Business & human rights: Weekly Update - April 29, 2009

Weekly Update: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre - 29 Apr 2009

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=2009/04/29

Español: ver abajo - Français : voir ci-dessous

* UN High Commissioner for Human Rights seeks govt. responses to John Ruggie survey on state corporate social responsibility policies
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/487579

* US appeals court rules lawsuit against Boeing subsidiary by former captives of CIA over "torture flights" can proceed
- with full text of opinion
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/860083

* New report by Chiquita describes how, why it made payments to Colombian paramilitaries
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/912315

* China: NGOs say Excelsior Electronics and buyer Fujitsu Siemens provided weak responses to report of factory labour abuses
- responses by Fujitsu Siemens, Excelsior
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/169298

* Vietnam: UNICEF and IKEA project supports education for ethnic minorities
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/159880

* UK Govt. launches public consultation on private military & security companies - proposes industry self-regulation based on code of conduct (deadline for submissions: 17 Jul)
- Guardian article includes comments by Amnesty, Red Cross
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/483587

* China: ITT initiative improves water access & sanitation in schools
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/882097

* Pacific Rim Mining brings arbitration action against El Salvador over delay of gold-mining permits - activists say mine would pollute water
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/297783

* India: Dam collapse kills 12 workers - lawsuit brought against dam developer, Gati Infrastructure
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/435418

* Jordan: National Council for Family Affairs finds continued gender discrimination in the workplace - urges awareness-raising, legal reforms
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/225881

* UK: New Equalities Bill will include compulsory "gender pay audits" to shame firms that pay women less than men
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/609531

* Conference agenda: "Red Flags: corporate respect for human rights in high risk zones" (Zürich, 30 Apr)
- opening speech by Ambassador Thomas Greminger, Swiss Govt.
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/294468

* India: Silencing bloggers is "losing strategy" for Indian companies - commentary by Salil Tripathi
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/568856

* World Day for Safety and Health at Work, 28 April - ILO says 5500 workers dying each day
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/622910

* Op-ed on gender issues & the economic downturn (Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Mary Robinson)
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/310949

* USA: Judge rules Nigerian villagers will not have to pay Chevron's trial fees
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/678576

* World Business Council for Sustainable Development says issues of water, energy & climate change should be tackled together
- full report includes positive examples from companies
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/425914

* Job announcement: Development Director, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (deadline 10 Jun)
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Documents/DevDirector

* Español: Oficina del Alto Comisionado de la ONU para los Derechos Humanos solicita respuestas de gobiernos a una encuesta de John Ruggie sobre políticas estatales de Responsabilidad Social Empresarial
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/273265

* Español: Perú: Ministerio de Trabajo multa a más de 160 empresas por "vulnerar los derechos laborales"
- Listado de las empresas infractoras
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/313791

* Español: Invitan a seminario sobre mercenarios y compañías militares y de seguridad privadas en América Latina (Bogotá, Colombia, 7-8 de mayo)
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/953552

* Español: Argentina: Vecinos acusan a Barrick Gold y funcionarios de "agredir" a ambientalistas que protestaban
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/544200

* Español: Ecuador entrega en La Haya argumentos jurídicos contra Colombia por fumigaciones que afectaron la salud - químico fue fabricado por Monsanto
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/784004

* Español: EEUU: Centros de salud deberán pagar a trabajadores hispanos que denunciaron discriminación por hablar español
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/434527

* Español: Brasil: Advierten sobre potencial impacto ambiental y en los indígenas de represa Belo Monte - Electrobras asegura impacto sería mínimo
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/619062

* Español: Colombia: Cerrejón crea 4 fundaciones "focalizadas en temas claves para La Guajira: empleo, agua, los Wayuu y regalías"
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/778415

* Français : Le Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les Droits de l'Homme invite les gouvernements à répondre à un questionnaire du Représentant spécial John Ruggie sur les politiques de RSE
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/899460

* Français : EDF accusé d'avoir commandité la surveillance de Greenpeace France - 2 hauts responsables suspendus
- EDF également accusé d'avoir espionné Greenpeace au Royaume-Uni
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/146082

* Français : Angola : Chevron Afrique annonce $500 mille pour un hôpital pédiatrique & aidera le gouvernement à lutter contre le Vih & le paludisme
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/753805

