Weekly Update - 25 May 2016

Living wage: Guidance & company responses

• report claims global brands are not doing enough to ensure a dignified life for workers
• responses by Dell, H&M, Samsung provided

      

• we are inviting feedback on key questions by 7 Jun

Eniko Horvath, Senior Researcher

• UN Special Rapporteur on human rights & environment calls for strong social & environmental safeguards for climate action projects supported by UN
• Mary Robinson Foundation report assesses whether countries report on links between human rights & climate change

AFP

• see also: case profile of lawsuit

Urgewald

• we invited Vattenfall to respond - response provided

Francis West, UNICEF UK, on Business Fights Poverty

Corporate Accountability Intl.

• we invited British American Tobacco to respond - response provided

IOL; e-News Channel Africa (So. Africa)

Embode; commissioned by Mondelēz Intl.

Upside Down World 

New York Times

Reuters

Washington Blade (USA); American Civil Liberties Union

Irrawaddy

Malaysiakini

Wall Street Journal

Friends of the Earth Japan, Global Environment Forum, Japan Tropical Forest Action Network

• NGOs also raise concern about lack of consultation & transparency around code

Amnesty Intl., European Coalition for Corporate Justice, CIDSE, Forum Citoyen pour la RSE

• initiative calls for duty of care of EU companies towards people affected by their activities
• initiated by parliaments of Estonia, Lithuania, Portugal & Slovakia; French Natl. Assembly; Italian Senate; Netherlands House of Reps.; UK House of Lords

Объектив Казахстан

• we invited the company to respond - it did not do so

Equality & Human Rights Commission (UK); Shift

• responses from BASF & German Chemical Industry Federation also provided

Arabianbusiness.com

Unite the Union, UNISON, NUT, UCATT Fire Brigades Union, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, War on Want, Stop G4S

• letter seeks clarification following G4S’ announcement in May that it would be selling its Israeli subsidiary
• we invited G4S to respond - response provided

• Turkish law, intl. standards, business & human rights (26 May, Istanbul)
• UK Modern Slavery Act - implications for Asia (26 May, online)
• webinar: embedding human rights in business solutions (30 May, online)
• expert seminar on business & human rights (31 May, Ontario)
• seminar: doing business differently for children (6 Jun, London)
• 2016 Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct (8-9 Jun, Paris)
• Intl. Maritime Human Rights Conference (14 Sep, London)

• Danish Institute for Human Rights (Professional, Responsible Business)
• ECCO (Group Social Compliance Specialist)
• Ergon Associates (Researchers)
• Intl. Labor Rights Forum (Cotton Campaign Coordinator)
• Just Fair (Policy, Research & Training Officer)
• SumOfUs (Executive Director)