The United Nations Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises (“the Working Group”) will present a report to the UN General Assembly in October 2021 to provide practical guidance for States on negotiating human rights-compatible international investment agreements (IIAs) in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The report will cover all three pillars of the UNGPs: the duty of states to preserve regulatory space while negotiating IIAs so as to strike a balance between attracting investment and promoting responsible business conduct; the responsibility of investors to respect all internationally recognized human rights; and the role of IIAs in providing access to remedy to individuals and communities affected by investment-related projects.
In order to inform the drafting of the report, the Working Group is convening several virtual consultations to seek input from a range of stakeholders on how to align IIAs with States’ international human rights obligations. To complement these regional consultations, the UN Working Group has also issued an open call to collect input from States and other stakeholders
International Investment Agreements (IIAs)[1] are employed by States as one of the tools to create an investment-friendly environment. To protect legitimate interests of investors, they-impose conditions and standards on host state’s ability to regulate.
At the same time, IIAs should not prevent host States from protecting and promoting human rights within their territories. Principle 9 of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) reminds States to “maintain adequate domestic policy space to meet their human rights obligations when pursuing business-related policy objectives with other States or business enterprises, for instance through investment treaties or contracts.”
However, IIAs can have a chilling effect on States’ ability to regulate effectively the conduct of investors and ensure that they respect human rights, as well as on the States’ ability to hold companies accountable for human rights abuses. This effect is especially seen when the local authorities in host States do not have the proper measures, processes and resources in place to ensure that human rights policies and reforms can be pursued in accordance with the principles of good governance, transparency, meaningful participation of all stakeholders and legitimacy stemming from stakeholders’ engagement and support.
As a result, host States may achieve higher development level thanks to – inter alia – the investment treaties that attract business investment. However, IIAs may also not only fail to promote further sustainable development, but even contribute to reinforce various development deficiencies and injustices in that Host state.
The purpose of the consultation is to identify areas in which these negative effects can be identified and to discuss possible solutions – both substantive (e.g. possible revisions of IIAs or their abandonment in favour of a whole new regime) and procedural (e.g. possible revisions of the ISDS mechanisms).
The format and objectives of the consultation
The consultation will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss issues at the nexus of IIAs and HR. It will be divided into two parts :
Mapping IIAs & HR landscape in CEE and CA
The first part of the meeting will map the current situation in the region and will provide space to share concrete examples of how IIAs regimes and ISDS decisions had negative impact on human rights and sustainable developments. This will include examples of how potential liability under IIAs have prevented or hampered business and human rights policies and reforms in the region; and cases where individuals and communities affected by investment-related human rights abuses were not provided access to remedy. Discussions will also identify examples of good practices from the region.
Identifying solutions:
The second part will provide space to discuss possible substantive and procedural solutions to mitigate IIAs’ negative effects identified in the first part of the meeting. This will include options to reform existing IIAs, as well as elements necessary in IIAs to preserve regulatory space of States to meet their obligations under international human rights law.
Each of the two segments will consist of a moderated discussion between the experts from various countries, law and policy makers (from governments, civil society organizations and other non-governmental organizations from the region) with experience in addressing the limitations stemming from IIAs, as well scholars and practitioners conducting investor-state disputes on behalf of host States from the region.
The summary report of the discussions with conclusions and recommendations will be provided to the Working Group and will be posted on the Working Group’s website in due course.
Practical information
The consultation will take place virtually on Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to the registered participants in due course.
Simultaneous translation English – Russian will be provided upon demand thanks to support provided by the Wardyński & Partners law firm.
For any further information about the Working Group’s project on human rights-compatible IIAs or should you wish to join the project’s Google group, please contact the Secretariat of the Working Group at wg-business@ohchr.org (indicating “IIAs and HRs” in the email subject).
Registration
To register your interest in participating in the consultations please fill in the registration form in English or Russian by April 12th. Link: https://forms.gle/yzAZ8uumxucGp7UU7
Organizers will endeavour to enable participation by all interested stakeholders. However, given the platform limitations, organizers reserve the right to admit only selected participants based on criteria to ensure geographic, gender and stakeholders representation. All who registered their interest will receive information by email. Admitted participants will receive a confirmation email by April 14th.