* Français : Film "Total Denial" sur Total & Unocal en Birmanie - projection le 14 mai 2009, Liège, Belgique
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/595871

ARCHIVE of past Weekly Updates / ARCHIVO de actualizaciones pasadas / ARCHIVE des Actualités hebdomadaires précédentes:
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Aboutus/WeeklyUpdatesarchive

Business & human rights: Weekly Update - April 22, 2009

Weekly Update: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre - 22 Apr 2009

Español: ver abajo - Français : voir ci-dessous

* Changuinola dam project, Panama: Cultural Survival says AES "using unscrupulous methods" to take indigenous people's land, "breaking up communities"
- AES response
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/887061

* European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights:
- remarks by UN Special Representative John Ruggie
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/224405
- statement by Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/288599

* Intl. Alert: 4 new reports on Colombia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Uganda - role of business in economic recovery & peace-building
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/696686

* Global economic downturn: Human rights implications and steps companies can take
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/498355

* Commentary: Why mining companies should not neglect community engagement during the downturn
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/145609

* Intl. Dalit Solidarity Network Annual Report 2008 - with section on private sector developments
- refers to initiatives by Daimler, HSBC, Shell
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/734539

* Statement by global unions to UN Durban Review Conference on racism
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/663625

* Philippines: Sagittarius Mines (SMI) adopts Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/217323

* USA: Congressional report on 2008 blast at Bayer plant that killed 2 - finds significant safety lapses & "campaign of secrecy"
- also provided: testimony of William Buckner, CEO Bayer CropScience
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/573753

* "Business and water issues: a human rights perspective" - CSR Asia
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/814562

* Japan: Chinese interns treated as "sweatshop laborers" (industries include textiles, metal processing, farming
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/473937

* Philippines: Companies & govt. to hold meeting on responsible mining (23-24 Apr)
- Natl. Commission on Indigenous People will present "how Berong Nickel Co. partnered with indigenous communities in pursuing responsible mining"
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/257374

* BASESwiki online forum: New Chinese & Russian-language portals
- forum is on non-judicial mechanisms for disputes between companies & stakeholders
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Documents/BASESwikiinChineseRussian

* Symposium: "Human Security and Business - Focusing on Conflicts, Human Mobility, and Governance" (London, 27 Apr)
- co-organized by Univ. of Tokyo and Cass Business School
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/745869

* Conference: Canadian mining industry's sustainability & human rights impacts (Univ. of Toronto, 26 Apr)
- featuring speakers from indigenous communities in Canada, Chile, Congo, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Tanzania
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/902608

* Vacancy: PhD candidate, Faculty of Law, Maastricht University - dissertation on justiciability of human rights violations by companies (deadline 11 May)
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/853806

* Español: Chile: Sancionan a empresas por prácticas anti-sindicales - supermercados dicen que se trata de hechos puntuales
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/673776

* Español: Panamá: Indígenas defienden sus tierras contra "agresiones" de empresas como AES
- AES dice que hay avances positivos respecto al reasentamiento de comunidades y estudio de la biodiversidad
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/286473

* Español: Colombia: Policía impide protesta indígena contra Puerto Brisa en La Guajira
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/989737

* Español: Oxfam critica la promoción de la atención de la salud por medio de asistencia privada en países pobres
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/916795

* Español: Alianza de Telefónica y Nokia para llevar contenidos educativos a escuelas remotas de América Latina
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/423470

* Español: México: Foro de pueblos indígenas en Oaxaca exige respeto de sus territorios y suspensión de proyectos empresariales
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/401930

* Français : Pfizer & Abbott promettent davantage d'anti-rétroviraux à l'Afrique
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/885790

* Français : Oxfam critique la promotion des soins privés pour améliorer la santé dans les pays pauvres
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/706034

* Français : Résumé de l'audition sur les entreprises et droits de l'homme, organisée par la sous-commission droits de l'homme du Parlement Européen
- Interview avec John Ruggie, représentant de la ONU sur les entreprises et droits de l'homme
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/758405

ARCHIVE of past Weekly Updates / ARCHIVO de actualizaciones pasadas / ARCHIVE des Actualités hebdomadaires précédentes:
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Aboutus/WeeklyUpdatesarchive

Colombia workshop

The info for this workshop was retrieved from this site.

