Weekly Update - 1 July 2015

• declaration already endorsed by over 100 global organizations
• calls for in-depth reforms to tax policies and practices to bring them into line with human rights standards & principles 
• includes details on how organizations can endorse the declaration

• Tax Justice Network-Africa urges govts. to review corporate tax breaks, collaborate on stopping illicit financial flows
• ActionAid alleges Malawi lost USD43 million to Paladin Energy through "complex corporate structures" & "harmful tax incentives"; includes firm's comments
• So. Africa, Mauritius negotiate tax treaty to target illicit financial flows
• see also our "big issue" on tax avoidance

(Photo credit: Ryan Morrison / CC BY-NC-SA)

• significant milestone in development of the ICoCA's role as the independent governance and oversight mechanism for the Code
• see below our new Private Military & Security Companies Bulletin

Fairfood Intl.

Guardian (UK)

• cites steps by AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Novo Nordisk
• MSF says costs for new medicines continue to be too high

• comments by former UN Special Representative John Ruggie, John Morrison of Institute for Human Rights and Business

Amnesty Intl., Association for Women's Rights in Development, Center for Economic & Social Rights

Mail & Guardian (So. Africa); Daily Maverick (So. Africa); News24 (So. Africa)

• finds Lonmin did not sufficiently try to engage with workers on ending the strike or protect its employees
• includes comments from Lonmin's CEO on steps company has taken since tragedy
• link to full report provided

Observer (Uganda); Economic Policy & Research Centre, Makerere Univ. (Uganda)

Guardian (UK); Public Justice

• we invited LG Electronics to respond; two responses provided, as well as rejoinder from NGO Public Justice which campaigns on behalf of Rosa Moreno

Labornotes

• we invited Mazda to respond; it did not

Independent (UK)

Jakarta Globe (Indonesia)

• community says it is “racing” to preserve its customary land used for rice, rubber & other crops
• we invited BHP Billiton to respond; response provided

Phnom Penh Post (Cambodia); Community Legal Education Center (Cambodia), LIPS Sedane (Indonesia), Society for Labour & Development (India)

• company & suppliers deny claims of abuse

Associated Press

• also available in Chinese

Bruno Manser Fund

Business Standard (India)

Berne Declaration

Guardian (UK)

BusinessGreen (UK)

• respones from Besix, Yapi Merkezi Insaat 
• China Harbour Engineering Company confirmed it will not be responding

FIDH (Intl. Federation for Human Rights); Orange

• new agreement allows Orange to end agreement in next two years
• see previous response from Orange - said it "ultimately wishes to end" agreement

Guardian (UK)

• new profiles of legal claims of land grabs in Uganda (against Oil Palm Uganda, in Ugandan court) & Cambodia (before Intl. Criminal Court), updates on other cases
• also available in French, Russian and Spanish

ESCR-Net, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

• second draft available in 7 languages for comments, implementation

• interview with Coalition of Immokalee Workers on what makes its Fair Food Program unique

International Service for Human Rights; Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

• UK multinationals & defending human rights in Peru (London, 7 Jul)
• consultation: OHCHR Corporate Accountability & Remedy Project (Washington DC, 8 Jul)
• workshop on human rights and the ICT sector (London, 10 Jul)
• peacebuilding & business: challenges & ways forward (London, 14 Jul)
• business ethics training for suppliers in China (Guangzhou & Shanghai, 27-31 Jul)

• ABColombia (2 posts: Research & Communications Intern)
• Enough Project (Campus Organizer)
• International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (Legal & Policy Coordinator, Remedy Programs)
• UNI Global Union and IndustriALL Global Union (2 posts: Field Assistant; Field Coordinator)