Power & Profit of Transnational Business - Human Rights

WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

POWER & PROFIT OF TRANSNATIONAL BUSINESS - GOVERNMENT & LEGAL ISSUES - CHALLENGES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - CIVIL SOCIETY - WOMEN

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Business/Pages/WGHRandtransnationalcorporationsandotherbusiness.aspx

UN WORKING GROUP ON HUMAN RIGHTS & TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS & OTHER BUSINESS ENTERPRISES

At its seventeenth session, in resolution A/HRC/17/4, the Human Rights Council decided to establish a Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, consisting of five independent experts, of balanced geographical representation, for a period of three years, and requested the Working Group:

To promote the effective and comprehensive dissemination and implementation of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework;
To identify, exchange and promote good practices and lessons learned on the implementation of the Guiding Principles and to assess and make recommendations thereon and, in that context, to seek and receive information from all relevant sources, including Governments, transnational corporations and other business enterprises, national human rights institutions, civil society and rights-holders;
To provide support for efforts to promote capacity-building and the use of the Guiding Principles, as well as, upon request, to provide advice and recommendations regarding the development of domestic legislation and policies relating to business and human rights;
To conduct country visits and to respond promptly to invitations from States;
To continue to explore options and make recommendations at the national, regional and international levels for enhancing access to effective remedies available to those whose human rights are affected by corporate activities, including those in conflict areas;
To integrate a gender perspective throughout the work of the mandate and to give special attention to persons living in vulnerable situations, in particular children;
To work in close cooperation and coordination with other relevant special procedures of the Human Rights Council, relevant United Nations and other international bodies, the treaty bodies and regional human rights organizations;
To develop a regular dialogue and discuss possible areas of cooperation with Governments and all relevant actors, including relevant United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, funds and programmes, in particular the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Global Compact, the International Labour Organization, the World Bank and its International Finance Corporation, the United Nations Development Programme and the International Organization for Migration, as well as transnational corporations and other business enterprises, national human rights institutions, representatives of indigenous peoples, civil society organizations and other regional and subregional international organizations;
To guide the work of the Forum on Business and Human Rights;
To report annually to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly.

Direct Link to Full 42-Page UN Publication:

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesBusinessHR_EN.pdf

__________________________________________________________

ECCJ - European Coalition for Corporate Justice

http://www.corporatejustice.org/

http://www.corporatejustice.org/Press-release-MEPs-back-binding.html?lang=en

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE BACKS BINDING ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR LARGE COMPANIES

17 December 2013 - A key committee of the European Parliament has today voted in favour of mandatory environmental and social reporting for large companies in a move welcomed by the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ).

The Legal Affairs Committee significantly strengthened the proposals put forward by the European Commission. The position raises the prospect of a heated stand-off with member states as some national governments are seeking to water down the Commission’s proposals.

According to the proposals backed by the Legal Affairs Committee, all large European companies will be required to disclose information in their annual report regarding their impacts on the environment and on human rights throughout their supply chains......

___________________________________________________

----- Original Message -----

From: WUNRN ListServe

To: WUNRN ListServe

Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2013 3:50 PM

Subject: Call for Legally Binding Instrument on Rights, Transnational Corporations +

WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

People’s Forum on Human Rights and Business, Bangkok, Nov.5-7, 2013

Joint Statement: Call for an International Legally Binding Instrument on Human Rights, Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises

This joint statement, endorsed by the organisations listed below, was drafted by participants in the first annual Peoples' Forum on Human Rights and Business. The Forum was convened jointly by ESCR-Net and Forum-Asia from 5 to 7 November in Bangkok, Thailand.

We, the undersigned organisations,

Concerned about the continuing abuses and violations of human rights occurring all over the world which directly or indirectly engage the responsibility of business enterprises;

Concerned also that such abusive conduct often disproportionately impacts women, who comprise the majority of workers in the most vulnerable sectors, peasants, indigenous peoples, persons living in poverty, children among others, and especially concerned by the fact that justice is denied to those who suffer harm,

Considering the invaluable work done by human rights defenders and organisations, trade unions, indigenous rights and women rights defenders and others defending and protecting human rights in the face of corporate-related abuses,

Concerned at the incidence of attacks, harassment, restrictions, intimidation and reprisals against these human rights defenders,

Considering the initiatives taken by some States within and outside the United Nations human rights bodies as well as the action and work undertaken by human rights experts and bodies of the United Nations to provide better protection of human rights in the context of business operations,

Recalling existing States’ obligations under global and regional human rights treaties and the need to implement and complement those treaties to make them effective in the context of business transnational operations,

Convinced of the need to enhance the international legal framework, including international remedies, applicable to State action to protect rights in the context of business operations, and mindful of the urgent need to ensure access to justice and remedy and reparations for victims of corporate human rights abuse,

1. Call upon the States to elaborate an international treaty that:

a) Affirms the applicability of human rights obligations to the operations of transnational corporations and other business enterprises;

b) Requires States Parties to monitor and regulate the operations of business enterprises under their jurisdiction, including when acting outside their national territory, with a view to prevent the occurrence of abuses of human rights in the course of those operations,

c) Requires States Parties to provide for legal liability for business enterprises for acts or omissions that infringe human rights;

d) Requires States Parties to provide for access to an effective remedy by any State concerned, including access to justice for foreign victims that suffered harm from acts or omissions of a business enterprise in situations where there are bases for the States involved to exercise their territorial or extraterritorial protect-obligations.

e) Provides for an international monitoring and accountability mechanism.

f) Provides for protection of victims, whistle-blowers and human rights defenders that seek to prevent, expose or ensure accountability in cases of corporate abuse and guarantees their right to access to information relevant in this context

2. Call on the United Nations Human Rights Council to take step towards the elaboration of this treaty, and to that end establish an open ended working group tasked with a drafting mandate.