Colombia, the Conflicts and Beyond: Perspectives on a Canadian Ally

A Public Workshop

Sunday, April 19 2009

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

*5:00 pm Reception following workshop (with Colombian music)

SFU, Segal School of Business

Event Rooms 1300 - 1500

500 Granville Street, Vancouver (W Pender & Granville)

Free Admission and Open to the Public

Sponsored by:

SFU Latin American Studies Program, UBC Latin American Studies Program, Latin American Studies Students’ Union (SFU), Simon Fraser Students’ Society (SFSS), and the SFU Graduate Student Society.

Synopsis:

In a brief tour of Latin America in July 2007, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a major foreign policy shift towards increased Canadian engagement in the Americas. One of his stops included a visit to Colombia, a troubled country that has since become one of Canada’s closest political allies in the region.

While there has been much academic and public debate on recent political and social ‘left turns’ in Latin America, Colombia appears to have followed a diverging path. Marred by the decades of violence affected by government forces, right-wing paramilitary groups and Latin America’s longest-standing guerrilla insurgency, Colombia is the site of one of the world’s most urgent humanitarian crises, with 4 million people having been forcibly displaced. This situation has not advanced without rising contention from below. Colombian social and popular movements are emerging with vibrant proposals for peace, local autonomy and ‘a country without owners,’ facing down violent repression from all the armed actors.

Drawing on the perspectives of leading academics and social movement activists from across North America and Colombia, this full day public workshop is intended as a space to inform and discuss Colombia’s complex history, present, and the role of Canada in its future.

Speakers include:

Jasmin Hristov (York University)

Forrest Hylton (New York University)

Catherine LeGrand (McGill University)

Micheál Ó Tuathail (Simon Fraser University, La Chiva Collective, Canada)

Nazih Richani (Kean University, NJ)

Julian Torres (University of British Columbia, Okanagan)

Manuel Rozental (Pueblos en Camino Collective, Hemispheric Social Alliance)

Gustavo Ulcué (Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca, Colombia)

PROGRAM

POSTER

Workshop Program

10:00-10:15

Welcome and Introduction

- Eric Hershberg, Simon Fraser University

- William French, University of British Columbia

10:15-11:15

The Roots and Evolution of Conflict in Colombia

Moderator: UBC Grad Student TBA

Situating the problem of violence in Colombia historically, encompassing both domestic dynamics of social and political exclusion and the influence of the international context.

- Forrest Hylton, New York University

- Catherine LeGrand, McGill University

- Nazih Richani, Kean University, New Jersey

11:15-11:30

Brief Break

Coffee and refreshments

11:30-12:45

The Armed Conflict and Beyond

Moderator: Luis Moncayo, MA Candidate, Latin American Studies (SFU)

Colombia’s conflict in its contemporary context, outlining the interests of armed actors and the relationships among them. This session will further consider other actors involved in the conflict, displacement and humanitarian issues, the rise of paramilitarism and the contemporary decline of the armed insurgencies.

- Julian Torres, University of British Columbia, Okanagan

- Jasmin Hristov, York University, Toronto

12:45 - 2:00

Lunch break

2:00-3:30

The Converging Paths of Social Movement Actors

Moderator: UBC Grad Student TBA

The reemergence and convergence of Colombia’s invisible struggles are guiding trends toward a non-violent and popular resistance to Colombia’s status quo. Critical to these processes is the role of social movements, including those associated with addressing the root causes as well as the lingering effects of Colombia’s social and political crises in a dynamic national and regional context. What are the hopes and challenges for social movements in Colombia? How does this relate to the position of the current Canadian government and social movements in Canada?

- Gustavo Ulcué, Tejido de Comunicacion y Relaciones Externas para la Verdad y la Vida, Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (ACIN), Colombia

- Dr. Manuel Rozental, Hemispheric Social Alliance, Pueblos en Camino Collective

- Micheál Ó Tuathail, MA Candidate Latin American Studies (SFU), La Chiva Collective (Canada).

