Business & Human Rights

Legal Observers Call for Lower EU Barriers to BHR Lawsuits

October 24, 2016

A set of proposals from legal academics and practitioners involved in the Human Rights in Business research project calls for legal reforms in the EU and its member states to make it easier for alleged victims of business and human rights violations to sue European companies for their BHR impacts and those of their subsidiaries.
Swiss NGOs Call for BHR Constitutional Amendment

October 24, 2016

A coalition of Swiss nongovernmental organizations report that they have gathered 120,000 signatures in favor of their Swiss Responsible Business Initiative, which proposes a constitutional amendment requiring Swiss companies to investigate their human rights and environmental impacts in line with the UN's business and human rights agenda.
NGOs Seek End to "Corporate Impunity" in Europe

October 20, 2016

An alliance of nongovernmental organizations called the Citizen Forum for Corporate Social Responsibility has documented the actions of EU member states, EU institutions, and the Council of Europe on implementing a corporate "duty of care" on business and human rights issues and encourages more action to end "corporate impunity" in Europe.
Paper Blames Tax Avoidance for Women's Rights Violations

October 20, 2016

The nongovernmental organization Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era has published a paper arguing that corporate tax avoidance makes it more difficult for countries to promote policies "to reduce gender gaps and to fulfill women's human rights" and calling for a global review of tax policies to reduce such discrimination.
NGO Calls on UK to Include BHR Principles in Trade Deals

October 20, 2016

Lorenzo Cotula of the International Institute of Environment and Development writes that, in its post-Brexit trade negotiations, the UK should ensure that any trade agreements setting up tribunals to rule on investment disputes include provisions requiring these tribunals to consider business and human rights principles in their decisions.