Institutional investors can be connected to harmful impacts on defenders through their investments in companies that cause, contribute to, or are directly linked to actions that undermine the rights of defenders. This publication provides institutional investors with practical guidance on how to prevent, mitigate, and address negative impacts on defenders in investment portfolios.

Except for the Philippines, Southeast Asian countries have no laws defining SLAPPs but all countries, except for Brunei, protect the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly in their constitutions. This Briefing Note focuses on SLAPPs in Southeast Asia and aims to amplify legal arguments and court decisions that have successfully upheld the freedoms of expression, association, and/or peaceful assembly of HRD.

Drawing on over 90 interviews, this guidance urges companies to engage and to act—carefully but deliberately—in their own interests and in the mutual interest that they share with civil society in support of civic freedoms and defenders. It sets forth both the normative responsibility, the business case and the moral choice that companies should consider, and proposes a decision framework to guide companies as they decide whether and if so how to act.

This report analyses the response by nine global apparel brands - H&M, Primark, Inditex (Zara), Levi Strauss & Co., MANGO, BESTSELLER, Michael Kors, Tory Burch and Kate Spade (Tapestry) - to allegations that garment factories in their supply chain are using COVID-19 as a cover to target and dismiss unionised workers in Cambodia, Myanmar, Bangladesh and India.

Weak state institutions, armed gangs and illegal economies contribute to making Colombia a dangerous place for human rights defenders. But what is often missed by this analysis is the role of legitimate business in aggravating attacks on defenders, the scale and range of attacks defenders face because of raising concerns about these businesses, and businesses’ potential to contribute meaningfully to the protection of defenders. This briefing focuses on this role and finds that 44% of attacks in Colombia were on defenders who raised concerns about only 5 companies.

This snapshot looks at 24 SLAPPs brought by 12 carbon majors - active fossil fuel producers that are the largest corporate contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - and other mining companies, and one industry association, between 2015 and 2018 in Asia, Latin America, North America, and Africa, and how investors can use their leverage to ensure portfolio companies do not engage in such practices.