3. Call on civil society organisations to take measures towards the establishment of a joint initiative to achieve the objective of a legally binding instrument within the United Nations without delay.

November 2013

Signatories - To Be Finalized

Accountability Counsel, USA

ADC Memorial, Russia

ADHOC (Cambodia)

AGORA Espacio Civil, Paraguay

Afghanistan Watch

African Law Foundation (AFRILAW), Nigeria

Al-Haq

Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (Alt-SEAN Burma)

Alyansya Tigil Mina - Alliance Against Mining (Philippines)
Anti-POSCO People’s Movement, India

APRODEH, Peru

Armanshahr/OPEN ASIA (Afghanistan)

Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD)

Associação Mama Mater/IBFAN, Portugal

Association of Religious Liberty & Languages of Sri Lanka

Avocats Sans Frontieres

Burma Partnership

Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Egypt

CAOI

CAJAR (Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo), Colombia

Canada Tibet Committee

CCS, Panama

CEDAL- Centro de Derechos y Desarrollo

CEDH (Centre Oecuménique des Droits Humain), Haïti

CEDHU (La Comisión Ecuménica de Derechos Humanos)

CENIDH, Nicaragua

Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)

Center of Concern, USA

Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), South Africa

CIDSE

Citizens Watch Russia

International Indian Treaty Council – CITI

Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos ‘Segundo Montes Mozo S.J.’ (CSMM)

Citizens for Justice-(CFJ), Malawi

Comision Mexicana de Defensa y Promocion de los Derechos Humanos

Comité Permanente por la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (CPDH), Colombie

Community Resource Centre (CRC), Thailand

Defenders of Human Rights Centre - DHRC (Iran)

Dejusticia

Democracy Center

DESCA Equipo Pueblo, México

DKA Austria – Hilfswerk der Katholischen Jungschar, Austria

Due Process of Law Foundation

Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights,

EOHR - Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights

Equitable Cambodia

FIAN International

Fiery Hearts Club, Uzbekistan/France

Finnish League for Human Rights

Freedom from Debt Coalition-FDC, Philippines

Friends of the Earth US

Global Rights: Partners for Justice, USA

Gong Gam Human Rights Law Foundation, South Korea

Green Advocates International

Gulf Civil Society Association Forum, Bahrein

Habi Center for Environmental Rights

Housing International Coalition (HIC)

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan - HRCP (Pakistan)

Human Rights Foundation of Aotearoa New Zealand

Human Rights Movement ‘Bir Duino – Kirgizstan’

Human Rights Online Philippines (Philippines)

HRD-Pilipinas (Philippines)

IBFAN-GIFA

Inclusive Development International

Indigenous Peoples Links (PIPLinks), UK

International Campaign for Tibet - ICT (Tibet)

International Commission of Jurists

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

International Service for Human Rights

Justiça Global

Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay (KAMP) - Campaign for Life of Dignity for All-Philippines (Philippines)
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law

Kenyan Human Rights Commission

KILOS KA (Kilusang Maralita sa Kanayunan), The Philippines

KontraS (Indonesia)

Korean House of International Solidarity (KHIS)

La Comisión Nacional de los Derchos Humanos

La Oficina Jurídica Para la Mujer de Cochabamba, Bolivia

LAHRA (Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, The Philippines

Lao Movement for Human Rights - MLDH (Laos)

Lauri Tanner

Lawyers without Borders

League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran -LDDHI (Iran)

Legal Aid Society, Uzbekistan

Liga lidských práv / League of Human Rights, Czech Republic

Ligue algérienne pour la défense des droits de l'Homme (LADDH)

LuaLua Center for Human Rights (LCHR), Bahrein

Mindanao Peoples' Peace Movement (MPPM), The Philippines

Mindanao Tripeople Women Resource Center (MTWRC), The Philippines

MiningWatch, Canada

National Centre For Advocacy Studies, India

Network for Justice and Development, Sierra Leone

NGO Citizens' Watch

Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens, Brazil

Observatorio Ciudadano, Chile

Odhikar (Bangladesh)

Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates - PAHRA (Philippines)

Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PHILRIGHTS)

Plataforma Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, Democracia y Desarrollo (PIDHDD)

POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (Anti-POSCO peoples movement), India

Pradžių pradžia (Promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding), Lithuania

Project on Organizing, Development, Education, and Research (PODER), Mexico

PUMC-UNAM; Mexico

RAID, UK

Réseau national de défense des droits humains (RNDDH), Haití

Russian Research Center for Human Rights

Sakum Teang Tnaut (STT)

Salam Bahrain for Human Rights

Society for Environmental Actions, Re-Construction & Humanitarian Response, Pakistan

SOMO

SUMPAY Mindanao, Inc., The Philippines

Task Force Detainees of the Philippines - TFDP (Philippines)

The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)

The Jus Semper Global Alliance

Traidcraft, UK

Transnational Institute

Vietnam Committee on Human Rights - VCHR (Vietnam)

Welthaus Diözese Graz-Seckau, Austria

World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)

WUNRN - Women's UN Report Network

YAC Nepal

CONTACTS: Carlos Lopez of ICJ (carlos.lopez@icj.org), Rolf Kuennemann of FIAN (kuennemann@fian.org), Geneviève Paul of FIDH (gpaul@fidh.org) and Dominic Renfrey of ESCR-Net (drenfrey@escr-net.org).