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Weekly Update - 3 December 2014
Lead Story

UN Forum challenges all stakeholders to "walk the walk" on business & human rights


Watch day 3 of the Forum live / Follow live Twitter feed

New materials released at Forum include: UN Working Group guidance on Natl. Action Plans; UNICEF guidance on corporate engagement with stakeholders; recommendations to protect human rights defenders working on land & environment

Speeches at the Forum including Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, Intl. Trade Union Confederation; Paul Bulcke, CEO, Nestlé

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre daily blogs on Forum
International
Africa
Americas
Asia & Pacific
Europe & Central Asia
Middle East & North Africa
Events
Jobs
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International
India: 30th anniversary of Bhopal gas tragedy - victims still await justice

Amnesty Intl.; Intl. Business Times; Asian News Intl.; Mint & others

  • victims appeal US court decision not to let lawsuit against Union Carbide proceed
Launch of Corporate Human Rights Benchmark project – first large-scale ranking of companies on human rights performance
  • joint project between Aviva Investors; Business & Human Rights Resource Centre; Calvert Investments; EIRIS; Institute for Human Rights and Business; VBDO
BankTrack report assesses 32 global banks against UN Guiding Principles - finds "slow progress"

Govt. action on business & human rights: First responses from govts. received for public database under development

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre


Trafigura becomes first commodites trader to join Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative 

Reuters; This Day (Nigeria)


Closing the courtroom door: Where can victims of human rights abuse by business find justice?

Sif Thorgeirsson, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
Africa
Uganda: 2 killed for refusing to leave home on disputed land allegedly leased to McAlester Energy Resources

Observer (Uganda)

  • we invited McAlester Energy Resources to respond; response provided
Ghana: Mitsui Ocean Development and Engineering Company (MODEC) allegedly fires local workers striking over receiving lower pay than expatriates

GhanaWeb

  • we invited MODEC to respond but it did not
Kenya: Court stops construction of Lamu port project over claims from displaced people for compensation

Business Daily (Kenya)
Americas
Business and Human Rights in Brazil: Recommendations for the President

Business and Human Rights Resource Centre & Reporter Brasil

USA: Former Massey Energy CEO indicted for West Virginia coal mine deaths

New York Times 
Asia & Pacific
Myanmar: Report exposes how jade trade fuels rampant corruption, ethnic conflict, heroin use & HIV epidemic

Global Witness; New York Times


Japan's internship-workforce programme trapping workers from China, Vietnam, Indonesia in debt, exploitation

AFP-Jiji


Is the tide turning against discrimination of women in Japanese workplaces?

Saul Takahashi, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre


Indonesia: IndustriALL "extremely disappointed by Rio Tinto’s continued refusal to speak publicly" about Grasberg mine deaths
  • we invited Rio Tinto to respond to this statement, which was a rejoinder to the company's prior response on this issue; Rio Tinto declined to respond further
Europe & Central Asia
UK: Law enters into force requiring extractive companies to report their payments to govts. worldwide

Publish What you Pay


Swiss Council of States approves proposal to parliament on compensation for victims of business-related human rights abuses

Swiss Coalition for Corporate Justice


FIDH calls for regulation of surveillance technologies in Europe to prevent their use in rights abuses
Middle East & North Africa
Qatar: 100 migrant construction workers detained & face deportation after striking over low pay

Intl. Business Times; Middle East Eye


Gulf Cooperation Council agrees measures to implement ILO recommendation to protect foreign workers from exploitation 

The Peninsula (Qatar)
Company responses Non-responses
Events
Forthcoming events:
  • workshop on human rights in the metals & extractives industry (Geneva, 4 Dec)
  • human rights assessment training course (Geneva, 4 Dec)
  • lecture on terrorism, justice & human rights (London, 5 Dec)
  • one-day workshop on investment arbitration & human rights (New York, 5 Dec)
  • seminars on implementation of UNGPs by corporations (Copenhagen, 8-9 Dec)
  • conference on human rights impact of mega sporting events (Washington DC, 9 Dec)
Details of these and other events further in the future can be found here.  Please send relevant event information to Sam Whannel: whannel@business-humanrights.org
Jobs
Other current vacancies: Further details and other recently posted jobs available here.  Please send job announcements to Sam Whannel: whannel@business-humanrights.org
Español
Argentina: Comunidades mapuche denuncian retención de dirigentes por reclamar tierras

Confederación Mapuche de Neuquén, Indymedia (Argentina)

  • Nosotros invitamos a YPF a responder pero no respondió
Tercer Foro de las Naciones Unidas sobre las empresas y los derechos humanos Colombia: Demanda ante Corte Constitucional contra BHP Billiton y otros por supuestos impactos negativos de mina Cerromatoso

Corte Constitucional de Colombia


México: Ante autorización de autoridades ambientales para construcción de hidroeléctrica Las Cruces indígenas piden intervención de la ONU

Asociación Interamericana para la Defensa del Ambiente (AIDA); Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental (CEMDA)


Nicaragua: La Iglesia dice que si los daños sociales y ambientales son mayores a los beneficios económicos, se opondrán a canal interoceánico de HKND

La Prensa (Nicaragua)


Colombia: Informe de Amnistía Internacional sobre proceso de restitución de tierras señala complicidad empresarial

Amnistía Internacional 


Perú: Eventos de ONG AIDA durante la conferencia sobre el cambio climático en Lima, COP20 (1-12 de diciembre)

Argentina: Autoridades decidirán si empresa funeraria discriminó contra transgenerista fallecida

La Voz 901 (Argentina)


España: Empleados califican “mejores empresas para trabajar”, entre ellas Proclinic, por inclusión

TeInteresa.es (España)


Mujeres afrocolombianas ocupan pacíficamente Ministerio del Interior urgiendo expulsión inmediata de empresas mineras ilegales

RCN La Radio (Colombia)
Français
Troisième Forum annuel de l'ONU sur les entreprises et les droits de l’homme

ATS (Agence télégraphique suisse); Newsnet

  • Le président appelle les entreprises à s’engager davantage
  • Nestlé et Unilever plaident pour les droits de l’homme
Rép. dém. du Congo : Amnesty International accuse le Groupe Forrest de complicité des «démolitions illégales» des habitations de la population de Kawama

Radio Okapi ; MediaCongo

  • L'entreprise dément ces accusations
La loi française sur la transparence des industries extractives n’est pas suffisante pour lutter contre l’évasion fiscale, selon la société civile

Basta ! (France)


Afrique du Sud : Woolworths obtient en justice l’interdiction de manifestations d’un groupe de boycott de produits israéliens à l'intérieur de ses magasins

AFP


France : Un chercheur analyse l’évolution du droit dans la protection de la santé mentale au travail

Loïc Lerouge, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) (France)


Inde : 30 ans après la fuite de gaz toxique de l’usine d’Union Carbide la population de Bhopal est toujours affectée

Le Figaro (France); AFP
DISCLAIMER:
We take no position on views by commentators, organizations & companies in the materials in this email: http://business-humanrights.org/en/about-us/disclaimer
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