http://www.business-humanrights.org Tracking the positive and negative impact of over 3000 companies worldwide. en-gb Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:07:11 +0100 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:07:11 +0100 http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/rss.html Webfactory avery@business-humanrights.org avery@business-humanrights.org http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/647232 En los ultimos anos los proyectos industriales de mineria...en el mundo y particularmente en Centroamericana, se encuentran en pleno apogeo...motivados por el aumento en los precios...Diversos estudios de ambientalistas y economistas senalan que los proyectos tanto de explotacion como de exploracion minera ocasionan grandes danos a los ecosistemas que repercuten en el desarrollo economico y social donde se registra dicha actividad. Oxfam America...presento recientemente el la foto-publicacion: La Mineria de Metales en Centroamerica: Dolor y Resistencia, en la que se analizo el impacto ambiental, economico y social de la mineria de metales, desde un enfoque de derechos humanos...la experiencia ha mostrado que la tecnologia aplicada en la region pone en riesgo ecosistemas, compite con comunidades por escasos recursos hidricos, contamina las aguas superficiales y subterraneas con cianuro y metales pesados y amenaza las formas tradicionales de vida...[Una] parlamentaria lamento que...ninguna instancia gubernamental...haya...evita[do] que las fuentes de agua en el departamento se esten secando, a consecuencia de los trabajos de exploracion que realiza la empresa Pacific Rim...[pero] Manuel de Jesus Hidalgo Pineda...habitante de San Isidro, Cabanas dijo: la gente de San Francisco no se oponen...Es mentira que se hayan secado nacimientos de agua. [se refiere tambien a Skye Resources, Goldcorp, HEMCO, Yamana Gold] Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:50:37 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/647232 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/487277 Gold Fields has the worst mine death record in South Africa so far this year, with about half of a total of 85 deaths in the country's mines occurring at the group's operations, a senior official said..."On Monday this week, we were standing on 85 deaths in comparison to 109 last year, same period. Almost around 50 percent of those deaths are coming from one group - Gold Fields," [said Thabo Gazi, the chief inspector of mines at the Department of Minerals and Energy]...Gold Field's Chief Executive Officer, Nick Holland said safety at its mines was the group's top priority...[He] reiterated that...the firm was conducting an external safety audit for the mines. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:39:10 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/487277 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/394310 Total is gearing up to drill for oil nearly 30 years after signing an agreement in southern Sudan, but runs the risk of shedding investors unless it keeps sweet of U.S. divestment law...Genocide Intervention Network...has been encouraging divestment. Our presence should clearly benefit the peoples of southern Sudanby helping with peace building, development, human rights and democracy," said Jean-Francois Lassalle [Total's Vice President of Public Affairs, Exploration and Production]..." Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:01:29 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/394310 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/901624 A German company [Giesecke & Devrient] which helps Zimbabwe supply its banknotes has become the latest firm to end links...following a "political and moral assessment" of conditions there...Foreign firms in Zimbabwe are under pressure to pull out after President Mugabe's controversial re-election...Giesecke & Devrient said it had taken the decision to withdraw from Zimbabwe following an official request to do so from the German government. "Our decision is a reaction to the political tension in Zimbabwe, which is mounting significantly rather than easing as expected," said chief executive Dr Karsten Ottenberg. [also refers to Tesco] Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:56:16 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/901624 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/390771 US airline Continental and five people will stand trial over the 2000 Concorde crash near Paris which killed 113 people, French judicial officials say...The plane caught fire after its tyres were punctured by a piece of metal on the runway from a Continental plane. Continental has said it would fight any charges in the case Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:52:17 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/390771 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/972748 Three Iraqis and a Jordanian filed federal lawsuits Monday alleging they were tortured by U.S. defense contractors while detained at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2003 and 2004. The lawsuits allege that those arrested and taken to the prison were subjected to forced nudity, electrical shocks, mock executions and other inhumane treatment. They seek unspecified payments high enough to compensate the detainees for their injuries, and to deter contractors from such conduct in the future... The contractors named as defendants in the lawsuit are CACI International Inc....and...L-3 Communications Corp., formerly Titan Corp... The lawsuits repeat "baseless allegations" made more than four years ago in another case brought by the same lawyers, CACI spokeswoman Jody Brown said in a statement. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:35:02 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/972748 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/981922 The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) is a coalition of nearly 300 faith-based institutional investors who seek a global community built on justice and sustainability through transformation of the corporate world... Working closely with the management team and ICCR staff, the Deputy Director is primarily responsible for developing both the organizational sustainability initiatives as well as implementing a program to evaluate the impact of ICCR's work. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:58:07 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/981922 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/143287 Women are 20% less likely than men to have a paid job in OECD countries and they earn on average 17% less than men, according to the latest edition of OECD's Employment Outlook. At least 30% of the gap in wages and 8% of the gap in employment rates result from discriminatory practices in the labour market... OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria commented, "Many workplaces not only have a glass ceiling but also a glass door, which keeps out women and ethnic minorities..." Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:50:51 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/143287 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/530552 The Iraqi foreign minister said on Tuesday that Washington has agreed to scrap immunity for foreign security guards in Iraq, moving the two countries closer to signing a long-term security pact. The immunity for private security guards has been removed. The US has agreed on it, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told AFP after briefing Iraqi MPs on the controversial US-Iraq security pact which is being negotiated... Foreign security workers have since the 2003 US-led invasion operated virtually outside the law, neither subject to the Iraq legal system nor to US military tribunals, a right which infuriates Iraqis... Their immunity is a sensitive issue after an incident in which security guards from the US company Blackwater shot dead 17 Iraqis in broad daylight in Baghdad last September. Blackwater says its guards reacted in self-defence. [also refers to KBR] Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:43:27 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/530552 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/744988 Le gouvernement irakien a debute une action en justice...contre plusieurs dizaines de multinationales, accusees d'avoir verse des dessous-de-table...pour obtenir des contrats dans le cadre du programme onusien "Petrole contre nourriture...l'Irak reclame, devant un tribunal federal americain a New York, plus de 10 milliards de dollars de dommages et interets a des compagnies qui ont fait l'objet d'une enquete diligentee par l'ONU...L'investigation aurait etabli que le programme "Petrole contre nourriture" avait ete altere par 2 200 compagnies...ce scandale de corruption a trompe de maniere illicite la population irakienne...les milliards de dollars perdus, "qui tous etaient directement convertibles en vivres, medicaments et autres produits humanitaires dont etait cense beneficier le peuple irakien"...[mentionne egalement AWB, Chevron, BNP-Paribas, Roche et Merck, DaimlerChrysler et Volvo.] Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:01:54 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/744988 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/846369 The United Nations-sponsored Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) is preparing to take a firm line with fund managers who have signed up to the initiative, expelling firms who have failed to meet disclosure requirements... He added that a 'only small number' of organisations had failed to respond... When Fortis Investments signed up to the UN PRI last year, its head of SRI (socially responsible investments), Stewart Armer told Thomson IM News: 'It's very easy for a house to sign it but what happens afterwards is not clear...' Deborah Gilshan, from the corporate governance council at Railpen, noted that the principles were 'aspirational' and did not necessarily imply the application of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG). Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:45:47 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/846369 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/338979 ...The existence of a zone of de facto impunity for killings by private contractors operating in Iraq and elsewhere has been tolerated for far too long. Government officials with whom I met acknowledged this lack of accountability, and it now seems to be recognized that this vacuum is neither legally nor ethically defensible...Indeed, many of the contractors themselves now accept the need for legal regulation and accountability. It is also encouraging that the US has participated in...the Swiss Initiative on Private Military and Security Companies...However, the principle problem today is that US prosecutors have failed to use the laws already on the books to prosecute contractors. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:45:27 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/338979 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/256975 Las cuatro principales productoras brasilenas de etanol de cana de azucar [Cosan, Guarani, Alcoeste, NovAmerica] iniciaron sus exportaciones a Suecia bajo el primer contrato en el mundo para este tipo de comercio firmado bajo principios de desarrollo sostenible...El contrato fue firmado con la sueca Sekab, la mayor compradora de etanol brasileno en Europa, y contempla condiciones de transparencia y compromiso con las politicas socio-ambientalesse verifico la reduccion de emision de dioxido de carbonocompromiso de conservacion de la flora, respeto a salarios y sin trabajo infantil. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:23:01 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/256975 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/330866 [L]a Corte de Constitucionalidadcensuro la Ley de Mineria, al tildar siete de sus articulos como parcialmente inconstitucionales[L]a sentencia impide que las mineras puedan explotar ilimitadamente el subsuelo, prohibe que contaminen, que utilicen los terrenos vecinos para descargar aguas servidas, y que los estudios de mitigacion y de impacto ambiental queden aprobados de manera automatica tras 30 dias de silencio administrativo, como ocurre ahora[El] coordinador politico del CALAS [Centro de Accion Legal, Ambiental y Social] interpreta que el fallo suponeque las mineras solo podran explorar la superficie del terrenoy que la prohibicion de contaminar veda casi cualquier actividad explotadoraLa sentencia no afecta las licencias que ya fueron otorgadas. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:33:20 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/330866 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/185631 The 218 million children suffering from child labour worldwide, of which the products are also consumed in Europe, are a dramatic illustration of the mismatch between the rights of the economically powerful and the rights of the child This policy paper and the set of recommendations cover both issues of trade relations and corporate social responsibility. They to a large extent build on the existing consensus of the European Parliament for stronger policies and certain forms of regulation on CSR. They also build on the willingness of Council of the EU to examine and consider measures in the field of CSR, transparency as well as effective trade related measures. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:59:18 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/185631 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/864467 The inter-sessional meeting of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme ended Thursday...with Venezuela agreeing to withdraw from the KP for two years... KP Chairman Rahul Khullar announced that Venezuela will not export rough diamonds for the next two years, and that a KP team will visit Venezuela to assess the situation and prepare a report before the next plenary meeting in November. Meanwhile, India called for a crackdown on fake KP diamond certificates. Earlier this month several NGOs called for the expulsion of Venezuela from the Kimberley Process due to noncompliance and continued refusal to allow teams from KP member countries to inspect Venezuela's diamond industry. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:56:45 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/864467 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/183788 Rhode Island's Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a first-in-the-nation jury verdict that found three former lead paint companies responsible for creating a public nuisance, rejecting a closely watched case that had been seen as a bellwether for potential suits across the country... Rhode Island was the first state to successfully sue former makers of lead pigment and paint, which can cause learning disabilities, brain damage and other health problems in children. A jury in 2006 found Sherwin-Williams Co., NL Industries, Inc. and Millennium Holdings LLC [part of Access Industries] liable for creating a public nuisance by manufacturing a toxic product. [also refers to Atlantic Richfield (ARCO, part of BP)] Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:06:07 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/183788 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/644455 While the labour contract law is meant to protect workers, [IHLO has] discovered that the new law has led companies to find loopholes, and subvert standard contracts designed to follow the letter of the law and so far, these problems are not being adequately monitored by the local labour bureaus and the local ACFTU branches. Much more work needs to be done to ensure that employers do not simply circumvent or flout the new law or it will end up being yet another wasted piece of good labour legislation on China's law books. [refers to Texhong, Hanesbrands, Nine Dragons, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec)] Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:15:34 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/644455 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/620433 Members of the Social Investment Forum announced today their strong support for the UN Human Rights Council's (HRC) recent decision to extend the important mandate of UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights and Transnational Corporations (SRGS) John Ruggie for a period of three years. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:51:12 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/620433 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/973031 Wolfgang Kaleck and Dr. Miriam Saage-Maa presented a study...on the accountability of Transnational Corporations and their role in Human Rights abuses. This study...examines four current cases in which European Corporations [including Botnia, Syngenta] are on trial for their activities in Latin America. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:34:18 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/973031 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/535752 The International Labour Organization (ILO) welcomed the Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work...a major new blueprint for constructing a global culture of safety and health at work...The Declaration marks a major step in the establishment of a preventative safety and health culture, said Mr. Assane Diop, Executive Director of the International Labour Office's (ILO) Social Protection sector. [T]he Declarationemphasizes that the right to a safe and healthy working environment should be recognized as a fundamental human right. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:10:10 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/535752 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/935631 The United Nations Global Compact Office announced today that a total of 630 companies have been removed from its list of participants for failure to communicate progress. The delisting of companies is part of ongoing efforts by the UNGC Office to enhance the accountability and credibility of the initiative. [includes link to list of 630 companies removed from Global Compact database] Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:43:12 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/935631 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/747907 IBM is getting a taste of China's new labour law, after firing a sick employee unjustly...After it was established that the employee suffered from depression, he tendered his resignation to the company, but IBM suggested that he take an extended sick leave instead. While receiving therapy during his leave, health professionals proposed he return to work while continuing to receive therapy. IBM however was not in favour of this and threatened to terminate his labour contract suggesting that he was disturbing the company's normal work order...Shanghai Pudong New Zone Labor Arbitration Commission has reportedly ruled that IBM China to continue to implement the labor contract with the R&D Engineer, while also paying him four month's salary and bonuses totalling RMB57,332. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:09:02 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/747907 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/150054 Selon la lettre d'information...Africa Confidential...la filiale de Barclays au Zimbabwe a prete 46,4 millions de dollars...en 2007 au regime de Robert Mugabe...[et] un des principaux bailleurs de fonds d'un programme gouvernemental tres controverse d'aide aux exploitations agricoles confisquees par le regime aux fermiers blancs..."Barclays finance dans les faits la politique d'expropriation menee par Mugabe", explique...[le] directeur d'Africa Confidential...Barclays replique qu'elle gere ses affaires de "maniere ethique et responsable". "Nous respectons les sanctions. Les prets sont octroyes a nos clients, pas au gouvernement du Zimbabwe", indique un porte-parole en soulignant que toute banque operant au Zimbabwe doit reinvestir 40 % de ses profits dans des bons d'Etat...[mentionne egalement les groupes Standard Chartered, Old Mutual, NatWest (filiale de Royal Bank of Scotland), Coutts Bank] Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:54:57 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/150054 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/579826 Le gouvernement allemand a indique vendredi avoir demande a une societe munichoise d'arreter de livrer du papier special pour l'impression de billets de banque au regime du president zimbabween Robert Mugabe... La societe Giesecke & Devrient GmbH "devrait, selon nous, respecter les droits de l'Homme et arreter ses livraisons", a insiste le porte-parole [de la ministre allemande du Developpement]. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:07:11 +0100 http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/579826