3:30-3:45

Brief Break

Coffee and refreshments

3:45-5:00

Final Comments and Conclusions

Moderator: Eric Hershberg

5:00 pm RECEPTION TO FOLLOW WORKSHOP

with Colombian music by the very talented SFU LAS graduate student,

Luis Moncayo

Guest Biographies

Jasmin Hristov is a PhD candidate in sociology at York University, Toronto, and Research Associate at the Centre for Research on Latin America. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, Journal of Peasant Studies, Social Justice, and Latin American Perspectives. She is the author of Blood and Capital: the Paramilitarization of Colombia (Ohio University Press 2009).

Forrest Hylton is a PhD candidate in History at New York University and has written extensively on Bolivia and Colombia. He is a regular contributor to New Left Review, The Real News and NACLA Report on the Americas, an editor of and contributor to Ya es otro tiempo: Cuatro momentos de insurgencia indigena, 2nd edition, and author of Evil Hour in Colombia (Verso 2006).

Catherine LeGrand is associate professor of history at McGill University. Her research focuses on the agrarian, social and cultural history of Latin America in the 19th and 20th centuries and cultural aspects of US and Canadian relations with Latin America. She has written on the impact of agricultural export economies (coffee, bananas, and sugar) on land tenure and social relations in frontier areas and on rural conflict in Colombia. She has also published on the historiography of foreign enclaves in Latin America, on the Colombian Violencia of the 1950s, and on the current conflict in Colombia.

Nazih Richani is an associate professor of political science at Kean University, New Jersey. He is the author of numerous articles on the political economy of the armed conflict in Colombia, including the influential work Systems of Violence: the Political Economy of War and Peace in Colombia (SUNY Press 2002).

Julian Esteban Torres Lopez is Ph.D. Candidate at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. At the University of New Hampshire he aquired a B.A. in Philosophy and Communication, a M.A. in Justice Studies. He is currently working on his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia Okanagan concentrating on the study of violence in Colombia. His research is guided by the following question: why the historical lack of hegemony in Colombia?

Manuel Rozental is a practicing surgeon and social movement activist. Forced into exile in Canada several times, Manuel has helped to found and develop several solidarity initiatives, including the Canada-Colombia Solidarity Campaign and Pueblos En Camino, an ongoing effort committed to weaving popular initiatives throughout the Americas. For over 10 years, he has been part of the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (ACIN) in southwestern Colombia. He is a collaborator with the Hemispheric Social Alliance. In this capacity, he toured Canada in 2007 as part of a CLC-CCIC campaign on the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Dr. Rozental is currently Adjunct Research Professor at the University of Algoma in Northern Ontario, He has also held several teaching positions at the National University in Colombia.

Gustavo Ulcué is a Nasa indigenous communicator and member of the Tejido de Comunicación (Communications Network) of the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (ACIN), Colombia, currently one of the country’s most influential social movements. His organization was instrumental in leading a march of more than 60,000 indigenous peoples into the city of Cali in September of 2004. This march has lead to ongoing mobilizations and activities, which include the ‘Liberation of Mother Earth,’ a popular referendum on the Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and the US, a national consultation to weave a ‘People’s Agenda for Colombia’, and the ‘Social and Community Minga’, an ongoing popular mobilization that made international headlines in the Fall of 2008. The Tejido was recognized as the best community communications network in Colombia in 2007 and one of the country’s ‘most influential people’ in 2008.

Micheál Ó Tuathail is an MA Candidate in Latin American Studies at Simon Fraser University. His research focuses on the transnational dimensions of political activism, alternative media activism and solidarity movements. He is a founding member of the La Chiva Collective, a Western Canada-based group working in solidarity with Colombian social movements and communities, a member of Mingas-FTA, a North-South coalition organizing around the Free Trade Agreements, and has worked as an independent researcher and journalist in Colombia.

