Posted on August 8, 2010 by Valentina Azarov
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), a major umbrella NGO for over 160 different organisations, recently (July 2010) launched “Corporate Accountability for Human Rights Abuses: A Guide for Victims and NGOs on Recourse Mechanisms“. The guide is comprised of five sections. Each examines a different type of instrument, including intergovernmental mechanisms, legal options, mediation [...]
Filed under: Human Rights, International Criminal Law, International Humanitarian Law, Public International Law, human rights and business, international justice | Leave a Comment »
Posted on April 29, 2010 by James Harrison
Professor Ruggie, the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights has released his latest report – Report of the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights: Further steps towards the operationalization of the “protect, respect, remedy” framework. The 2010 report continues to build on the protect, respect and remedy framework outlined in previous [...]
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Posted on March 29, 2010 by James Harrison
The OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises are non-binding principles concerning the conduct of multinational enterprises operating in or from the territories of adhering countries. The Guidelines were first adopted in 1976 as part of the Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises. Today, adhering countries include all 30 OECD Members as well as Argentina, Brazil, [...]
Filed under: Environmental Law, Human Rights, Public International Law, human rights and business | Leave a Comment »
Posted on October 21, 2009 by Jernej Letnar Černič
New York University Students for Human Rights have prepared a report on Transnational Corporations on the Right to Food. The Report was requested by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food ‘to inform a multi-stakeholder consultation convening on June 19-20, 2009 in Berlin, Germany on the role of the agribusiness sector in the [...]
Filed under: Corporations in International Law, human rights and business | 2 Comments »
Posted on September 10, 2009 by Ole W. Pedersen
On International Law Reporter, Prof. Cogan links to a short piece by Ingrid Wuerth describing the recent settlement reached in the lawsuit before a district court in New York filed under the Alien Tort Statute by the relatives of Ken Saro-Wiwa against Shell. We have previously blogged about the case here.
Filed under: Africa, Corporations in International Law, Environmental Law, human rights and business | Leave a Comment »
Posted on August 24, 2009 by Jernej Letnar Černič
Professor Larry Catá Backer has recently published in Melbourne Journal of International Law an excellent case note on two recent cases decided by UK National Contact Point under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Here is the title and abstract: Rights and Accountability in Development (‘Raid’) v Das Air and Global Witness v. Afrimex – [...]
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Posted on June 4, 2009 by Ole W. Pedersen
Last week, Amnesty International published its 2009 Report on the state of human rights across the globe. Perhaps not surprisingly, the report, inter alia, focuses on some of the effects that the current economic situation has on the respect for human rights. Thus, the foreword by Secretary General Irene Kahn notes that “it is not [...]
Filed under: Human Rights, human rights and business | 1 Comment »
Posted on May 28, 2009 by Jernej Letnar Černič
Professor John Ruggie, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises (hereinafter J. Ruggie), and his team, have recently published 2009 report on ‘Business and human rights: Towards operationalizing the »the protect, respect and remedy« framework« (U.N. Doc. A/HRC/11/13/, 22 April 2009). In his [...]
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Posted on May 22, 2009 by Ole W. Pedersen
To many human rights, environmental and corporate social responsibility scholars the name of Ken Saro-Wiwa is all too familiar. Saro-Wiwa was a Nigerian author and environmental campaigner fighting the exploitation of natural resources and alleged human rights violation in his native Ogoniland in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. In 1995, Saro-Wiwa was executed by the [...]
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Posted on May 16, 2009 by Jernej Letnar Černič
The US government published in February 2009 its decision that it will not renew its contract with the private security corporation formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide. Such a decision comes as no surprise given the allegations of killing 17 civilians by Blackwater guards, coupled with the Iraqi government’s refusal to extend Blackwater’s operating license. This [...]
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Posted on April 13, 2009 by Jernej Letnar Černič
The enforcement mechanisms under the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD Guidelines) are probably the most prominent mechanisms on various aspects of corporate responsibility ranging from human rights to environment. In a recent development, a hard-working U.S. non-governmental organisation Earthrights International brought, together with a number of other non-governmental organisations, the [...]
