A Glass Filling Up - Reflections on the first year anniversary of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

Things did not look good. Last summer, in the immediate aftermath of the UN Human Rights Council’s strong endorsement of the Guiding Principles on business and human rights (GPs), there was a definite pause.

After six years of John Ruggie’s...

Effective monitoring of domestic supply chains key to ending forced labour

Most debates on business involvement in human rights abuses focus on the role of global multinationals operating overseas. But new research supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds problems much closer to home, in particular among agency...

The Staff Wanted Initiative - The Hospitality Industry will only earn respect by respecting those who work within it

Over the summer, London’s annual influx of tourists will swell still further by visitors coming for the Olympic and Paralympic games. The city’s instantly recognisable, traditional yet energetically global image continues to be a major selling point...

What Should Companies do when States Offer Prime Land on a Platter?

This op-Ed was originally published on TheGuardian.com.

Companies investing in land in Africa and elsewhere need guidelines to ensure the human rights and dignity of local communities are protected

During a recent visit to Kampala, Uganda, we...

The Hidden Impacts of Large Infrastructure Projects on Children

This op-Ed was originally published on TheGuardian.com.

People swarm towards big infrastructure projects like bees to honey, but the interests of children are often overlooked

Though conjuring up images of Winnie the Pooh, the honeypot effect...

Uneven Road to Doing Business in Burma

This op-Ed was originally published on TheGuardian.com.

Foreign businesses face formidable challenges in making sure their investments in Burma are not only profitable but also based on internationally accepted principles

Businesses are...

Water security – a different perspective

Last month, the U.S. Intelligence Community, at the request of the U.S. State Department, published a global water security assessment addressing the question: “How will water problems (shortages, poor water quality, or floods) impact U.S. national...

Myanmar: Investing in the Future of Democracy and Human Rights

The results of Sunday’s historic elections in Myanmar appear to have given Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League of Democracy (NLD) overwhelming support in the 45 constituencies for which by-elections were held. Early indications suggest that even...

Children’s Rights Finally Getting the Attention they Deserve

This op-Ed was originally published on TheGuardian.com.

Recognition of children as important in the broader human rights and business discussion has been a long time coming

Children's rights are finally getting the attention they deserve on the...

Slaves in the Food Chain: When Compliance isn’t Enough

A new law in the U.S. state of California which took effect in January of this year – the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act - requires companies over a certain size with any retail or manufacturing presence in the state to post on their...

Developing Practical Tools for Business on Land and Human Rights

Earlier this week, my colleagues Salil Tripathi and Wambui Kimathi wrote in the Guardian about the difficult ongoing challenges surrounding land acquisition and use in many countries around the world. A key dimension of addressing the many negative...

Is the Organisation Investigating Apple’s Factories Good Enough?

This op-Ed was originally published on Forbes.com.

Under pressure, Apple has opened the doors of its troubled Chinese factories to inspection by labor investigators. Now not only Apple but its proposed monitor, the Fair Labor Association, are...