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Article

14 May 2020

Author:
International Corporate Accountability Roundtable & 32 other civil society organisations

Joint statement calling on the business community to ensure corporate accountability in Covid-19 response

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Companies should uphold and further invest in their human rights and environmental commitments and responsibilities, as encompassed by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and the Paris Agreement... As the crisis continues, and to offer immediate relief to those suffering as a result of Covid-19, it is imperative that all businesses meet their responsibility to respect human rights and the environment. We call on businesses to take the following immediate measures:

  • Provide paid leave...
  • Provide PPE, basic equipment, and safe operating procedures...
  • Respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples...
  • Honor contracts with global suppliers...
  • Provide remedy for harm caused to those negatively impacted by business operations...
  • Pay particular attention to the threats facing human rights defenders...

We urge businesses to recognize how our economies and systems of government are broken, and to work to rebuild those structures to protect human dignity, promote corporate accountability, and ensure that governments are free from corruption and corporate influence.

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