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Weekly Update - 30 July 2014
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Lead Story
World Bank's draft safeguards drastically weaken social, environmental protection, say civil society groups
- policy fails to sufficiently address land rights & rights of indigenous people
- over 100 civil society groups & individuals sign joint statement; Human Rights Watch, Bank on Human Rights, Forest Peoples Programme also raise concerns
- also provided: World Bank draft safeguards
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Lawsuits against Chiquita & CACI: US appeals courts issue conflicting rulings on companies' liability for extraterritorial human rights impacts
Lawfare (USA), Reuters
- Chiquita wins dismissal of lawsuits brought by 4000 Colombians over deaths of relatives killed in civil war - court rules events lacked sufficient connection with USA
- Earth Rights Intl. says decision "delays Justice for victims of paramilitary violence in Colombia"
- former Abu Ghraib prisoners who claimed torture by CACI employees allowed to continue case after panel concluded claims did “touch and concern” territory of USA
General Mills is 1st major food company to commit to decrease emissions across operations & supply chain to reduce human impact on climate change
Guardian Sustainable Business (UK); Oxfam
- Follows campaign by Oxfam - Oxfam calls on Kellogg's to follow suit
UN report "The Right to Privacy in the Digital Age"; asserts that tech companies may be complicit in human rights abuses, cites UN Guiding Principles
- also provided: Commentaries by Jonathan Horowitz (Open Society Justice Initiative) and Sarah Knuckey (Columbia Law School), and by Human Rights Watch
UK MPs highlight how UK firms are "acting as enablers for corrupt deals in developing countries" leading to negative social impacts
Catherine McKinnell MP & Anas Sarwar MP, co-Chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption, Guardian (UK)
Latest news on binding treaty on business & human rights (only available in Portuguese)
- compilation of articles on corporate legal accountability & human rights (Compilação de artigos sobre responsabilidade jurídica das empresas com relação a direitos humanos)
Major Sporting Events: Organising committees of major sporting events should follow Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games' human rights commitment (commentary)
Institute for Human Rights and Business
Further to our Weekly Update of 16 July: Dominion Farms did not respond to ActionAid report on land grabs
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Myanmar: Govt. passes law on ILO Convention on Worst Forms of Child Labour; pledges to implement ban on child labour by December
Irrawaddy
“Transparency in Myanmar Enterprises” report
Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business
- reviews information published by 60 large Myanmar firms
- finds 25 are not at all transparent; companies scored fewest points in the areas of human rights (including land acquisition) and Health, Safety & Environment
India: Report calls for greater transparency from garment brands on tackling bonded labour in South India suppliers
FNV Mondiaal; India Committee of the Netherlands
- 8 companies responded to the report authors: HEMA, Impala Loft, Migros, O'Neill Europe, PVH/Tommy Hilfiger, Scotch & Soda, Van den Broek, Zeeman
- we invited 11 additional firms named in the report to respond. Ikea, LPP, Sorbo Fashion responded. Abercrombie & Fitch, Carodel, Crew Clothing, Kiddo Fashion, Teidem, TDP Textiles & Tumble & Dry, Walmart, have not yet responded.
Guest blog: "Business and Human Rights - A Tale of Three Workshops in India"
Surya Deva, Univ. of Hong Kong
- a "significant under-privileged section of society has no effective voice", regarding business impacts that affect them
Workshop on business & human rights in Odisha, India: Videos now on our YouTube page
"Bangladesh can look to this unlikely place to fix its garment sector"
Sarah Labowitz, co-Director of Center for Business and Human Rights at NYU Stern, in Quartz
- draws lessons from Detroit USA, on fixing dangerous, dilapidated buildings
Bangladesh: Matalan chooses not to donate to ILO-backed Rana Plaza compensation fund; says it has funded another scheme
Guardian (UK)
So. Korea: Appellate court upholds "zero tolerance" sexual harassment policy in case against Samsung Card executive
Korea Herald
Japan: Calls for stronger representation of women in managerial positions
Tokyo Web
- in 2013 only 7.5% of managers in the private sector were women
- (English language summary by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre of Japanese article)
Philippines: As President delivers State of the Nation address, indigenous peoples present their "true state" – highlights human rights impacts of extractives & plantations
Interaksyon.com (Philippines)
Malaysia: Air quality around Kuala Lumpur reaches unhealthy levels; palm oil firms using cheap burning methods blamed
AFP
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Middle East & North Africa |
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Company responses
Non-responses
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We are a recruiting a Middle East & North Africa Researcher (deadline 31 Aug)
and a Corporate Accountability and Communications Officer (deadline 28 Aug)
This Saturday 2 Aug Business & Human Rights Resource Centre staff will participate in the 2014 London Triathlon to fundraise for our charity
please consider making a donation to support our work at https://www.justgiving.com/BHRRC-triathlon/
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Forthcoming events:
- Australian Dialogue on Business and Human Rights (Sydney, 30 Jul)
- seminar on opportunities for Leadership in Africa (Washington DC, 5 Aug)
- online course in socially responsible business (1 Sep)
- conference on ecological sustainability and social equity (Leipzig, 2 Sep)
- corporations in the global food system (Oslo, 11-12 Sep)
- embedding human rights in business (London, 17 Sep)
- course on implementation of UNGPs in business practices (Frankfurt, 23 Sep)
- IPCC Fifth Assessment Report business engagement workshop (Washington DC, 25 Sep)
Details of these and future events can be found here
Please send relevant event information to Sam Whannel: whannel@business-humanrights.org
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Business & Human Rights Resource Centre takes no position on the views presented by commentators, organisations and companies in the materials listed in this email or linked to in our website. As with any library, our purpose is to provide access to a wide selection of materials representing diverse viewpoints on matters of public interest. We do not exercise any editorial control over the materials and vouch for their accuracy.
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