Business & human rights: Weekly Update - April 15, 2009

Weekly Update: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre - 15 Apr 2009

Español: ver abajo - Français : voir ci-dessous

*******************************************************

* We need your help to continue providing these Weekly Updates: support Kitty Hung, running the London Marathon to raise funds for our work
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Documents/Marathon09

********************************************************

* UN Special Representative John Ruggie: Report on regional consultation held in New Delhi, 5-6 Feb
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/355088

* New "NGO reports" section of Resource Centre website
- note: Accessible via the homepage, under "Special Resources"
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Documents/NGOreports

* UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries concludes visit to Afghanistan
- press release & transcript of press conference
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/325952

* Apartheid lawsuit in USA: Claims against Daimler, Ford, General Motors, IBM, Rheinmetall to proceed; claims against Barclays, Fujitsu, UBS dismissed
- text of ruling provided
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/879196

* "Doing Business in a Multicultural World" report by UN Alliance of Civilizations, UN Global Compact
- describes positive initiatives by Abu Dhabi Natl. Energy, American Express, BMW, HSBC, Manpower, Titan Cement, TUI, others
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/762251

* UN Durban Review Conference side event: "The workplace: Addressing racial discrimination & promoting diversity" (Geneva, 22 Apr)
- Co-organisers: Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/342679

* "Durban Review Conference and Caste-Based Discrimination": Position paper by NGOs including Human Rights Watch, Intl. Dalit Solidarity Network
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/987613

* Campaigners say UK bill will weaken human rights & environmental safeguards for projects that receive export credit guarantees
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/323366

* Investors Against Genocide says Vanguard "misleading" over human rights policy, given holdings in PetroChina
- article includes comments by Vanguard
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/626724

* Op-ed by Kathryn Dovey, Andrea Shemberg: Companies need to understand gender inequality is a human rights problem
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/515625

* India: Mysore cafe staffed by Dalit girls challenges long-held caste taboos
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/428781

* Panama: Alleged forced eviction of Naso community for cattle company Ganadera Bocas
- article includes comments by Ganadera Bocas
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/346246

* Peru: Govt. grants Doe Run second extension of environmental clean-up at La Oroya smelter
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/264742

* UN Global Compact Annual Review 2008 highlights progress by participants, also "serious implementation gaps"
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/959852

* Mars to start sourcing cocoa that meets Rainforest Alliance standards on environment, labour
- NGOs say measures are step in right direction but stronger protections needed
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/770420

* "Minerals taxation regimes: A review of issues and challenges", report by Intl. Council on Mining & Metals
- Revenue Watch review of report
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/957645

* Dubai: BBC report on poor conditions at labour camps for construction workers - UAE Govt. says it will investigate
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/644970

* Philippines: Court case against 33 labour activists, workers aimed at "suppressing labour rights", says Clean Clothes Campaign
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/551398

* Nigeria: Manufacturers & tanneries release toxic waste into water sources, says newspaper report
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/463302

* "Business and Migration: Perceptions from Denmark"
- issues covered include human rights, integration, welfare of migrant workers, supply chain management
- refers to positive steps by Comwell, Eurotex, ISS, Metro, Microsoft, Novo Nordisk
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/574976

* UK: Law Society event, "Can international human rights law provide meaningful obligations for business?" (London, 29 Apr)
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/986057

* Español: Panamá: Sin comida ni techo quedan comunidades Naso producto de supuesto desalojo a favor de Ganadera Bocas
- Artículo incluye comentarios de la empresa
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/610874

* Español: Perú: Gobierno extiende por segunda vez plazo para que Doe Run cumpla con obligaciones ambientales
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/503475

* Español: EEUU: Masco llega a acuerdo extrajudicial con trabajadores, en su mayoría inmigrantes latinos, por alegaciones que incluían pagos inferiores al mínimo estatal
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/639929

* Español: Brasil: Entidades financieras como HSBC, Banco Real, Unibanco apoyan campaña para erradicar trabajo forzado
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/455289

* Español: Expertos del Grupo de Trabajo de la ONU sobre el uso de mercenarios concluyen su visita a Afganistán
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/822825

* Français : Fédération mondiale des bourses de diamants interdit les diamants de l'est du Zimbabwe à cause des violations des droits de l'homme
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/281165

* Français : Nigéria : Pfizer paiera $ 75 millions aux victimes des essais de Trovan qui ont fait 11 morts, dans un accord avec l'état de Kano
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/375168

* Français : Mars se lance dans une « gestion responsable » de sa filière cacao avec l'ONG Rainforest Alliance
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/232166

* Français : Sénégal : Total sensibilise sur le paludisme
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/749764

