Business & Human Rights

ISO Creates Technical Body on Sharing Economy

July 24, 2019

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has created a technical committee to develop international standards for the sharing economy, including by promoting “transparency and accountability” among companies operating in this broad market.
NGOs File OECD Complaint Against Dutch Bank

July 24, 2019

A coalition of nongovernmental organizations related to the activist group Friends of the Earth has filed a complaint with the Dutch National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises accusing Dutch bank ING Group of fueling rights violations by funding three palm-oil companies.
EU-Vietnam Deal Addresses Labor but Not Civil Rights

July 24, 2019

The Asia Times reports that the European Commission (EC) has struck a free-trade agreement with Vietnam that includes labor rights standards but does not address activist calls for the EC to pressure the communist state to commit to respecting civil and political rights.
NGO Publishes Draft BHR Arbitration Rules

July 24, 2019

The Center for International Legal Cooperation has produced a set of draft arbitration rules with the aim of facilitating arbitration processes based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR) to address alleged corporate violations of human rights.
NGO Study Examines Compliance with French “Duty of Vigilance”

July 24, 2019

The French organization Businesses for Human Rights has published a wide-ranging study that provides a broad overview of efforts by French corporations to comply with the country’s “duty of vigilance” law requiring them to report how they are addressing alleged human rights violations in their supply chains.