Weekly Update - 30 September 2015

• CEOs commit to benchmark sustainable development action
• goals are "a missed opportunity in the fight for corporate accountability" - European Coalition for Corporate Justice
• "UN adopts Agenda 2030, but will governments follow through?" - CESR
• "How to make the SDGs a reality? Create more pre-competitive space" - John Morrison, Institute for Human Rights and Business

• statements so far provided by: BMW, Bosch, Deutsche Telekom, ThyssenKrupp
• for more information or if your company would like to make a statement please contact horvath@business-humanrights.org
• see also: UN Global Compact & UN High Commissioner for Refugees call for company pledges in response to refugee crisis

• John Knox, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights & environment
• Natalie Smith, ClientEarth
• Paul Chandler & Felicitas Weber, UN Principles for Responsible Investment

• KnowtheChain partners are Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, Humanity United, Sustainalytics, Verité

The Intercept; Center for Constitutional Rights

• on the impact of the UN Guiding Principles on commercial legal practice

European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ)

• summary of European Parliament seminar
• majority of participants acknowledged complementarity between a treaty & UN Guiding Principles
• treaty would open new avenues for victims to hold companies accountable internationally

Guardian (UK)

Misereor (Germany)

• we invited the companies featured in the report to respond
  • response provided by Montara Continental (part of Obtala Resources)
  • Green Resources (owner of Sao Hill Industries) have not yet responded; we will indicate in a future update whether they do or not
  • comments from Olam Intl. & New Forests Company are included in the report

Thomson Reuters Foundation

GroundUp (So. Africa)

Upside Down World (Latin America)

• we invited Reforestadora de Palmas de Petén (REPSA), part of Grupo Hame, to respond; response provided

Counter Punch (USA); Colorado State Univ.

• we invited Black Creek Group, 50% owner of Mira Companies, to respond; response by Mira Companies provided

Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR)

• we invited Barrick Gold to respond; response provided

SOMO & GoodElectronics

• we invited NXP Semiconductors to respond; response provided

Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, Institute for Human Rights and Business, Danish Institute for Human Rights

• highlights actual & potential human rights impacts as a result of rapid growth of telecoms, internet & ICT industries

• Modi met with tech CEOs on visit to Silicon Valley

Guardian (UK)

Straits Times (Singapore)

• online petition calls on Indonesia, Malaysia & Singapore heads of state to take urgent action

Independent (UK)

Reuters

Gulf Business

• workers will be able to read contracts in own languages to reduce the chances of being "duped" but system will not be mandatory for companies

Times of Oman

• updated draft programme & speaker biographies now available; registration open until 1 Nov.

• seeking feedback from companies, investors, civil society & policymakers
• available in English, French, Portuguese & Spanish
• read some of the public feedback received so far

• OECD Roundtable: due diligence in the supply chain (Paris, 1-2 Oct)
• consultations on UN treaty on human rights & business (online, 1-6 Oct)
• UN Guiding Principles Compliance Lab (Copenhagen, 5 Oct)
• John Ruggie & Kofi Annan discuss UN Guiding Principles (Vienna, 5 Oct) 
• "Children's Rights & Business Principles" Asia event (Kuala Lumpur, 6 Oct)
• workshops for solicitors on business & human rights (UK locations, 9-13 Oct)

• A4ID (3 posts: Partnerships & Legal Services Officer, India & Kenya; Policy Internship)
• Global Social Entrepreneurship Network (Operations Manager)
• Human Rights Watch (Advocate, Women's Rights Division)
• International Alert (Finance, Admin & Operations Intern)
• Office of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (Specialist, Environmental & Social Standards)