* Français : Liban : « La situation déplorable des travailleurs syriens »
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/965133

ARCHIVE of past Weekly Updates / ARCHIVO de actualizaciones pasadas / ARCHIVE des Actualités hebdomadaires précédentes:
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Aboutus/WeeklyUpdatesarchive

Business & human rights: Weekly Update - April 8, 2009

Weekly Update: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre - 8 Apr 2009

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=2009/04/08

Español: ver abajo - Français : voir ci-dessous

* Dem. Rep. of Congo: "Enough Project" calls on electronics companies to avoid fueling conflict, gender violence through mineral supply chains
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/432772

* Thailand: Villagers win case against Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) - lawsuit alleged health problems & deaths caused by pollution
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/908489

* Nigeria: Kano state and Pfizer agree settlement in lawsuit over drug trials that allegedly killed 11 children
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/350291

* Lawsuit against Shell for alleged complicity in death of Ken Saro-Wiwa & other Ogoni activists in Nigeria to be heard in New York, 26 May
- Background material & commentaries provided
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/480560

* European Parliament's Sub-Committee on Human Rights - Public hearing on business & human rights, Brussels, 16 Apr
- UN Special Representative John Ruggie participating
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/919745

* HP reports on its engagement with SACOM (Hong Kong NGO) on supply chain labour rights, publishes list of top suppliers
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/657868

* "Shoprite in Malawi, Swaziland and Zambia" - report by Bench Marks Foundation examines social impacts
- includes Shoprite response
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/500804

* Human Rights & Business Roundtable expands its dialogues on operations in conflict zones - to include representatives of govts., intl. finance institutions
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/564861

* OECD Guidelines' UK Natl. Contact Point to consider Survival Intl. complaint against Vedanta, regarding plans to mine tribal lands in Orissa, India
- Vedanta response can be found within the contact point's "initial assessment" of the case
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/715016

* "A recipe for hunger": Intl. Trade Union Confederation report highlights trade, financial & business causes of global food crisis - including "massive profit-taking by a few multinational companies"
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/536177

* "Mining industry perspectives on handling community grievances" - report by Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, Univ. of Queensland, with Harvard Kennedy School's Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/552305

* Uruguay: Human Rights Watch asks govt. to investigate whether TV stations' refusal to run sexual orientation awareness advert was discriminatory
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/385866

* SustainAbility briefing on business & displacement
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/455685

* Air France/KLM, BAA, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic propose global greenhouse gas scheme with climate NGO
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/463443

* World Federation of Diamond Bourses bans diamonds from eastern Zimbabwe over rights abuses at Chiadzwa fields
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/134330

* New summary profile: Lawsuit against Nokia re Hepatitis B discrimination in China
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/702386

* PepsiCo adopts human right to water policy
- social investment group welcomes move, will assist & monitor implementation
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/925857

* Peru: Govt. gives companies 90 days to implement policies to prevent HIV/AIDS discrimination
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/186826

* Middle East & No. Africa: "From Corporate Philanthropy to Strategic Partnerships: The Potential of Inclusive and Sustainable Business Models" (with case examples)
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/622741

* Japan: "Sour Strawberries" - documentary on labour abuses of non-Japanese migrant workers
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/423902

* Job announcement: Policy adviser - private sector, Oxfam (UK - deadline 20 Apr)
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/331245

* Panel event on business role in the fight against malnutrition, Geneva, 22 Apr
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/680715

* New book: "Human Rights and Corporations"
- edited by David Kinley, contributions by Surya Deva, Harold Koh, Dinah Shelton, Beth Stephens, Halina Ward, David Weissbrodt, others
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/639554

* Español: Paraguay: Gobierno establece comisión para erradicar el creciente trabajo forzoso - indígenas del Chaco entre los más afectados
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/550506

* Español: Uruguay: Human Rights Watch pide que el gobierno investigue posible discriminación por parte de canales de televisión privados que se negaron a emitir un aviso para concientizar sobre la discriminación por orientación sexual
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/689089

* Español: Perú: Empresas deberán tomar medidas contra la discriminación por VIH/SIDA
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/186142

