Business & Human Rights

UN Group Reveals “Gender Framework” for BHR Principles

May 29, 2019

The UN Working Group on business and human rights (BHR) issues has created a framework pushing governments and businesses to “integrate a gender perspective” in their implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on BHR to address the “different and disproportionate” impact of BHR violations on women.
Belt and Road Countries Promote UN Business Principles

May 29, 2019

Leaders of 40 countries issued a statement at a recent forum on China’s massive Belt and Road infrastructure development initiative pledging to respect the principles of the UN Global Compact corporate network and push businesses participating in the initiative to contribute to the fulfillment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
US Rejects Binding UN Deal on Plastic Waste

May 15, 2019

AP reports that the US government was one of the few in the world that declined to sign a legally binding UN deal committing countries “to monitor and track movements of plastic waste outside their borders” and thus places burdens on companies to ensure accountability for the global shipping of plastics.
Dutch NCP Alleges Failings in Broad Review of Energy Sector

May 08, 2019

In its first-ever “sector scan” of companies operating in the Dutch energy industry, the Dutch National Contact Point (NCP) for the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises alleged that these businesses are failing to adhere to global human rights and environmental standards and calls for government “consequences” for reporting failures.
UN Official Announces Initiative on Rights in Tech Industry

May 01, 2019

Following her recent visit to Silicon Valley, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called for greater regulation of the tech industry and announced that her office will launch a project pushing internet companies to implement the UN human rights agenda in their corporate practices.