parliament highlights how the rule would impose a "significant burden" on companies that must comply with its "due diligence" and reporting requirements.
NGO Seeks Tough Sanctions Under "Due Diligence" Laws

April 05, 2017

Jeffrey Vogt of the Solidarity Center writes that countries like Australia considering the adoption of a version of the UK Modern Slavery Act, which requires corporate reporting on efforts to rid their supply chains of forced labor, must close "loopholes" in the legislation by providing for "mandatory human rights due diligence" with "dissuasive sanctions" in case a breach occurs.