* Español: Nuevo libro: ¿Pueden las empresas contribuir a los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio?
- Libro reúne mejores prácticas de empresas como Novartis, Agbar, BBVA, Gas Natural, Telefónica
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/666446

* Español: Informe de ONGs dice que evasión de impuestos de empresas mineras en África perjudica lucha contra la pobreza
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/623824

* Español: Indígenas de Ecuador piden a Amnistía Internacional y a la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos vigilar fase final de juicio a Chevron
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/507917

* Français : Les sénateurs verts français veulent une enquête sur les conséquences sanitaires & environnementales des activités d'Areva à l'étranger
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/238703

* Français : Kenya : Pratiques durables aux plantations de thé d'Unilever
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/943119

* Français : Table ronde sur le développement durable dans les pays du Sud avec Rio Tinto Alcan, Hydro-Québec, Dessau - Montréal, 30 avril
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Links/Repository/695801

ARCHIVE of past Weekly Updates / ARCHIVO de actualizaciones pasadas / ARCHIVE des Actualités hebdomadaires précédentes:
http://www.business-humanrights.org/Aboutus/WeeklyUpdatesarchive

Greens: The Conservative Government Doesn’t Take Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Seriously

This is a press release from the Greens on the Conservative Government's announcement on corporate accountability:

OTTAWA--Canada is losing ground in the international community as a country that had a reputation as a leader in protecting human rights. This is evident with the release of Building the Canadian Advantage: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for the Canadian International Extractive Sector, released by Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

“Canada doesn’t take Indigenous peoples’ rights seriously and has demonstrated no respect for their reliance on their traditional lands. Canada would not sign the United Nations International Declaration on Indigenous Peoples' Rights and now Canada won’t push companies doing business abroad to ensure they don’t run roughshod over people and their environments,” said Lorraine Rekmans, Aboriginal Affairs Critic, Green Party of Canada.

Several groups, including the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) have charged that Canada has taken a step backwards with its position on global corporate social responsibility in the resource sector, saying it “is a strategy that falls far short of upholding Canada's international commitments on human rights.”

“The Green Party of Canada joins these groups in a call to the Canadian government to reconsider its commitment to corporate social responsibility and introduce measures that genuinely address the serious human rights and environmental abuses associated with Canadian extractive industry companies,” said Green Party Leader, Elizabeth May.

“From their testimony we have learned that the abuse of Indigenous Peoples' rights to lands, territories and resources at the hands of Canadian extractive companies is ongoing. Canada has to ensure that extractive sector interests are not sustained at the expense of the environment and of Indigenous Peoples,” said Rekmans.

The Green Party wants the Canadian government to guarantee that Canadian based companies will uphold standards like the International Finance Corporation's Performance Standards on Social and Environmental Sustainability.

Last year, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) made the following declaration: "The Committee notes with concern the reports of adverse effects of economic activities connected with the exploitation of natural resources in countries outside Canada by transnational corporations registered in Canada on the right to land, health, living environment and the way of life of indigenous peoples living in these regions." CERD concluded by recommending that Canada "explore ways to hold transnational corporations registered in Canada accountable."

NDP: Government fails on corporate social responsibility

Here's the press release from NDP.ca:

OTTAWA – Canadians looking to government to ensure that the overseas activities of our mining corporations do not undermine environment, labour and human rights were disappointed with the Conservative policy on Corporate Social Responsibility.

“The international community was looking to Canada to take leadership in putting forward some of the most clear and strongest corporate accountability mechanisms in the world” said New Democrat Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar. “Conservatives wasted the opportunity for Canadian leadership”.

“Conservatives took two years to just water down every one of the panel’s recommendations and put forward a disappointing set of policies” said John Rafferty, New Democrats’ International Cooperation Critic. “The panel had recommended mandatory standards, the government is pushing for voluntary guidelines; the panel called for an ombudsman with real authority, the government is establishing a counsellor with no teeth”.

Dewar stated that he continues to push forward his private member bill which puts the panel’s recommendations into law. NDP’s Peter Julian will soon reintroduce his private member bill to extend the authority of Canada’s Federal Court to protect foreign citizens against rights violations committed by corporations operating outside of Canada. New Democrats will also support other parliamentary initiatives that push forward stronger corporate social responsibility policies.