Human Rights-Compatible International Investment Agreements. Virtual Consultation for Central and Eastern Europe and the Central Asia region
21 April 2021, 12 noon – 3 pm CET (online – Zoom)
Background
The United Nations Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises (“the Working Group”) will present a report to the UN General Assembly in October 2021 to provide practical guidance for States on negotiating human rights-compatible international investment agreements (IIAs) in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The report will cover all three pillars of the UNGPs: the duty of states to preserve regulatory space while negotiating IIAs so as to strike a balance between attracting investment and promoting responsible business conduct; the responsibility of investors to respect all internationally recognized human rights; and the role of IIAs in providing access to remedy to individuals and communities affected by investment-related projects.
In order to inform the drafting of the report, the Working Group is convening several virtual consultations to seek input from a range of stakeholders on how to align IIAs with States’ international human rights obligations. To complement these regional consultations, the UN Working Group has also issued an open call to collect input from States and other stakeholders
International Investment Agreements (IIAs)[1] are employed by States as one of the tools to create an investment-friendly environment. To protect legitimate interests of investors, they-impose conditions and standards on host state’s ability to regulate.
At the same time, IIAs should not prevent host States from protecting and promoting human rights within their territories. Principle 9 of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) reminds States to “maintain adequate domestic policy space to meet their human rights obligations when pursuing business-related policy objectives with other States or business enterprises, for instance through investment treaties or contracts.”
However, IIAs can have a chilling effect on States’ ability to regulate effectively the conduct of investors and ensure that they respect human rights, as well as on the States’ ability to hold companies accountable for human rights abuses. This effect is especially seen when the local authorities in host States do not have the proper measures, processes and resources in place to ensure that human rights policies and reforms can be pursued in accordance with the principles of good governance, transparency, meaningful participation of all stakeholders and legitimacy stemming from stakeholders’ engagement and support.
As a result, host States may achieve higher development level thanks to – inter alia – the investment treaties that attract business investment. However, IIAs may also not only fail to promote further sustainable development, but even contribute to reinforce various development deficiencies and injustices in that Host state.
The purpose of the consultation is to identify areas in which these negative effects can be identified and to discuss possible solutions – both substantive (e.g. possible revisions of IIAs or their abandonment in favour of a whole new regime) and procedural (e.g. possible revisions of the ISDS mechanisms).
The format and objectives of the consultation
The consultation will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss issues at the nexus of IIAs and HR. It will be divided into two parts :
Mapping IIAs & HR landscape in CEE and CA
The first part of the meeting will map the current situation in the region and will provide space to share concrete examples of how IIAs regimes and ISDS decisions had negative impact on human rights and sustainable developments. This will include examples of how potential liability under IIAs have prevented or hampered business and human rights policies and reforms in the region; and cases where individuals and communities affected by investment-related human rights abuses were not provided access to remedy. Discussions will also identify examples of good practices from the region.
Identifying solutions:
The second part will provide space to discuss possible substantive and procedural solutions to mitigate IIAs’ negative effects identified in the first part of the meeting. This will include options to reform existing IIAs, as well as elements necessary in IIAs to preserve regulatory space of States to meet their obligations under international human rights law.
Each of the two segments will consist of a moderated discussion between the experts from various countries, law and policy makers (from governments, civil society organizations and other non-governmental organizations from the region) with experience in addressing the limitations stemming from IIAs, as well scholars and practitioners conducting investor-state disputes on behalf of host States from the region.
The summary report of the discussions with conclusions and recommendations will be provided to the Working Group and will be posted on the Working Group’s website in due course.
Practical information
The consultation will take place virtually on Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to the registered participants in due course.
Simultaneous translation English – Russian will be provided upon demand thanks to support provided by the Wardyński & Partners law firm.
For any further information about the Working Group’s project on human rights-compatible IIAs or should you wish to join the project’s Google group, please contact the Secretariat of the Working Group at wg-business@ohchr.org (indicating “IIAs and HRs” in the email subject).
Registration
To register your interest in participating in the consultations please fill in the registration form in English or Russian by April 12th. Link: https://forms.gle/yzAZ8uumxucGp7UU7
Organizers will endeavour to enable participation by all interested stakeholders. However, given the platform limitations, organizers reserve the right to admit only selected participants based on criteria to ensure geographic, gender and stakeholders representation. All who registered their interest will receive information by email. Admitted participants will receive a confirmation email by April 14th.
