Weekly Update - 29 April 2015

Amnesty Intl.; Global Witness; New York Times; Financial Times (UK)

• report analyses 100 companies' filings during the first reporting period in 2014
• refers to positive steps by Apple, Boeing, Intel, Kennametal, Microsoft, Target & others
• also provided: NGOs invite civil society orgs. to sign open letter calling for stronger EU conflict minerals regulation (by 6 May)

(photo credit: Enough Project)

• we invited the companies linked to the abuses to respond: Dragon Capital Group, Vietnamese Enterprise Investments, Hidralia Energía responded
• EDL Generation, Masan Group, Medco Power Indonesia did not respond; we will indicate whether GMR Varalakshmi Foundation responds next week

EarthRights Intl., Intl. Consortium of Investigative Journalists

Guardian (UK)

• company denies allegations, sues NGO for defamation

Asset Owners Disclosure Project

• also new on our Climate Justice section: Global Investor Coalition on Climate Change publishes guide for asset owners
• BSR: "Creating an Action Agenda for Private-Sector Leadership on Climate Change"

South African Civil Society Information Service

• we invited Sasol to respond - response provided

• full statement only available in Japanese

Trinidad Express Newspaper

Amnesty Intl.

Reuters; Peru Support Group

China Dialogue, Thethirdpole.net

• we invited China Gold Intl. Resources to respond; it did not do so

Confectionery News (USA)

Daniel Aguirre & Vani Sathisan, Intl. Commission of Jurists

Guardian (UK); Intl. Business Times

• High Commissioner calls on European govts. to crack down on racism & xenophobia "under the guise of freedom of expression"

Ella Skybenko, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

EurActiv

Jordan Times

ESCR-Net, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Associação Nacional de Direitos Humanos, Pesquisa e Pós- Graduação (Brazil), Business and Human Rights Resource

• webinar: corporate responsibility & older persons (online, 30 Apr)
• course on business & human rights developments (Århus, 4-5 May)
• UN Guiding Principles Reporting Framework for investors & companies (Stockholm, 5 May)
• environmental & land defenders briefing (London, 6 May - register by 1 May)
• how can companies uphold freedom of association? (online, 6 May)
• John Ruggie on critical developments in business & human rights (Washington DC, 6 May - register by 30 Apr)

• ACCESS Facility (Program Manager)
• Ergon Associates (Human Rights & Labour Researchers)
• Institute for Business and Human Rights (Concept Note)
• OECD (Policy Analyst, Responsible Business Conduct in the Financial Sector)
• The European Coalition for Corporate Justice (Communications Officer)
• The Greens/European Free Alliance (Policy Adviser, Tax Justice Priority)