Business & Human Rights

NGOs Seek Mandatory Baseline for EU “Sustainability” Reporting

December 17, 2018

A coalition of nongovernmental organizations recently produced a statement calling on the European Commission (EC) to amend EU rules on corporate non-financial reporting to create a mandatory, EU-wide baseline of reporting requirements on “sustainability” issues in line with global standards.
US Reports on Efforts to Advance the BHR Agenda

December 17, 2018

The US State Department has produced a document indicating US efforts to advance the global business and human rights (BHR) agenda in 2018, pointing to policies including the advancement of labor rights and a contribution to the human rights strategy of the winning US-Canada-Mexico 2026 World Cup bid.
Activists Question Effectiveness of Draft BHR Treaty

December 17, 2018

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) consultant Marta Piazza writes that activists are critiquing the “Zero Draft” of a binding UN treaty on business and human rights (BHR) recently produced by a UN working group for its largely indirect effect on companies and minimal action on corporate dispute settlement systems under existing trade agreements.
NGO Sues Canada over Violation of Climate Rights

December 14, 2018

Environmental activist organization ENvironnement JEUnesse has announced a class-action lawsuit on behalf of everyone in Quebec under age 35 alleging that the Canadian government’s failure to clamp down on corporate greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming violates their fundamental rights.
NGOs Seek EU Action on Investors’ “Sustainability” Reporting

December 14, 2018

A group of nongovernmental organizations recently published a letter to the EU Council calling for the body of EU member states to help clarify and expand the duties of investors in Europe to engage in due diligence and reporting of impacts of their funds on the global “sustainability” and climate change agenda.