On 28 March 2011 the NGOs CEE Bankwatch Network and Movement to Defend Khimki Forest (EcoOborona) issued a letter to the UN Global Compact raising allegations of human rights abuses associated with the construction of the Moscow – St. Petersburg motorway.  The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited four companies (Vinci, Teplotekhnik, and security firms Vityaz and Altair) to respond to the following items:

- “Vinci’s failure to respect Global Compact commitments on human rights and the environment”, CEE Bankwatch Network and Movement to Defend Khimki (EcoOborona), 28 March 2011

-  Employees of security companies Vityaz and Altair reportedly used force against people protesting the felling of Khimki Forest, near Moscow – firms deny allegations [Russia],  Environmental Defense of Moscow Region (Russia), 16 Apr 2011

Vinci’s response:

-  Vinci’s respect of Global Compact commitments on human rights and the environment, Vinci Concessions, 26 Apr 2011

The companies Teplotekhnik, Vityaz and Altair declined to respond.

After posting the above-mentioned materials on our website, the Resource Centre received a rejoinder from the two NGOs to Vinci’s response:

-  Letter reiterating Vinci's failure to respect Global Compact commitments on human rights [Russia], Movement to Defend Khimki Forest (EcoOborona) and CEE Bankwatch Network, 20 Jun 2011

Vinci’s responded to the rejoinder, describing steps the company has undertaken to address the concerns raised by the two NGOs:

- Vinci response re Moscow - Saint Petersburg motorway project, Vinci Concessions, 26 Aug 2011 

CEE Bankwatch Network and EcoOborona issued a further rejoinder response to Vinci's 26 August statement:

- Response to VINCI's claims regarding the Moscow - St. Petersburg motorway [Russia], CEE Bankwatch Network and Movement to Defend Khimki (EcoOborona), 27 September 2011

We invited Vinci to respond further, but it did not.