The Dark Side of Free Speech

This op-Ed was originally published on Yaleglobal.yale.edu.

"Policymakers are faced with difficult choices: whether some aspects of internet content should be censored, including self-censorship by content providers, and what rules and processes...

Tapping and Phone Hacking in Eastern Europe

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

"Government interference in communications can be extensive and often arbitrary in many countries – including in countries that aren't authoritarian. Governments have interfered by imposing...

Views on Kiobel vs. Shell

Last week the United States Supreme Court once again considered the case of Esther Kiobel vs. Royal Dutch Petroleum (Detailed background of the case here). It is too soon to say what the Court’s verdict will be, but whichever way the judges decide,...

Human Rights Challenges Amidst Myanmar’s Gold Rush

This commentary was originally published in the Business Times on September 28, 2012.

At first blush, Myanmar appears to be on a path towards democratization. President Thein Sein’s administration has instituted a series of political reforms after...

Business Must do More to Protect the World’s Most Vulnerable Workers

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

IHRB, together with the Anti-Slavery International, has called for greater protection for workers in this sector through the Staff Wanted Initiative and for hotels to undertake greater due...

Burma: First Steps for Investment of Western Capital

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

IHRB is working with the Danish Institute for Human Rights on a new initiative to develop a resource centre with partners in Burma to help business, government, civil society and trade unions...

From Sandline to Saracen - Time to hold the private security industry to its human rights commitments

Over a decade after the sanctions busting scandals around the British private military company Sandline, some might argue little has changed.

In July 2012 a UN Monitoring Group alleged that another private military and security company (‘PMSC’)...

London 2012 Olympics: What Legacy for Business and Human Rights?

As the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic experience draws to a close, and the dust starts to settle on Her Majesty the Queen’s James Bond cameo, British-Somali immigrant Mo Farah’s double gold-winning middle-distance running success, and London’s...

Lonmin Tragedy: Time to Take Human Rights Due Diligence Seriously

Earlier this week, only days after South African police opened fire killing 34 striking workers at a mine operated by UK based company Lonmin (which operates several mines for precious metals including platinum), company executives ordered 3,000...

Business Reponsibility for its Social Impacts - Moving Beyond CSR

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

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been based largely on the assumption that the business case always aligns with the societal case as long as enough philanthropy is dispensed. The...

The UN Guiding Principles – Opportunities, Challenges - One Year Later

The framework developed by John Ruggie and his team and the adoption one year ago of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (GPs) was a turning point in the debate on the responsibilities of business to society. The credibility of...

Aung San Suu Kyi Signals Change in Burma, but Investors Should Proceed with Caution

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

The recent decision by the Obama administration to ease economic sanctions on Myanmar (also known as Burma) presents an important opportunity to reintegrate that country into the international...