Weekly Update - 22 June 2016

KnowTheChain is a partnership of Humanity United, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, Sustainalytics, Verité

• Worker voice: Companies taking little action to ensure workers have a voice throughout supply chain
• Traceability: Companies taking steps to trace supply chains beyond first tier, particularly on conflict minerals – forced labour risk assessments needed
• Recruitment: Some leading policies but more action needed across the sector to eliminate recruitment fees

(Photo credit: Know the Chain)

• highlights means of holding financial institutions to account for human rights abuse

Sonia Hierzig, ShareAction

Natalie Bridgeman Fields & Siddharth Mohansingh Akali, Accountability Counsel

Global Witness

• 185 deaths documented with highest numbers in: Brazil (50), Philippines (33), Colombia (26)
• finds mining was the industry most commonly linked to killings, followed by agribusiness, hydroelectric dams & logging
• report also available in Spanish; coverage in Portuguese

Reuters

Shift

• new companies included: Apple, AT&T, China Mobile, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Samsung Electronics, Tencent and Verizon Communications

Homa-Centre for Human Rights and Business of the Law School of the Fed.Univ. Juiz de Fora (Brazil)

• also available in Portuguese

Stéphane Brabant, Herbert Smith Freehills

GhanaWeb

FIAN Belgium

• NGOs increase pressure on govt. to resolve land dispute peacefully & protect community's right to food

Huffington Post

Danish Institute for Human Rights & Uganda Human Rights Commission

New York Times

Survival Intl.

• also available in Portuguese

Peru Support Network

UN Working Group on business & human rights

South China Morning Post

Oxfam Hong Kong & RepuTex

OPPUK, Rainforest Action Network, International Labor Rights Forum; Alternet

Phnom Penh Post

European Parliament; Amnesty International; Swedwatch; Reuters

• NGOs welcome agreement as first step, but say it fails to address key issues that would help stop trade in conflict minerals
• concerns include limiting mandatory due diligence to approx. 100 upstream companies (smelters & refiners)

European Council; Action Aid, CIDSE, European Coalition for Corporate Justice

Jordan Times

International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran

Independent

• sustainability for smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia (23-24 Jun, Jakarta)
• conference on human rights responsibilities of business (25 Jun, New Delhi)
• "Business & the Bar: Lawyers, Rights & Remedies" (28-29 Jun, Geneva)
• 2016 Business & Climate Summit (28-29 Jun, London)
• briefing for business on responsible recruitment (28 Jun, London)
• webinar on corporate misconduct database (28 Jun, online)
• should Japan implement the UN Guiding Principles? (29 Jun, Tokyo)
• responsible sourcing through a human rights lens (29 Jun, London)

• All Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption (Coordinator)
• Bank Information Center (Intern, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Program)
• Ford Foundation (Civic Engagement & Govt. Program Officer)
• Univ. of Sheffield (Postdoctoral Research Associate, Business & Forced Labour)
• Value Added in Africa (Director)