Business & Human Rights

NGO Calls for Countries to Perform HRIAs on Tax Policies

December 30, 2015

Arguing that corporate avoidance of taxes contributes to human-rights violations and to global warming, the nongovernmental organization Center for Economic and Social Rights has published a report calling for countries to perform human rights impact assessments ("HRIAs") to determine how their tax policies might affect the fulfillment of human rights in other parts of the world.
Academics Explore Effects of UNGPs on Land Acquisition

December 30, 2015

Dr. Jérémie Gilbert and Dr. Nadia Bernaz have published a book chapter analyzing the effects of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights ("UNGPs") on business obligations toward indigenous peoples when acquiring land on which they live, arguing that the "human rights legal framework" calls for business dialogue with affected people prior to "resource grabbing."
Report Highlights Corporate Climate Pledges by Industry

December 30, 2015

Website GreenBiz has produced a "cheat sheet," set out by industry, illustrating pledges that companies, increasingly facing pressure to deal with climate change in their operations and their supply chains, made to reduce their contributions to global warming during the recent talks leading to a global climate pact in Paris.
Report Pushes Standards on Forced Labor in Supply Chains

December 30, 2015

A report from nongovernmental organizations and an investment firm calls for companies to implement a number of high standards, including reporting requirements and pressure on suppliers, in order to avoid legal risks caused by forced labor and human trafficking in corporate supply chains.
UN Signs up Companies to Climate Targets

December 30, 2015

The UN Global Compact has announced that 114 companies, including Coca-Cola, Walmart, and Kellogg, have signed on to its Science-Based Targets Initiative, which sets corporate greenhouse-gas emissions targets to limit global warming to a rise of two degrees celsius, and has launched a platform to measure emissions data reported by businesses.