Filed under: Corporations in International Law, Public International Law, human rights and business | 2 Comments »
Posted on March 11, 2009 by Jernej Letnar Černič
The Board Members of the Global Reporting Initiative have earlier this week adopted the Amsterdam Declaration on Transparency and Reporting. The Declaration argues for the adoption of the ‘global reporting framework that enhances transparency and is informed by the legitimate interest of all key sectors of society.’ In this way, the increased transparency would contribute [...]
Filed under: Public International Law, human rights and business | 1 Comment »
Posted on February 25, 2009 by Jernej Letnar Černič
Institute for Human Rights and Business has recently published the draft report on Business, Human Rights and the Right to Water: Challenges, Dilemmas and Opportunities, Roundtable Consultative Report. The Reports attempts to ‘summarise the points of view of a group of individuals representing business, international organisations, and civil society who have contributed to issues pertaining [...]
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Posted on January 15, 2009 by Ole W. Pedersen
Human Rights Watch’s 2009 report is out. See report here, press release here and introduction by Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, here. Although there is every reason to exercise caution before relying too much on NGO information in general, the Report has some very good points. Alongside the usual and very valid condemnation of authoritarian regimes [...]
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Posted on December 15, 2008 by Jernej Letnar Černič
250 corporate executives have on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights publicly expressed their commitment to ‘respect and support’ human rights. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we, business leaders from all corners of the world, call on governments to [...]
Filed under: Corporations in International Law, human rights and business | 1 Comment »
Posted on December 14, 2008 by Dominik Zimmermann
A new special coverage section has been added, collecting all the posts that deal with issues on the intersection between human rights and business. Examples of the posts that you will find here so far include a post on corporate obligation to protect human rights, discussing the recent report by the NGO War on Want on labour [...]
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Posted on December 9, 2008 by Jernej Letnar Černič
British retailers (Primark, Asda, Tesco) have been yet again accused of violating fundamental human rights standards. The NGO War on Want has recently published comprehensive report ‘Fashion II‘ on labour rights standards in garment industry in Bangladesh. The report alleges that ‘workers producing clothes for Primark face growing poverty on as little as 7p an [...]
Filed under: Public International Law, human rights and business | Tagged: human rights and business | 6 Comments »
Posted on December 2, 2008 by Ole W. Pedersen
A jury sitting before a federal court in San Francisco yesterday found in favour of the international oil conglomerate Chevron in a case relating to a ten year old incident at one of Chevron’s oil platforms off the Nigerian coast. During a standoff between local villagers from the Ilaje tribe and Nigerian government soldiers, during [...]
Filed under: Human Rights, human rights and business | 1 Comment »
Posted on October 8, 2008 by Jernej Letnar Černič
UK National Contact Point under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises delivered in late August an important decision in Global Witness v. Afrimex (UK) Ltd. Global Witness alleged that Afrimex paid taxes to rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo and employed insufficient due diligence on the supply chain, sourcing minerals from mines that [...]
Filed under: Human Rights, International Criminal Law, Public International Law, human rights and business | Tagged: corporate responsibility, human rights and business | Leave a Comment »
Posted on December 17, 2007 by Jernej Letnar Černič
British NGO War on Want published in November 2007 a comprehensive report on the role of British mining companies in conflict and the violation of human rights. The Report explicitly mentions the following British corporations: Anglo America, AngloGold Ashanti, BHP Billiton, Global Coal Management, Montericco Metals, Oxus Gold, Sibuyan Nickel Property Development Corp., Vedanta Resources and [...]
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Posted on October 13, 2007 by Jernej Letnar Černič
Victims filed a claim on 10 October against Blackwater USA, the private military contractor whose heavily armed personnel allegedly opened fire on innocent Iraqi civilians in Nisoor Square in Baghdad on 16 Sept 200. The case was brought today by an injured survivor and three families of men killed in the incident, according to the [...]
Filed under: Human Rights, International Criminal Law, human rights and business | 3 Comments »
