How can we Ensure Mega-Sporting Events Showcasing Humanity’s Best are also Built on Human Rights?

Yesterday [word doc], the Member State representatives of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein and Council President H.E. Mr. Choi Kyonglim met to discuss the role of sport in...

Where have the UN Guiding Principles Taken Us and Where Do We Go Next? 

On June 16, 2016, IHRB and the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR) co-organised a commemorative event to mark the five-year anniversary of the unanimous adoption of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs)....

Five Years On - Translating the UN Guiding Principles into Myanmar

On June 16th 2011, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights. The Guiding Principles were unprecedented on many levels, including by reaffirming and clarifying state duties to protect...

Five Years On - Waves of Progress Demonstrate the Tide has Turned in Colombia

On June 16th 2011, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights. The Guiding Principles were unprecedented on many levels, including by reaffirming and clarifying state duties to protect...

Five Years On - The UN Guiding Principles in Kenya, a Three Legged Stool

On June 16th 2011, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights. The Guiding Principles were unprecedented on many levels, including by reaffirming and clarifying state duties to protect...

The Infrastructure We Don’t Want - OECD Infrastructure Advice to the G20

This commentary was originally published on the Heinrich Böll Foundation website. 

As global growth has stalled over the last few years, the Group of 20 countries (G20) has made infrastructure investment a centerpiece of its policy work, expecting...

Forthcoming Guidance on Respecting LGBTI Rights

The idea of human rights rests on the central premise that all humans are equal. It follows that all humans should be treated as equal, and all humans have dignity. Anything that undermines that dignity is a violation, for it violates the principle...

Time to deliver on responsible supply chain commitments

As G7 leaders meet in Japan later this week, will we see scaled up joint action to ensure that all business activity, wherever it takes place, is undertaken in ways that respect the rights of workers and communities and enhance economic,...

Central banks and human rights - Signs of alignment

This commentary was originally published on RightingFinance and reproduced here with permission.

The work of central banks is not easily understood and often takes place out of direct public view. Equipped with traditional macroeconomic tools of...

Employer Pays - Time for a New Model in Migrant Worker Recruitment

Over 30 years in addressing supply chain human rights issues has taught me that regardless of industry sector, or whether a company has a cross border supply chain or one that is wholly domestic, there is a substantial likelihood that migrant labour...

Looking Back, Looking Ahead: What lessons should we learn from past UN efforts to adopt a Code of Conduct for Business?

What rules should govern the behavior of transnational corporations (TNCs) and other businesses, both in the countries in which they are established and where ever they operate around the world?

In the 1970s, states sought to answer this question...

Restoring the Beauty of the Game

For those who follow the human rights impacts of mega-sporting events it has been a busy couple of weeks. First came Amnesty International’s report on the preparations for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup (“The ugly side of the beautiful game”) and...

We are Losing Sight of Why Protecting Privacy is Important for our Security

The UK Government’s Investigatory Powers Bill (IPB) is a new and controversial piece of proposed surveillance legislation. The recent review of the IPB by the UK Parliament (the “Second Reading”) offered the first opportunity for MPs to debate its...

Lessons from Glasgow – Adopting the World’s First Mega-Sporting Event Human Rights Policy

Sport has faced no shortage of troubles of late. Revelations and allegations of misdeeds continue to blight many major sports. FIFA’s governance is still under the spotlight, match-fixing allegations in tennis have come to the fore, Qatar’s approach...

Who should assess complaints under the OECD Guidelines – civil servants or independent experts?

A lot of faith has been placed on National Contact Points (NCPs) as a non-judicial remedy. But can this be justified when those assessing complaints tend to be government officials with a background in trade and business, rather than human rights...

Alternative Mining Indaba - Meaningful Company-Community Dialogue Remains a Key Challenge

The 7^th annual Alternative Mining Indaba (AMI, Indaba meaning ‘conference’), hosted by the ecclesiastical Economic Justice Network, took place from 8-11 February 2016 in Cape Town, South Africa. The AMI has grown steadily since its inception in...

Designing a Better Global Financial System – Why Do Human Rights Matter?

How would you design a global financial system that is fit for purpose in the 21^st century? What steps are required to ensure more inclusive and sustainable financial decision-making that can serve the needs of economies and societies? 

Over the...

Where is the level playing field for responsible business in Iran?

New trade agreements between French President Francois Hollande and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani are the latest in a string of trade and investment plans developing across European capitals and beyond, following easing of international sanctions...

Iran - Open for Business?

As 2016 began to unfold, so did the question of when was the right time to lift international sanctions against Iran.  It turned out to be just after the UN atomic watchdog (the IAEA) issued its conclusions on January 16th 2016 that Iran had...

Restoring the Social Licence of Mega-Sporting Events

Major sports bodies face a growing crisis of legitimacy.  Earlier this month, world football’s governing body FIFA,dismissed its secretary general for alleged involvement in profiting from the sale of World Cup tickets. A day later, the...