Business & Human Rights

Developing Nations Create "Sustainable" Investment Guide

August 21, 2017

The African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States, an intergovernmental organization purporting to represent the interests of these regions, has developed, in partnership with the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), a set of "guiding principles" on policies that attract foreign investment contributing to the UN's "sustainable development" agenda.
UN Agency Considers "Cultural Appropriation" Policies

August 21, 2017

Andrew O'Reilly writes that the UN's World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recently hosted a debate regarding international standards aimed at preventing the "misappropriation" of cultural expressions by permitting indigenous peoples across the globe to trademark these expressions and prevent their use by businesses.
UN Body: Lowering Corporate Taxes Violates Rights

August 18, 2017

The Center for Economic and Social Rights has applauded the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights for releasing a document recognizing an international legal obligation of governments not to lower their taxes to attract investors and to ensure that businesses do not seek to avoid taxation in other countries.
NGOs Rate Banks on Shift Toward Climate Finance

August 18, 2017

A group of environmental activist organizations has published an analysis scoring banks around the world on the extent to which they have shifted their lending from fossil fuel exploration to clean energy projects, finding across the board that financial institutions have failed to meet their pledges to contribute to the global climate change agenda.
Ruggie Seeks New Path for Development of BHR Agenda

August 18, 2017

Professor John Ruggie of Harvard University has published an article indicating the limits of both voluntary and regulatory approaches to persuading corporations to take into account their human rights impacts and suggests the need for a new path, recognizing the "dynamic interplay" between these approaches, to advance the business and human rights (BHR) agenda.