Business & Human Rights

NGO Pressures Dutch EU Presidency on BHR Agenda

February 10, 2016

The International Corporate Accountability Roundtable has published a letter to the Presidency of the EU Council, currently held by The Netherlands, calling for the development of a regional action plan on the business and human rights ("BHR") agenda, monitoring of the development of national BHR plans, and guidance on the development of remedies for alleged BHR violations.
UN Agent Launches "Environmental Rights" Database

February 10, 2016

UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment and Wake Forest Law Professor John Knox has launched a searchable database of over 100 best practices in using the international human rights agenda to influence environmental policy, including business regulation, around the world.
Bank Agrees to Terms of OECD Evaluation

February 10, 2016

The Dutch National Contact Point ("NCP") of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's ("OECD") Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises has published an outcome document noting that Rabobank, in response to complaints about its palm oil financing, agreed to adjust its process of accepting supply-chain complaints and to accept future evaluation by the NCP.
PwC Partner Warns of "Climate Risk" in Finance

February 10, 2016

PricewaterhouseCoopers ("PwC") partner Jon Williams writes that pension fund managers must take into account future environmental regulatory action, including under the terms of the recent global climate deal agreed in Paris, in calculating risks to investments they manage, particularly in the fossil fuel sector.
NGO Seeks Public Dialogue on Bank Strategies

February 10, 2016

Through its BankingFutures dialogue, the nongovernmental organization ("NGO") Meteos, working with consultancy Quest, has called on banks to engage in a "public dialogue" with regulators, NGOs, and consumers to develop standards of care and "respect" for the public to renew trust in the UK's financial sector.