Human Rights-Compatible International Investment Agreements. Virtual Consultation for Central and Eastern Europe and the Central Asia region
21 April 2021, 12 noon – 3 pm CET (online – Zoom)
Background
The United Nations Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises (“the Working Group”) will present a report to the UN General Assembly in October 2021 to provide practical guidance for States on negotiating human rights-compatible international investment agreements (IIAs) in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The report will cover all three pillars of the UNGPs: the duty of states to preserve regulatory space while negotiating IIAs so as to strike a balance between attracting investment and promoting responsible business conduct; the responsibility of investors to respect all internationally recognized human rights; and the role of IIAs in providing access to remedy to individuals and communities affected by investment-related projects.
In order to inform the drafting of the report, the Working Group is convening several virtual consultations to seek input from a range of stakeholders on how to align IIAs with States’ international human rights obligations. To complement these regional consultations, the UN Working Group has also issued an open call to collect input from States and other stakeholders
International Investment Agreements (IIAs)[1] are employed by States as one of the tools to create an investment-friendly environment. To protect legitimate interests of investors, they-impose conditions and standards on host state’s ability to regulate.
At the same time, IIAs should not prevent host States from protecting and promoting human rights within their territories. Principle 9 of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) reminds States to “maintain adequate domestic policy space to meet their human rights obligations when pursuing business-related policy objectives with other States or business enterprises, for instance through investment treaties or contracts.”
However, IIAs can have a chilling effect on States’ ability to regulate effectively the conduct of investors and ensure that they respect human rights, as well as on the States’ ability to hold companies accountable for human rights abuses. This effect is especially seen when the local authorities in host States do not have the proper measures, processes and resources in place to ensure that human rights policies and reforms can be pursued in accordance with the principles of good governance, transparency, meaningful participation of all stakeholders and legitimacy stemming from stakeholders’ engagement and support.
As a result, host States may achieve higher development level thanks to – inter alia – the investment treaties that attract business investment. However, IIAs may also not only fail to promote further sustainable development, but even contribute to reinforce various development deficiencies and injustices in that Host state.
The purpose of the consultation is to identify areas in which these negative effects can be identified and to discuss possible solutions – both substantive (e.g. possible revisions of IIAs or their abandonment in favour of a whole new regime) and procedural (e.g. possible revisions of the ISDS mechanisms).
The format and objectives of the consultation
The consultation will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss issues at the nexus of IIAs and HR. It will be divided into two parts :
Mapping IIAs & HR landscape in CEE and CA
The first part of the meeting will map the current situation in the region and will provide space to share concrete examples of how IIAs regimes and ISDS decisions had negative impact on human rights and sustainable developments. This will include examples of how potential liability under IIAs have prevented or hampered business and human rights policies and reforms in the region; and cases where individuals and communities affected by investment-related human rights abuses were not provided access to remedy. Discussions will also identify examples of good practices from the region.
Identifying solutions:
The second part will provide space to discuss possible substantive and procedural solutions to mitigate IIAs’ negative effects identified in the first part of the meeting. This will include options to reform existing IIAs, as well as elements necessary in IIAs to preserve regulatory space of States to meet their obligations under international human rights law.
Each of the two segments will consist of a moderated discussion between the experts from various countries, law and policy makers (from governments, civil society organizations and other non-governmental organizations from the region) with experience in addressing the limitations stemming from IIAs, as well scholars and practitioners conducting investor-state disputes on behalf of host States from the region.
The summary report of the discussions with conclusions and recommendations will be provided to the Working Group and will be posted on the Working Group’s website in due course.
Practical information
The consultation will take place virtually on Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to the registered participants in due course.
Simultaneous translation English – Russian will be provided upon demand thanks to support provided by the Wardyński & Partners law firm.
For any further information about the Working Group’s project on human rights-compatible IIAs or should you wish to join the project’s Google group, please contact the Secretariat of the Working Group at wg-business@ohchr.org (indicating “IIAs and HRs” in the email subject).
