RSS Feed for the Institute for Human Rights and Business http://www.institutehrb.org Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:43:36 +0200 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.institutehrb.org/images/M_images/elxis_rss.png http://www.institutehrb.org RSS Feed for the Institute for Human Rights and Business http://www.institutehrb.org/blogs/board/controversy_niger_delta_oil_pollution-getting_to_the_facts.html Controversy Over Niger Delta Oil Pollution Study: Getting to the Facts September 8th 2010 | by Bjorn Edlund The gaps between stakeholders embroiled in the ongoing debate over the curse of oil in Nigeria crystallized again when The Guardian turned the spotlight in a recent article (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/22/shell-niger-delta-un-investigation) on a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) study assessing the environmental impact of oil spills in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta. My former employer, Shell, was pumping oil until about 15 years... http://www.institutehrb.org/blogs/board/controversy_niger_delta_oil_pollution-safeguarding_independence_and_impartiality.html Controversy Over Niger Delta Oil Pollution Study: Safeguarding Independence and Impartiality September 8th 2010 | by Irene Khan For the past three years the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) has been investigating the environmental impact of oil spills in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta. Although the report is not due until early 2011, an article in the Guardian last month (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/22/shell-niger-delta-un-investigation) quoted the head of the UNEP team as saying that 90% of the pollution in Ogoniland is attributable to theft and sabotage, and only 10% to... http://www.institutehrb.org/blogs/board/controversy_niger_delta_oil_pollution.html Controversy Over Niger Delta Oil Pollution Study: Two perspectives from IHRB Board Members September 8th 2010 This week, in response to the ongoing controversy over an upcoming United Nations environmental impact study of oil spills in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta, two members of IHRB's International Advisory Board - Irene Khan and Bjorn Edlund, provide their perspectives on where to go from here: Controversy Over Niger Delta Oil Pollution Study: Getting to the Facts (http://www.institutehrb.org/blogs/board/controversy_niger_delta_oil_pollution-getting_to_the_facts.html)... http://www.institutehrb.org/blogs/advisors/are_current_approaches_to_responsible_supply_chain_management_working.html Are Current Approaches toResponsible Supply Chain Management working? August 12th 2010 | by Sune Skadegaard Thorsen Sustainable or responsible supply chain management (RSCM) emerged in the 1990s as an important part of the corporate responsibility (or corporate social responsibility - CSR) discourse. Over the past two decades, leading corporations have increasingly recognised human rights risks in suppliers’ operations; sweat shops, child labour, forced labour, no living wage, discrimination, safety and health neglect and similar violations. Lack of effective... http://www.institutehrb.org/news/2010/unga_declares_access_to_clean_water_and_sanitation_is_a_human_right.html July 29th 2010 Safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights, the General Assembly declared Wednesday, voicing deep concern that almost 900 million people worldwide do not have access to clean water. The General Assembly resolution also welcomes the UN Human Rights Council’s request that Catarina de Albuquerque, the UN Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, report annually to the General... http://www.institutehrb.org/blogs/board/where_is_csr_heading.html Where is Corporate Social Responsibility Heading? July 21st 2010 | by Auret van Heerden The global economic crisis has shaken the manufacturing industry to its core over the last couple of years, and the impact on workers has been palpable around the world. The economic and social turmoil placed a tremendous responsibility on all of the Fair Labor Association’s constituents to navigate the crisis in a way that is consistent with the organization’s commitment to social responsibility. The... http://www.institutehrb.org/blogs/staff/responsibilities_beyond_borders.html June 30th 2010 | by Salil Tripathi Efforts to stop the biggest environmental disaster in US history continue in the Gulf of Mexico with few signs of progress. The explosion on an oil rig in April which was operating one of the Gulf’s deepest oil wells killed eleven workers. The flow of crude from the site continues to pollute and cause serious damage to livelihoods and the future of the region. The United States Government is angry. President Barak Obama got BP,... http://www.institutehrb.org/news/2010/two_reports_published_in_advance_of_ungc_summit.html Two important reports published this week to coincide with UNGC Summit in New York 22 June 2010 | Updated 28 June 2010 The Institute for Human Rights and Business has launched two important reports to coincide with the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit (http://www.leaderssummit2010.org/) that took place in New York from 24-25 June. The State of Play of Human Rights Due Diligence: Anticipating the Next Five Years (http://www.institutehrb.org/pdf/The_State_of_Play_of_Human_Rights_Due_Diligence.pdf) [60 pages, 5.23mb] reviews how human rights due diligence processes - which... http://www.institutehrb.org/blogs/advisors/world_cup_2010-facing_up_to_responsibilities.html World Cup, South Africa 2010– facing up to responsibilities June 15th 2010 | by Steve Ouma The World Cup is a major event for South Africa. Appropriately enough, it is being celebrated as an international vote of confidence not only in the country, but also the continent. While stories of despair often dominate news from Africa, many of the continent’s economies are booming, and many countries are undergoing democratic transition now. South Africa has a particular significance... http://www.institutehrb.org/blogs/guest/checking_in_on_corporate_human_rights_reporting.html Checking in on Corporate Human Rights Reporting:Where We Are, Where We're Going June 1st 2010 | by Elizabeth Umlas At the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) biennial conference (http://www.amsterdamgriconference.org/) last week, one of the sessions was dedicated to “the Future of Human Rights Reporting”. The panelists, drawn from diverse sectors, covered a wide range of issues. These included the expectations of investors, civil society and government regarding corporate human rights reporting; the mandate of the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights (SRSG) and the implications...