Weekly Update - 10 June 2015

Guardian (UK); New York Times; Greenpeace Nordic

 
(Photo credit: Arnold Paul)

• Greenpeace to file petition with Philippines Commission on Human Rights to hold "carbon majors" accountable for climate impacts on human rights
• 80 companies call on British Prime Minister to take stronger climate action
• Event: "Corporate Action for Climate Justice & Human Rights" (Geneva, 17 Jun)

UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association

• with recommendations for states & companies

• first major French bank to sign global framework agreement

Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights (LPHR)

• finds G4S not adequately meeting obligation to seek to address impacts of its business relationships with Israeli agencies
• did not find broad failure by G4S to respect human rights 
• also provided: commentary by LPHR and statement by G4S

Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

• commentary: "Justice in Fragile States: Seeking corporate legal accountability in the domestic courts of Democratic Republic of Congo"
• brief profile of lawsuit also provided

SOMO (Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations)

• alleged abuses include lack of adequate compensation & loss of livelihoods due to relocation
• we invited Shandong Iron & Steel, which now owns African Minerals' iron mining project, to respond - it declined

ILO

Guardian (UK)

Canadian Lawyer InHouse

Inter Press Service

• Commentary: Kentex factory fire: "72 workers need not have died"
• Kentex's lawyer responds to questions about health & safety standards, fire code, labour rights
• SALIGAN provides legal opinion on health & safety standards in the Philippines

EarthRights Intl.

Fukushima Booklet Publication Committee

India Committee of the Netherlands; Stop Child Labour

• we invited companies mentioned in the report to respond; Marshalls says it is not sourcing from region
• we will indicate in a future Update whether other companies respond

Clean Clothes Campaign

Cotton Campaign

Oil Workers' Rights Protection Organization Public Union

• we invited the company to respond - it did not

Guardian (UK); International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

• we invited Orange to respond to concerns - response provided

Independent (UK)

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre; Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

• human rights explained from a business perspective (Copenhagen, 11-12 Jun)
• HUMAN conference: "Towards Social Impact" (Amsterdam, 16 Jun)
• side event on corporate accountability across borders (Geneva, 16 Jun)
• panel on conflict minerals & human rights (New York, 16 Jun)
• coaching: doing business with respect for children's rights (Köln, 17-18 Jun)
• meeting on National Action Plans on Business & Human Rights (Paris, 17 Jun)
• 3rd OECD Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct (Paris, 18-19 Jun)
• role of indicators & public benchmarks in corporate accountability (Paris, 19 Jun)

• Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (Communications Internship)
• BSR (Associate, Advisory Services)
• CSR Europe (Services Team Internship)
• Global Network Initiative (Policy & Communications Director)
• Oxfam America (Director, Private Sector Department)