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Weekly Update - 11 January 2017
Lead Story
Chinese investment overseas: New reports on social, environmental impacts, & guidance

Friends of the Earth US; Forbes; Brookings Institute; China Daily

  • major protests in Sri Lanka against new Chinese port & special economic zone, including displacement concerns
  • guidance by Friends of the Earth US - "China's Belt & Road Initiative: An Introduction"
  • report by Brookings Institute - "China’s investment in Latin America"
  • President Xi proposes roundtable meeting in 2017 on China-Latin America environmental, developmental policies

(photo credit: Friends of the Earth US)
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From Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
Briefing: Focus on Human Rights Defenders under threat & attack

Latin America team

Vacancy: Administration & Programme Support Officer, based in London
  • application deadline Weds 11 Jan
International
World Economic Forum annual meeting starts next week in Davos
  • WEF team highlights economic risks from 'shrinking civic space' & emphasises role of business in addressing it
Video interviews: Chair of UN Intergovt. working group on proposed treaty on business & human rights

Real News Network


Lithium battery supply chains: Tracking human rights violations & environmental impacts in China, Dem. Rep. of Congo & So. America

Washington Post


US judge to decide on jurisdiction in lawsuit against chocolate firms over alleged child slavery in Côte d'Ivoire

Bloomberg
Africa

Footprint to Africa


Nigeria: Interview with John Gbei from the Bodo community regarding Shell lawsuit

Leigh Day

Tanzania: Traditional seed exchange replaced by law that favours multinational agribusinesses over local farmers; Syngenta comments

Mondiaal Nieuws


Further to 4 Jan Update: Acacia responds to video of injured worker at North Mara mine in Tanzania
Americas
Ecuador: UN experts condemn move by govt. to close NGO Acción Ecológica that campaigns against mining

UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)


Costa Rica: Supreme Court stops ICE hydroelectric project Diquis for failing to consult indigenous peoples

Cultural Survival

 

Mexico: US Export-Import Bank provides loans to oil firm Pemex despite worker injuries & deaths, environmental damage

Guardian (UK) 
Asia & Pacific
Indonesia: Presidential announcement recognizes rights of 9 indigenous communities to their forests

Mongabay


Cambodia: NGO to sue Singaporean companies over alleged impacts of sand dredging on local livelihoods, environment

The Independent (Singapore)

 

Myanmar: Palm oil expansion reportedly results in serious rights abuses, especially against migrant workers & ethnic groups

Al Jazeera


Pakistan: At least 5 dead as fire breaks out at Gadani shipbreaking yard

Dawn


Japan: Fast Retailing, owner of Uniqlo and GU, announces it will make its supply chain public "as soon as possible"
Europe & Central Asia
UK: 637 companies identified & fined for failing to pay the minimum wage

Guardian (UK)


UK: Disability rights advocates call for fines for businesses that fail to provide disability access

Guardian (UK)
Middle East & North Africa
Lebanon & Jordan: Access to work for Syrian refugees, migrant workers & host populations

Latest stories & reports from: Executive Magazine; Daily Star (Lebanon); Brookings Institution

  • Syrian refugees struggle to access employment
  • Lebanese workers protest against competition from foreign workers
  • recommendations for incoming US administration
"Photo essay - Migrant workers in Jordan's garment industry"

Carnegie Endowment for Intl. Peace
Company responses Non-responses
Announcements
Call for papers: Intl. Conference on Business & Human Rights - Intl. Law Challenges, European Responses, 29-30 May, Milan (deadline 31 Jan)

Call for proposals: Business and Human Rights Journal welcomes proposals for special thematic issues (deadline 28 Feb)
Events
Forthcoming events:
  • online course on decent work in global supply chains (starts 12 Jan, online)
  • initial reflections on new US Natl. Action Plan (12 Jan, Washington DC)
  • jobs, wages & skills for inclusive industrial growth (18 Jan, London)
  • training for business on human rights risk & reporting (25 Jan, Stockholm)
  • roundtable discussion on human rights in the big data era (27 Jan, Brussels)
Details of these and other events further in the future can be found here.  Please send relevant event information to Alex Janczenia: janczenia@business-humanrights.org  
Jobs
Current vacancies:
  • Columbia Law School (Clinical Teaching Fellowship 2017-2019)
  • Danish Institute for Human Rights (Internship, Human Rights & Business programme)
  • ECOFACT (Legal Analyst for ESG & Reputational Risks)
  • Intl. Institute for Environment and Development (Senior Researcher)
  • WITNESS (2 posts: Operations Associate; US Program Coordinator)
Further details and other recently posted jobs available here.  To submit a new job announcement in business & human rights please go here.
DISCLAIMER:
We take no position on views by commentators, organizations & companies in the materials in this email: http://business-humanrights.org/en/about-us/disclaimer
Copyright © 2017 Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, All rights reserved.


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