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Investors Support Swiss Corporate “Due Diligence” Legislation
June 12, 2019
The Ethos Foundation, an organization seeking to support “socially responsible investment,” and a group of institutional investors have called on the lower house of the Swiss Parliament to support legislation imposing “mandatory human rights due diligence” obligations on Swiss businesses.
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ILO Considers Binding Treaty on Workplace Violence, Harassment
June 12, 2019
A press release from the IndustriALL global union highlights an effort by nongovernmental organizations, governments, and businesses at the International Labour Organization (ILO) to advance a binding Convention on Violence and Harassment in the World of Work.
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Academic Warns of Changes in Canadian BHR Mandate
June 12, 2019
Professor Penelope Simons of the University of Ottawa has warned that the Canadian government has signaled changes to its newly established position of Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise, set up to investigate rights violations by businesses operating abroad, that in her view will undermine the position’s investigatory powers.
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UN Agent Accuses Canada of Discrimination on Toxic Waste Exposure
June 12, 2019
UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substances Baskut Tuncak has accused the Canadian government of “a pervasive pattern of inaction” rising to the level of discrimination in its alleged failure to address the exposure of indigenous people to toxic chemicals and to impose regulations on the extractive industries.
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Dutch Banking Initiative Issues BHR Guidance on Remedies
June 12, 2019
Participants in the Dutch Banking Sector Agreement on business and human rights (BHR) issues have released guidance for banks, based on the UN Guiding Principles on BHR, on providing remedies for alleged human rights violations to which they are linked through client relationships.