Business & Human Rights

UN Group Signals Broad Impact of UNGPs on Banks

March 01, 2017

In a recent letter objecting to portions of a discussion paper by the Thun Group of banks, the UN Working Group on business and human rights declared that, under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), banks owe broad duties of due diligence and remedy for the human rights impacts of the projects they finance.
Shipping Industry Criticizes EU Emissions Plan

March 01, 2017

In an ongoing conflict over which transnational body should regulate the greenhouse gas emissions of the shipping industry, the International Chamber of Shipping has called on EU member states to reject proposals to include the shipping sector in EU carbon emissions framework and to leave regulation of such emissions to the UN's shipping agency.
Investors Call for G20 Phaseout of Carbon Funding

March 01, 2017

Demonstrating the expanding reach of the global climate change and sustainable development agendas, institutional investors and insurers have published a letter to the G20 group of countries calling on them to "accelerate green investment" and completely phase out fossil fuel subsidies by the year 2020.
OECD Examines Business Promotion of "Well-Being"

March 01, 2017

As part of its "Better Life Initiative," the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently hosted a workshop in Paris on how to comprehensively measure businesses' promotion of "well-being" in order to encourage them to contribute to the fulfillment of the global "sustainable development" agenda.
NGO Praises French Corporate Reporting Regime

March 01, 2017

The European Coalition for Corporate Justice has praised a recently passed French law requiring large companies to disclose, on an annual basis, their efforts to address human rights impacts in their operations and those of their subsidiaries and calls for the creation of similar but stronger corporate reporting regime at the regional and global level.