Search Results: WA+
Lithuania – E and CC
1. Objectives and Measures Objective 2: promoting corporate responsibility and respect in the field of business and human rights [page 5] The Government formulates and implements public policies mindful of the principle of responsible business and corporate social responsibility (hereafter referred to as the CSR) as an essential condition for sustainable development. Therefore, in its…
Lithuania – Equality
1. Objectives and Measures Objective 1: Ensuring State’s duty to protect, defend and respect human rights [page 1] Protection of human rights, ensuring equal employment, social and other opportunities, gender equality, reducing gender pay gap – these are fundamental values to be pursued in labour relations and regulation of corporate activities. The Government has the…
DK- SOE
2. The State Duty to Protect Human Rights 2.2 Recommendations from the Council for CSR on the state duty to protect [page 11] Among other initiatives, the Council for CSR recommended that the Danish Government:… Requires state-owned companies and governments agencies which distribute significant government funds to incorporate due diligence in their business activities;… 2.3…
DK-E and CC
2. The State Duty to Protect Human Rights 2.3 Actions Taken Protection of human rights through state regulation and policy [page 12] Denmark works to ensure that companies involved in Danish development cooperation respect human rights and act responsibly within the areas of … environment … within the framework of ILO conventions, UN Global Compact,…
Development finance institutions
Mobilising financial resources to achieve sustainable development has been a priority for the international community over the last decades. Development finance institutions (DFIs), including national development banks (e.g. the Netherlands Development Finance Company, the Dutch Investment Fund for Developing Countries), multilateral development banks (e.g. the World Bank Group, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian…
Sweden – Data
Annex: Measures taken The state as actor [page 22] Internet freedom and privacy are among the great global issues of the future. It is fundamental for Sweden that the human rights that apply offline also apply online. Sweden has taken initiatives to strengthen the dialogue with business on internet freedom. As a result of a…
Sweden – SOE
1. The State duty to protect human rights The State’s role in protecting human rights [page 9] In its role as owner, the State acts to ensure that state-owned companies set a good example in the area of CSR and that their conduct in general instils public confidence, for example by striving to comply with…
Sweden – Equality
1. The State duty to protect human rights Swedish legislation to protect human rights [page 10] The purpose of the Discrimination Act (2008:567) is to combat discrimination and in other ways promote equal rights and opportunities regardless of sex, transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, impairment, sexual orientation or age. The Act…
Netherlands – SOE
3. Results of the consultations and government response 3.2 Policy Coherence [page 16] The government recognises that it must be consistent on the subject of human rights and business and in pursuing and implementing policy at both national and international level. The policy letter ‘CSR Pays Off’ clarifies the CSR framework. The OECD Guidelines provide…
Netherlands – land
3. Results of the consultations and government response 3.3 Clarifying Due Diligence [page 21] A point raised during the consultations was that the government should clarify the UN Guiding Principles, using language companies understand. Companies feel that the government has failed to say what it expects of them in terms of due diligence. Sector Risk…
Ireland – SOE
Section 3: Actions Initial priorities for the Business and Human Rights implementation group The State Duty to Protect Human Rights [page 18] iii. Encourage and support awareness of effective human rights due diligence by state owned or controlled companies. vii. Promote awareness of relevant multi-stakeholder and multilateral initiatives such as the UN global Compact, the…
Ireland – Equality
Section 2. Current legislative and regulatory framework Equality [page 14] The government is committed to promoting equality in all aspects of Irish society. The statutory-based Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission works towards the elimination of discrimination and the promotion of equal opportunities. It is tasked with providing information and advice to persons who consider…
Environment & climate change
From a human rights perspective, environmental protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation are crucial as the consequences of global warming and nature’s degradation can threaten livelihoods, food production, human, water and ecosystem security, land tenure and resource use, and health. While the global climate crisis and environmental degradation pose significant risks for all people…
Land and natural resources
Land is the basis for food production, it provides space for housing, access to water and is the basis for social, cultural and religious practices. Natural resources, such as forests and fisheries, sustain the livelihoods and underpin the cultures of millions of people, including Indigenous Peoples and those who depend directly on these resources. Secure…
Indigenous Peoples
The UN has noted that: “Indigenous Peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live. Despite their cultural differences, Indigenous Peoples from around the world share common…
Equality & non-discrimination
Equality and non-discrimination are fundamental components of international human rights law. When related to the field of employment, non-discrimination and equal opportunity are rooted in the principle that all workplace decisions are based on an individual’s ability to do the job in question without regard to personal characteristics that are unrelated to the inherent requirements…
State Owned Enterprises/ Public Private Partnerships
The OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of State-Owned Enterprises define SOEs as “any undertaking recognised by national law as an enterprise, and in which the State exercises ownership or control, should be considered as an SOE. This includes joint stock companies, limited liability companies and partnerships limited by shares.” SOEs have become major players in the…
Human Rights and Business Country Guides
The Country Guides are compilations of publicly available information from international institutions, local NGOs, governmental agencies, businesses, media and universities, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of the ways in which businesses do or may impact human rights in a local context. The guides were developed with local partners in the frame of a 4-year…
Spain
Guiding Principle 1 “Spain is party to all of the main treaties on human rights and, specifically, to the following: the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its…
Spain
Guiding Principle 3 Measure 9 “The Government will train the personnel of the State Foreign Service, in accordance with Law 2/2014, of March 25, of the Action and of State the Foreign Service, as well as to the agencies in charge of the internationalization of business abroad about the responsibility of companies to respect human…