Business & Human Rights

Australia Reviews Corporate Reporting on Forced Labor

February 28, 2017

A subcommittee of the Australian Parliament has announced that it is beginning an inquiry into whether the country should pursue legislation, similar to the UK's Modern Slavery Act, imposing requirements on businesses to disclose their efforts to end forced labor in their global supply chains.
NGO Seeks Global Enforcement of BHR Treaty

February 28, 2017

The International Centre for Trade Union Rights has published an article containing provisions it considers "essential" for the success of the UN's planned binding treaty on business and human rights (BHR) issues, such as the inclusion of international labor standards, due diligence requirements for companies, and the creation of an international BHR tribunal.
OECD Produces Due Diligence Guide for Apparel Industry

February 27, 2017

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has produced a set of global guidelines explaining how companies operating in the apparel and footwear sector should conduct "due diligence" procedures to identify and address potential human rights impacts in their supply chains.
Companies Tout Contributions to SDGs

February 27, 2017

The "business intelligence" entity Ethical Corporation has produced a publication containing interviews with representatives of various multinational corporations on how they have implemented provisions of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a comprehensive list of targets for the social and environmental agenda, in their global operations.
NGOs Seek Enhanced Consultations with AIIB

February 27, 2017

A coalition of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) has published a letter to the head of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's (AIIB) compliance office seeking substantial reforms to the AIIB's consultation process on accountability procedures to permit more NGO input on these procedures in line with the global business and human rights agenda.