Corporate Accountability / Activities and Actions

Corporate Accountability

Peoples' Forum on Human Rights & Business (Colombia; September 29-October 2, 2014)

In 2014 the Corporate Accountability Working Group (...

The Mining Indaba and Extractive Sector Cooption of the Development Agenda

Increasingly states with large mining sectors - Australia and Canada among them - are promoting mineral extraction, and providing funding for mining company CSR projects, as a means of promoting positive development outcomes - while communities around the world face grave human rights abuses associated with such projects.

This collaborative effort of CAWG members critiques this shift in development strategy by donor states, in time for the largest mining investment meeting in world - the Mining Indaba in Cape Town. The authors demand states abide by their extra-territorial obligations to regulate – not financial support – mining corporations, and calls for aid to preserved for genuine efforts to realize human rights and empower civil society groups on the ground to hold corporations accountable.

Civil Society Human Rights and Business Strategy Meeting & UN Forum on B&HR

On December 6^th, 2012, following the UN Forum on Business & Human Rights, the International Commission of Justice (ICJ), Rights & Accountability in Development (RAID) and ESCR-Net jointly hosted a civil society strategy meeting on human rights and business. Sixteen civil society organizations working on corporate accountability (fourteen from ESCR-Net’s membership) joined together to discuss their reflections on the UN Forum and to consider their plans for 2013.

August 24, 2012: ESCR Net CAWG Makes Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on draft General Comment

The Corporate Accountability Working Group fully supports the advancement of the draft General Comment regarding Child Rights and the Business Sector and warmly welcomed the opportunity to provide input. The CAWG highlighted the following areas in our submission:

1. Child Rights Due Diligence in Regard to State Agencies

2. Child Rights Due Diligence for Business

3. Obligations of States As Members of International Organisations

4. Extraterritorial Obligations

June 22, 2012: Joint Oral Statement to UN Working Group on Human Rights & Business

Joint Oral Statement by the International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net), the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) in the Interactive Dialogue on the Report of the Working Group on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.

Mexico and Excellon Resources, Inc: Respect the rights of the members of the Ejido La Sierrita and mineworkers

On September 9, 2012, ESCR Net transmitted a communication to the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, and Peter Crossgrove, Chairman of the Board of Excellon Resources, Inc. to express concerns about the use of force to disband of Ejido members assembling peacefully to protest the mine operation, the reported refusal of Excellon Mexico to participate in negotiations with the La Sierrita Ejido, alleged lack of compliance by Excellon with several previous agreements made with La Sierrita in 2008, and reported intimidation of people calling for dialogue.

The Business and Human Rights Documentation (B-HRD) Project

On June 28, 2011, the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at NYU School of Law and the International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net) proudly launched the Business and Human Rights Documentation (B-HRD, or Be Heard) Project, an interactive, multi-lingual information portal that provides grassroots groups, NGOs, experts, advocates, academics, and the public at large with vital information about the human rights impacts of business activities, and with much needed advocacy tools to hold businesses accountable in a globalized world.

June 15, 2011: Joint Civil Society Statement on Business and Human Rights to the 17th Session of the UN Human Rights Council

The United Nations Human Rights Council is expected to adopt a decision this week that will set the direction for its future work on business and human rights. Unfortunately however, the draft resolution before the Council falls far short of what is needed. Read the latest from ESCR-Net's Corporate Accountability Working Group, along with other leading human rights organizations.

May 30, 2011: Joint Civil Society Statement to the 17th Session of the Human Rights Council

In an oral statement to the Human Rights Council on May 30, 2011, ESCR-Net and six other leading human rights organizations addressed the issue of business and human rights at the 17th session of the Human Rights Council, encouraging the Council to recommit to the goal of corporate accountability and protecting human rights vis-a-visbusiness activity.

May 1, 2011: Advancing the global business and human rights agenda: Joint Civil Society Statement - 2011

Read about what steps the United Nations Human Rights Council shoud take to protect human rights against business abuses.

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