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EU Committee Pushes Tax Avoidance Legislation
December 16, 2015
The European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee has adopted a set of legislative recommendations for the European Commission to consider instituting a common EU corporate tax base, requiring businesses to report finances on a country-by-country basis, and other proposals that would restrict corporate tax avoidance in the EU.
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OSCE Official Seeks Human-Rights Standards in Procurement
December 16, 2015
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ("OSCE") Special Representative on human trafficking Madina Jarbussynova has called on governments to include human-rights standards in their procurement contracts, particularly for "mega sporting events," in order to prevent human trafficking in construction.
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Report Finds Forced Labor in Nestle Supply Chain
December 16, 2015
As activist and government pressure on businesses to identify and address human-rights and environmental problems in their often-complex supply chains ramps up, a report commissioned by Nestle has found that portions of the food company's supply chain in Thailand uses forced labor.
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African NGOs Call for Expansive BHR Treaty
December 16, 2015
A document from dozens of African nongovernmental organizations ("NGOs") calls for a binding treaty on business and human rights ("BHR") that applies to all companies, that requires businesses to complete human rights impact assessment for increased transparency, and that expands the power of national human rights institutions to advance the BHR agenda.
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BHR Forum Maintains Focus on Binding Treaty
December 16, 2015
Dr. Shane Darcy of the National University of Ireland Galway reports that much of the focus of November's UN Forum on Business and Human Rights ("BHR") was on a UN treaty currently under negotiation that would bind governments, and perhaps businesses, to respect BHR principles.