Business & Human Rights

Manual Encourages Legal Action over "Environmental Injustice"

November 26, 2014

A manual from the project Environmental Justice Organisations, Liabilities and Trade ("EJOLT") outlines the potential use of national, supranational, and international justice mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, to hold businesses liable for harming the environment.
UN Spurs African Principles on Land Investment

November 26, 2014

At a recent UN conference on African land policy, the African Union launched the Guiding Principles on Large Scale Land Based Investments in Africa, which seek to prevent "land grabs" by businesses in order to protect economic and social human rights of Africans and to promote the UN's sustainability agenda.
Ruggie Calls for Intensive Corporate Supply Chain Monitoring

November 19, 2014

John Ruggie, who developed the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, has called for corporations to implement these Principles by engaging in comprehensive monitoring of and cooperation with their suppliers to address potential human rights violations.
Germany Begins Consultations on BHR Action Plan

November 19, 2014

The Federal Government of Germany has announced that it is developing a national action plan to implement international business and human rights ("BHR") principles in consultation with nongovernmental organizations, academia, and others.
Activist Calls for BHR Promotion Among Maritime Clients

November 19, 2014

David Hammond of the nongovernmental organization Human Rights at Sea writes that lawyers should advise maritime industry clients of their obligations under international business and human rights ("BHR") standards and push these companies to develop "human rights impact assessments."