Governments fail to protect people against business-related human rights abuses
UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights urged governments to improve record on business and human rights ahead of the Eight Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva the 25th to 27th November 2019.
27.11.2019
av
Ingunn Eriksen
Sist oppdatert: 28.11.2019
The Working Group and UN human rights experts warn the governments about human rights abuses by business cannot put off action any longer. Governments have to take concrete and effective measures to end business-related human rights abuse and to create policy coherence at all levels – national, regional and global.
The experts urge the governments to lead by example in their own economic roles as owners, purchasers, trade financiers and investors.
The Norwegian Pension Fund
Fagforbundet (Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees) and Norsk Folkehjelp (Norwegian People’s Aid) have documented how the Norwegian Pension Fund and Norwegian businesses are invested in the Palestinian Occupied Territories (OTP) in the reports Dangerous Liasons: Norwegian ties for the Israeli occupation I and II . Their latest report, Investor Obligations in Occupied Territories: A Report on the Norwegian Government Pension Fund - Global written by human rights experts at Excess Business and Human Right Project (EBHR) was presented at the Forum by Dr. Chiara Macchi. The report considers investments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
The report looks at institutional investors’ responsibility to respect human rights; the human rights impact of settlement business activities; and makes recommendations as to how the fund can better meet its responsibility to respect human rights in line with international standards. The report highly recommends reviewing exclusion criteria to avoid inconsistencies and prevent human rights violence. Heidelberg Cement is one of the companies that the report recommends to exclude.
Senior Legal Researcher and Advocacy Officer Maha Abdallah from Al-Haq presented business-related human rights abuse in OPT, and was particularly concerned by Heidelberg Cement, Hanson Israel and CEMEX.
State representatives from Israel attended the presentations and criticized the report and Al-Haq. In their opinion the UN Guiding Principles for business and human rights (UNGP) were used for political purposes and that Israeli companies with activities in OPT follow the UNGP.
The report is relevant for all occupied territories, and for all types of investor obligations in Occupied Territories.