Business & Human Rights

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."
UN Agency Criticizes EU Policy on Shipping Emissions

January 18, 2017

Secretary General of the UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Kitack Lim has criticized European Parliament efforts to include the shipping industry in the EU's emissions trading scheme, which imposes a tax on companies to offset their greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that regional approaches to shipping emissions threaten action at the global level.
NGO Pushes for "Green" Chinese Infrastructure Initiative

January 17, 2017

Friends of the Earth United States has published a report calling for fellow nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to consult on the Chinese government's Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure investment project that will seek to connect regions of Asia and Central and Eastern Europe, to ensure the initiative complies with global social and environmental norms.
OECD Prepares Guidance on BHR Due Diligence

January 17, 2017

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released draft guidance for public comment seeking to "provide practical support to enterprises" on how to implement due diligence processes in fulfilling the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR).
Shipping Companies Object to EU Emissions Plan

January 17, 2017

Reuters reports that representatives of the shipping industry have objected to an EU vote to include shipping companies in the bloc's emissions trading system, which applies a tax to businesses to offset their greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that the unilateral application of emissions rules would "create market distortion while generating trade disputes."