Business & human rights: Weekly Update - September 12, 2007

From the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre:

Weekly Update: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre - 12 September
 2007

CLICK THIS LINK FOR ALL TOP STORIES added past 7 days / Principales
 noticias / Articles de premier plan:
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Categories/Topstories?date=2007/09/12 

The top stories include / Las noticias incluyen / Les articles
 incluent:

* Merowe dam, Sudan: UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing
 concerned about forced evictions, other abuses
- Responses by Alstom, Lahmeyer
- We have also invited Harbin to respond.  We will indicate in next
 week's Update whether it has responded.
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/695251 

* Death of Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop, 10 Sep 2007
- Tributes, including by John Morrison: "She was perhaps the first CEO
 ever to put the words business and human rights into the same sentence"
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Documents/AnitaRoddick 

* "How to take the wrong approach to business and human rights":
 Ethical Corporation editor comments on ESCR-Net survey
- Response by ESCR-Net: "How to Take the Wrong Approach to Informed
 Debate"
- Comment by Legal Director of EarthRights International
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/921801

* Women in media in 4 African countries develop code of conduct for
 reporting on children, including sexual abuse
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/791421

* Inter-American Commission asks Peruvian Govt. to take steps to
 protect health of La Oroya inhabitants from Doe Run contamination
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/709732 

* Philips CEO: "Access to quality healthcare is a basic human right"
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/331560   

* US mutual funds called on to divest from CNPC, PetroChina over Darfur
 - includes responses by Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, Vanguard
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/172611
 
* Robert Reich's "Supercapitalism" argues CSR is "dangerous diversion",
 govts. are responsible for regulating companies: Reviews &
 commentaries
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Documents/ReichSupercapitalism

* USA: Human Rights Watch concerned that Smithfield still denies union
 rights, urges FTSE4good to remove Smithfield from index (further to our
 29 Aug Update)
- We will invite Smithfield to provide a response
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/250997

* USA: "6 years after Sept. 11, Muslims see more inclusive workplaces"
 - positive steps by JPMorgan Chase, IBM
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/550510

* China: CSR Asia analysis of "collective contracts" between companies
 & their workers, under new labour law 
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/675725

* Africa: Ericsson partners with UN & Earth Institute to bring mobile
 phone access to over 400,000 poor
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/582534

* Español: Perú: Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos pide
 medidas urgentes para proteger a La Oroya ante contaminación de Doe Run
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/272744

* Español: España: Siniestralidad laboral se duplica en Álava tras
 muerte de segundo trabajador herido en accidente en la empresa Bionor
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/272445

* Español: Argentina: Edenor entrega 2 viviendas energéticamente
 eficientes a familias pobres como parte de proyecto piloto
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/662928

* Español: España: Informe de UE reporta sobre casos de discriminación
 racial y xenofobia en el ámbito laboral
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/403939 

* Español: Argentina: Clausuran refinería de Shell por contaminación
- Shell presentará en un plan de saneamiento para que el gobierno
 levante la clausura
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/847173

* Français : Appel aux fonds d'investissement américains de vendre
 leurs actions dans CNPC, PetroChina à cause du Darfur - avec réponses des
 entreprises
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/899979  

* Français : Havas annonce sa neutralité carbone, promet de réduire ses
 émissions, mais il « manque un plan opérationnel pour y arriver »,
 selon Novethic
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/341220 

* Français : Dyncorp est le sujet d'un procès aux Etats-Unis par des
 indigènes équatoriens fumigués d'herbicide anti-cocaïne
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/912128