Weekly Update - 6 July 2016

Reuters; CNN

• Myanmar, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan among downgraded countries due to concerns about trafficking & forced labour
• Thailand upgraded citing efforts to tackle forced labour in seafood sector; human rights organizations criticise decision

(photo credit: Google images)

Philipp Wesche, German Institute for International and Security Affairs

• UN Human Rights Council passes resolution on improving accountability & access to remedy in business & human rights
• OHCHR paper provides examples for guidance to improve corporate accountability & access to judicial remedy
• blog: "How can States improve their implementation of the “Access to Remedy” pillar of the UN Guiding Principles"

Reuters

14 African & intl. NGOs including Enough Project; Human Rights Watch

Lise Kingo, Executive Director of UN Global Compact, on Huffington Post

• includes business representatives from Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, India, Tanzania, USA

• Oxfam report: "Feeding Climate Change - What the Paris Agreement means for food and beverage companies"
• CDP report finds businesses could cut 10 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide if govts. encouraged them to sign up to 5 initiatives

Associated Press; OilPrice

Jackson Shaa (Narasha Community Development Group) & Annabel Perreras (Intl. Accountability Project), in Bretton Woods Project

Coastweek Newspapers; Times of Zambia, Zambia Daily Mail

EarthRights Intl.; Chair of US Securities and Exchange Commission; Publish What You Pay US; Global Witness

Bretton Woods Project

Oxfam; Fiona Briggs in Ethical Sourcing, Sustainability Time

China Labor Watch

• we invited Dongguan Chengming Electronic Co. to respond - original response in Chinese & unofficial summary translation provided

David Pred, Inclusive Development Intl. and Eang Vuthy, Equitable Cambodia, in Reuters

• we invited Bonsucro to respond - response provided
• recent Mitr Phol response also provided

South China Morning Post; BBC

AlJazeera

Brexit: Potential impacts on business & human rights

• latest update - commentary: To survive & counter xenophobia the EU must rapidly democratise & recognise that globalisation is not working for millions

Balkan Insight (BIRN); Balkan Independent News Agency

• we invited Yura to respond - it did not

Guardian (UK)

Arabian Business 

• Resource Centre's full profile of case also included

• forum on mediating company-community conflicts (12-19 Jul, Caux)
• human rights approach to combating economic inequality & discrimination (12 Jul, New York)
• ICAR Speaker Series: Bennett Freeman (14 Jul, Washington DC)
• webinar on consumers, global supply chains & human rights (14 Jul, online)
• UK Modern Slavery Act events & workshops for businesses (15 Jul, Manchester)

• Access Now (Middle East & North Africa Policy Analyst)
• BSR (Associate Director, Sustainability Management)
• Ethical Trading Initiative (Country Programme Consultant, Turkey)
• European Coalition for Corporate Justice (Policy Internship)
• WITNESS (Finance Associate)