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25 September 2019
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LEAD STORY


Climate Week: Companies & investors make commitments to tackle climate crisis amid global call for action 

Guardian (UK); UN Global Compact; Investments & Pensions Europe

Photo credit: NiklasPntk on Pixabay
See Company Responses & Non-Responses

FROM US


Business & Human Rights Resource Centre holds 10th annual Mary Robinson Speaker Series to discuss indigenous rights and a just transition

New case profile on our corporate legal accountability portal:

AFRICA


DRC: International Finance Corporation criticised for its failure to denounce corruption on its investments in Congo mines

RAID

  • Corruption led to sudden closure of the Kingamyambo Musonoi Tailings mine; RAID highlights the impact of on the lives of local community members
Kenya: Nairobi Securities Exchange to conduct study evaluating Kenyan-listed companies’ performance on gender equality

Business Daily

  • Study will examine company performance re gender balance in workforce, publication of gender pay gap and provision of parental leave

AMERICAS


Brazil: Vale and Tüv Süd to face criminal charges over Brumadinho dam disaster; police allege companies used falsified documents that said dam was stable

BBC


Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to hold hearing about the persecution of environmental defenders in the region

Center for Human Rights and Environment, Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development, Earth Rights International, Center for Justice and International Law


USA: 80% of private sector employees will be subject to arbitration clauses by 2024, predicts report

People's World

  • Forced arbitration means employees cannot sue their employer over discrimination, harassment or other violations, or join forces with other employees in court to do so
  • Employees who go through arbitration rather than the courts are less likely to win, and tend to receive lower awards when they do, according to studies

ASIA & PACIFIC


Malaysia: Timber company Zedtee allegedly instructed workers not to participate in vote over whether to form union, violating their right to freedom of association

Sarawak Report

  • We invited Zedtee to respond; response provided
  • We invited Shin Yang Group, of whom Zedtee is part, to respond; it did not
Indonesia: Palm oil company Korindo delays publication of NGO report criticising its activities by sending cease and desist letter

Mongabay

  • Report by Forest Stewardship Council, of whom Korindo is an associate, alleges company violated its terms of association by clearing tracts of rainforest
  • Korindo denies it is threatening legal action; states it wishes only to clarify certain points before publication
India: 125,000 fewer people in bonded labour thanks to community-level interventions, according to evaluation of Freedom Fund programme

Freedom Fund

  • Interventions by national NGOs included creating community savings groups as alternative sources for loans & investing in women’s financial self-help groups
  • Between 2015 and 2018 the prevalence of households in bonded labour fell, on average, from 56% to 11% in 1,100 target villages 
Australia: Human rights experts & academics call on supermarkets Coles and Woolworths to address labour exploitation & modern slavery risks

New Daily; Martijn Boersma, Justine Nolan & Laurie Berg (University of Technology Sydney & University of New South Wales) 

  • Open letter recommended the supermarkets involve trade unions in grievance processes & ensure contracts with suppliers can guarantee fair wages
  • We invited Coles and Woolworths to respond; responses provided
Malaysia: Nestlé criticised for allegedly buying palm oil from suppliers where worker exploitation & child labour is widespread; includes company comments

Swissinfo.ch

EUROPE & CENTRAL ASIA


John Ruggie responds to letter from Swiss companies that criticised proposed due diligence legislation; says letter misconstrues foundational elements of UNGPs

MEPs call for EU to strengthen financial transparency rules for extractive companies & push broader agenda to address human rights impacts of European companies 

MEPs Karen Melchior and Lara Wolters in The Parliament Magazine

  • MEPs said they will call on incoming Commission to advance legislation for mandatory human rights due diligence

MIDDLE EAST & N. AFRICA


Qatar: Committee set up to resolve labour disputes fails to protect migrant workers as hundreds forced to return home unpaid, says Amnesty 

Telegraph (UK); Amnesty International; Qatar Govt. Communications Office; BBC

  • Report tracked claims of 1620 workers from Hamton International, United Cleaning and Hamad Ben Khalid Ben Hamad; none received compensation through the committee system
  • Amnesty contacted the three companies but received no response
Iran: FIFA faces renewed criticism after self-immolation of football fan Sahar Khodayari, who faced charges following her arrest for entering football stadium

FIFA; Reuters; BBC

  • FIFA has been urged to take concrete action following Sahar's death, such as suspending Iran's football federation; story includes FIFA comments
  • Iran enforces a ban on women entering football stadiums
Company responses
Non-responses

ANNOUNCEMENTS


5th session of UN Intergovt. Working Group on proposed treaty (14-18 Oct, Geneva); Submit side event proposals (Deadline 1 Oct)

US State Department calls for feedback on draft guidance for export of surveillance technology (Deadline 4 Oct)

UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee invites inputs on opportunities & challenges of new & emerging digital technologies on rights (Deadline 18 Oct)  

Register now: Human rights in impact assessment - Masterclass for practitioners (6-7 February 2020)

EVENTS

  • Hong Kong Protests and Corporations: Navigating through Profit, Principles and Pressure (26 Sep, Hong Kong)
  • Forum on Modern Slavery: 21st Century Solutions (27 Sep, New Jersey)
  • Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to Hold Special Hearing Friday on Environmental Defenders Under Attack (27 Sep, Washington DC)
  • How can tour operators assess human rights impacts in their value chains? (2 Oct, Online)
  • Introduction to Living Wage Workshop (1 Oct, Amsterdam)
  • Expert Meeting Corporate Human Rights Violations and Reputational Damage (2 October, Utrecht)
  • Introduction to Living Wage Workshop (8 Oct, Melbourne)
  • Global Goals Forum Workshop 2 - Mandatory and voluntary approaches to CSR: How can we achieve a “Smart Mix“? (10 Oct, Berlin)
Details of these & other future events can be found here. Please send relevant event information to Maja Janjic: janjic@business-humanrights.org.

JOBS


Vacancies at the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre: Other vacancies:
Further details & other recently posted jobs available here. To submit a new job announcement in business & human rights please go here.
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