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Latest IHRB Publications

The Invisible Workforce

The UK Equality and Human Rights Commission recently published its report, 'The Invisible Workforce'. This sets out our findings on employment practices in the cleaning sector.

Our key findings include:

  • Workers are not treated with dignity and...

18 May 2014

Commentary by Alice Teague

Principles, Roadmaps & Recommendations: What’s next for Internet Governance?

The world wide web turns 25 this year, and the year is shaping up to be crucial for the Internet’s future. Concerns over allegations of mass surveillance of digital communications by intelligence services fuelled two recent conferences - NETmundial...

Women’s Leadership Can Transform the Way We Do Business in a Climate-Constrained World

This article was originally published in the HuffingtonPost.

As a global community, we find ourselves at a critical juncture. One path -- the "business as usual" route -- sees us approach a drastically warmer world, where our continuing reliance on...

The Rana Plaza Tragedy in Bangladesh - One Year On

A year ago, over 1,000 workers lost their lives and more than 2,000 were injured in a catastrophic but avoidable industrial accident in Dhaka, Bangladesh. We now know how overcrowded the building was, and how its management ignored warning signs and...

Bringing the Business and Human Rights Agenda to Higher Education in Africa

Earlier this month the European Union announced plans aimed at limiting global trade in minerals mined in conflict zones. While the goal of the new initiative is laudable, the approach being proposed – essentially a voluntary reporting scheme – is...

08 April 2014

Commentary by Masha Baraza

How to strengthen the EU’s conflict minerals proposals

Earlier this month the European Union announced plans aimed at limiting global trade in minerals mined in conflict zones. While the goal of the new initiative is laudable, the approach being proposed – essentially a voluntary reporting scheme – is...

“Going Out” in Search of Oil and Gas: How Should Chinese Companies Tackle Human Rights Challenges?

Amid soul searching for causes of the unexpected February slump in Chinese exports – maybe it’s the Chinese New Year, or perhaps the start of a real down turn? – China’s overseas direct investments (ODI) continue to flow vigorously.

According to...

24 March 2014

Commentary by Motoko Aizawa

Major Sporting Events and Human Rights

Host nations and cities, sports organising bodies and companies must move faster, aim higher, and show stronger resolve

As the 2014 Winter Olympic Games get underway this weekend in Sochi, debates continue to intensify around the responsibilities...

ICT and Human Rights New Year Review

"The Digital Dangers we identified early in 2013 are clearly still important as we head into 2014. The year ahead may uncover still more difficult dilemmas. Our aim for the Digital Dangers project is to build up a body of research that will shed...

Respecting the rights of migrant workers

"All companies need to reduce the distance between themselves, their operations and negative impacts on the rights of migrant workers, consistent with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Business cannot contract out the...

Time for a Grown-up Approach to Tax Justice

Tax dodging has become a big issue in the public debate about business responsibility, recently topping the list of concerns in the UK, ahead of discrimination, supply chain labour standards and human rights. A group of British MPs are calling for...

13 December 2013

Commentary by Maya Forstater

Apartheid, Mandela, and Business

Apartheid, or the policy of racial segregation that the ruling National Party practiced in South Africa from 1948 to 1991, was not only racist, but also economic. It privileged one group over others, controlling levers of political and economic...