Weekly Update - 17 June 2015

• makes recommendations to improve accessibility, transparency, impartiality & predictability of NCPs
• OECD Watch quarterly update on on-going cases also provided  

• complaints lodged "almost never resulted in companies being held accountable"
• only 1% of complaints examined led to directly improved conditions for victims
• NCPs often demanding excessively high burden of proof

• UN Working Group says G7's commitment to promote human rights in supply chains must be followed by action
• Intl. Corporate Accountability Roundtable makes 7 recommendations for action

• 10 worst countries for working people are: Belarus, China, Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Swaziland & United Arab Emirates
• also available in German, French & Spanish

• urges alignment with human rights of sustainable development goals, climate change targets, major trade & investment agreements now under negotiation 
• also available: full annual report of UN Working Group to Human Rights 

• progress report to UN Human Rights Council
• 2 working papers on roles and responsibilities of interested states 

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre on Open Global Rights

Vice News

• article includes comments by Nevsun
• also provided: our summary profile of case against Nevsun alleging forced labour

Telegraph (UK)

• Soco denies ties to violence

Nespresso; Time

Human Rights Watch; Al Jazeera

• with responses to Human Rights Watch by intl. refiners sourcing from Ghana: Kaloti Precious Metals, Metalor Technologies, Rand Refinery
• other refiners named as sourcing from Ghana: Produits Artistiques Métaux Précieux, Emirates Gold, Kundan

Guardian (UK)

• also available in Portuguese

Global Construction Review (UK)

• law reportedly compels residents to sell their land to canal developer HKND at whatever price the company offers

Rubin Thomlinson LLP, on Lexology (UK)

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

• highlights gaps in labour rights, including on MRT transport project; women at risk in workplace; land rights; trade & human rights; and positive actions now underway

Michael Kourabas, Triple Pundit

Eco-Business

Just-style; Al Jazeera

• articles include company statements

Guardian (UK)

• fears of crackdown on civil society, including groups focussed on business impacts
• Yirenping works on sexual harassment, food safety, workplace discrimination

 Amnesty Intl. & Global Witness

Ukrinform

Reuters

RT (Russia)

Times of Oman

• side-event on caste-based forced & bonded labour (Geneva, 18 Jun)
• improving corporate accountability via indicators & benchmarks (Paris, 19 Jun)
• documentary film on impact of big-business tax avoidance (London, 19 Jun)
• workshop: "Operationalising the UN Guiding Principles" (London, 2-3 Jul, registration deadline 19 Jun)
• course on EICC Labor & Ethics Validated Audit Process (Penang, 22-26 Jun)
• human rights explained from a business perspective (Århus, 22-23 Jun)
• the role of media in transitional justice processes (Oxford, 22-23 Jun)
• training on due diligence for business (London, 23 Jun)
• access to justice for victims of corporate human rights abuse (Tilburg, 23 Jun)
• human rights impacts of large-scale investment projects (London, 24 Jun)

• Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (Communications Intern)
• Central European University (Passion Project Program Director)
• Deighton Pierce Glynn (Paralegal in Human Rights)
• Fair Trade Advocacy Office (Communications Intern) 
• International Alert (Senior Programme Design & Assessment Officer, Africa)