Registration
To register your interest in participating in the consultations please fill in the registration form in English or Russian by April 12th. Link: https://forms.gle/yzAZ8uumxucGp7UU7
Organizers will endeavour to enable participation by all interested stakeholders. However, given the platform limitations, organizers reserve the right to admit only selected participants based on criteria to ensure geographic, gender and stakeholders representation. All who registered their interest will receive information by email. Admitted participants will receive a confirmation email by April 14th.
ZMIENIAMY ZASADY BY POCIĄGNĄĆ BIZNES DO ODPOWIEDZIALNOŚCI ZA BRAK POSZANOWANIA NASZYCH PRAW!
Potrzebujemy Twojego wsparcia by zapewnić poszanowanie praw człowieka i środowiska! Wielkie firmy, dążąc do zysku, często niszczą środowisko i naruszają prawa człowieka na całym świecie.
Potrzebujemy regulacji prawnych, które położą temu kres i pociągną korporacje do odpowiedzialności.
Jesteśmy jedną ze 125 organizacji pozarządowych wspierających kampanię #HoldBizAccountable, które wzywają UE, aby wprowadziła nowe, silne przepisy zobowiązujące firmy do odpowiedzialności. Możesz nas wesprzeć jednym kliknięciem! >>> https://www.enforcinghumanrights-duediligence.eu/
Komisja Europejska prowadzi do 8 lutegokonsultacje społeczne w sprawie nowych regulacji, zgodnie z którymi firmy miałyby obowiązek upewnienia się, że produkty i usługi, które nam oferują, nie szkodzą ludziom ani środowisku na całym świecie, zarówno na etapie produkcji jak i użytkowania.
Możemy położyć kres nadużyciom korporacji – ale tylko wtedy, gdy nowe prawo będzie wystarczająco silne!
W marcu 2020 r. ekspertka PIHRB, Beata Faracik wraz z dr. Claire Methven O’Brien z Duńskiego Instytutu Praw Człowieka i Biznesu, zostały zaangażowane przez The European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations (HEUNI) do wsparcia merytorycznego projektu FLOW (Flows of illicit funds and victims of human trafficking: uncovering the complexities) poprzez opracowanie analiz prawnych poświęconych problematyce pracowników delegowanych, zamówień publicznych, ochrony danych osobowych oraz regulacjom przewidzianym w tzw. dyrektywie sankcyjnej w kontekście handlu ludźmi i pracy przymusowej. Analizy te zostały ujęte w konkretnych rozdziałach ”Normative Guide – Responsibility of Businesses Concerning Human Rights, Labour Exploitation and Human Trafficking” oraz stanowią tło dla poradnika „Navigating through your supply chain – Toolkit for prevention of labour exploitation and trafficking”.
Z perspektywy PIHRB działanie to jest spójne z działaniami PIHRB w ramach GR ds. Osób Świadczących pracę, którego celem jest wypracowanie poradnika dla biznesu jak przeciwdziałać pracy przymusowej.
On October 17th, 2019 an all-day multi-stakeholder consultation was co-organized by PIHRB and Shift. It formed part of the three-year Valuing Respect project* aimed at developing better ways to evaluate business respect for Human Rights and led by Shift – a global collaborative platform to research and co-create better ways of evaluating business respect for human rights.
The aim of the consultation gathering 32 experts from Central and Eastern Europe was to contribute to the development of new indicators, principles and tools to measure business respect for human rights – the essence of companies’ social performance.
In the first 18-months of the project the project team has engaged with hundreds of people from business, civil society, government and the investment community. Consultations were held in Europe, South-East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and North America. And, together with project’s three regional partners, including Polish Institute of Human Rights and Business, empirical research was conducted to identify the problems with how business currently measures corporate human rights performance.
As the project evolves consultations provide an opportunity to test with stakeholders some emerging propositions concerning new ways of thinking about evaluating companies’ human rights performance and draft indicators for:
a) evaluating a how far companies
embed respect for human rights into their
“leadership governance; and
b) supporting companies and their stakeholders focus on human rights risks inherent in business models.
c) New methods and management tools to support practitioners evaluate company how effective company efforts are in achieving better outcomes or people.
d) Initial ideas about the role of accounting in capturing value created from business respecting human rights.
* You can find updates about the project at www.valuing-respect.org. The project is generously funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Finland, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Norges Bank Investment Management.
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