Weekly Update - 13 July 2016

Aida-Américas; TeleSur.net; Front Line Defenders 

• Lesbia Yaneth Urquía Urquía body discovered on 6 July - had opposed hydroelectric dam "Aurora I" in Honduras & was member of Copinh organization; follows assassination of Berta Caceres, founder of Copinh, in Mar
• Nilce de Souza Magalhães, a leader of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) disappeared in Jan 2016; her body was found on 21 Jun in the lake formed by the Jirau dam in Brazil
• Global Witness says 185 environmental activists were assassinated worldwide in 2015; two thirds in Latin America
• Peace Brigades Intl. highlights attacks against human rights defenders in context of large-scale investments in the region

(Lesbia Yaneth Urquía Urquía above left, Nilce de Souza Magalhães above right
photo credits: COPINH & Brazil Nicinha MAB)

Phil Bloomer, Executive Director, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

• "If our societies want to cleave to principles of freedom, human dignity, and fairness, then markets have to demonstrate they can deliver these values."

Global Network Initiative; Human Rights Watch

Katie Redford (EarthRights Intl.); and corporate lawyer's response (Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP)

Middle East Monitor; RightsasUsual

• "The Proposed Business and Human Rights Treaty: Four Challenges and an Opportunity"
• "Options for shaping the UN Treaty on businesses and human rights"

Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) & Intl. Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Zambia Human Rights Commission

Oil in Uganda

• comments by company's lawyer included in article

Homa-Centre for Human Rights & Business of the Law School of the Federal Univ. of Juiz de Fora, Brazil

• allegations include impacts on water supply, housing & traditional activities of local populations
• we invited the companies involved in the project to respond: responses provided from Prumo Logística, Anglo American, Ferroport, CODIN

ForumSyd

• allegations against Cerrejon include: involuntary resettlement, inadequate consultation processes, water scarcity 
• report includes comments by Vattenfall
• we invited Cerrejon to respond - response provided (only available in Spanish)

Care2

• article includes comments by company

Global Witness

Institute for Human Rights and Business

Straits Times

Akali Tange Association (ATA); Barrick Gold

• ATA submitted a letter to Barrick's Porgera Joint Venture grievance mechanism, alleging that over 250 individuals had been injured, killed, or raped at or in the vicinity of the mine 
• we invited Barrick Gold to respond - response provided

China Change; Committee to Protect Journalists

• also provided: A year after crackdown on human rights lawyers, 24 rights lawyers & activists still under detention

China Dialogue; Global Witness 

UK NCP for OECD Guidelines; Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights; G4S

• NCP "considered that it [G4S] referred to the Final Statement in a selective way that was misleading".
• statements by G4S and Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights also provided

CCH Daily 

Human Rights Watch; The Diplomat

UNHCR; Associated Press; New York Times; 3RP Syria Crisis

• UNHCR and partner orgs. find high levels of poverty among refugees in Middle East host countries; call for greater action on expanding economic opportunities
• Jordan extends waiver period for work permit fees

Vani Saraswathi, Migrant-Rights.org on Institute for Human Rights and Business

• "Addressing Workers’ Rights in the Engineering and Construction Sector: Opportunities for Collaboration"

  BSR

• "Building a Fairer System: Tackling Modern Slavery in Construction Supply Chains" 

  Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)

UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

• 'World Investment Forum 2016: Investing in Sustainable Development' (17-21 Jul, Nairobi)
• course on business, human rights & CSR (starts 18 July, online)
• workshop series on business & children's rights (19 Jul, New York)
• discussion: partnerships to end forced labour in supply chains (19 Jul, New York)
• debate on oil consumption, corruption & human rights abuses (19 Jul, London)
• conference on corporate governance & responsibility (20-22 Jul, Singapore)

• Center for Health, Environment & Justice (Internships)
• European Coalition for Corporate Justice (Policy Internship)
• Global Witness (Senior Campaigner, Democratic Republic of Congo)
• Human Rights Watch (Associate, Business & Human Rights Division)
• Ranking Digital Rights (Policy & Communications Analyst)