“National Action Plans on Human Rights and Business: inputs for the Brazilian Reality-Part I: General Perspective on the National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights”, January 2016

...This   research   began   in   September   2015...motivated by...the need  for  a  critical  academic  monitoring  of the elaboration process of the National Action Plan by Brazil...[T]his series...will be made  up  of...:...a  brief  historical  introduction  of  the  scenario  of  the  United  Nations in the area, to...the debate of  the  National  Plans,  bringing...general   considerations   on   the   initiative   and identifying   guiding   points   on   the   eight plans already developed...[T]he  experience  of  existing  national  plans shows...these  neither  have...the potential for an effective progress in  the  development  of  national  legislation and public policies for human rights protection  against  violations  committed  by  companies,  nor contribute  to  the  full  access  to justice  and  to  ensure  that...victims  are able   to   achieve   repair...The  measures  proposed...do not  provide  enforcement  mechanisms,  do not have a clear methodology of evaluation and  monitoring..., and...do  not  have  any  level  of  "punishability” for     companies     that...violate human  rights,  nor  to  the  State,  in  case it  does  not  fulfill  the  proposals  agreed  in the plans...[They]...should   focus   on   human  rights  and  victims,  guided  by  the  logic  of International  Human  Rights  Law,  and  recognize  the structural  imbalance  between violators  of  human  rights  and  victims,  in this  case,  businesses  and  affected  communities...