www.fgks.org   »   [go: up one dir, main page]
  • Business and Human Rights
    Whether it is an oil company that relies on abusive private security forces, a tech company that censors or spies on users at the behest of a repressive government, or a corrupt government that siphons off the wealth of its nation, businesses and other economic activities can have negative impacts on people’s rights. Human Rights Watch investigates these and other situations to expose the problems, hold institutions accountable, and develop standards to prevent these activities. This work has included research and advocacy on human rights problems caused by corruption in resource-rich countries such as Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Nigeria, and Burma.
  • A worker uses a mobile phone in Burma, where the government plans to increase mobile access to 50 percent in three years.
    © 2013 Reuters
    Burma: Telecoms Risk Complicity in Surveillance, Censorship
    International telecommunications companies risk being linked to human rights abuses if they enter the Burmese market before adequate protections are in place, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Burma’s human rights reforms thus far have been inadequate, including in the Internet and telecommunications sector, so companies entering the country should adopt robust safeguards to prevent and address any abuses linked to their operations.
More news »

Featured Content

Subscribe to content feed
  • World Report 2013

    Without Rules: A Failed Approach to Corporate Accountability

    By Christopher Albin-Lackey, senior researcher

    Some of the most powerful and sophisticated actors on the world stage are companies, not governments. In 2011 alone, oil and gas behemoth ExxonMobil generated revenues of US$467 billion—the size of Norway’s entire economy. Walmart, the world’s third-largest employer with more than 2 million workers, has a workforce that trails only the militaries of the United States and China in size.

    Many global businesses are run with consideration for the well-being of the people whose lives they touch. But others—whether through incompetence or by design—seriously harm the communities around them, their workers, and even the governments under which they work.

    Read the full essay >>

Reports

More >>

Business

  • United States: Facebook Makes Human Rights Commitment
    May 22, 2013
    Facebook has taken a critical step toward increasing respect for human rights by joining the Global Network Initiative.
  • A New Accountability Agenda
    May 21, 2013
    The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) was founded in 2003 with the goal of strengthening governance by increasing transparency over revenues from the oil, gas, and mining sectors. EITI has contributed to much greater disclosures of information and helped spur dialogue in many countries. But EITI has not made progress toward its ultimate purpose of enhancing accountability in resource-rich countries. An independent evaluation commissioned by EITI in 2011 concluded, “EITI has not been a significant driver of change. While transparency has improved, accountability does not appear to have changed much.” The evaluation attributed this problem to the absence of a coherent strategic vision, explaining that without clarity on how publicizing credible data on natural resource revenues would lead to better governance, EITI would not be able to direct its efforts to where they would be most likely to deliver results.
  • Letter to Ms. Clare Short, Chair of the EITI International Board
    May 21, 2013
    I am writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch regarding your efforts to adapt the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Human Rights Watch shares your concern that this initiative, despite achieving greater transparency over the funds resource-rich governments earn from oil, gas, and mining, has not brought about the desired results of improving governance in resource-rich countries. It is clear that transparency on its own does not lead to greater public accountability.
  • Burma: Telecoms Risk Complicity in Surveillance, Censorship
    May 19, 2013
    International telecommunications companies risk being linked to human rights abuses if they enter the Burmese market before adequate protections are in place, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Burma’s human rights reforms thus far have been inadequate, including in the Internet and telecommunications sector, so companies entering the country should adopt robust safeguards to prevent and address any abuses linked to their operations.
  • What’s ‘Development’ With Rights Abuses Along the Way?
    May 14, 2013

    A grandmother in Cambodia told me recently, “I just want you to know my story in case something happens and I am gone.” Police and government officials have threatened and harassed “Kunthea” for her protests against government agencies and appeals to the World Bank after she was forcibly evicted from her home by a private company.

  • Burma: China-Led Oil, Gas Projects Spark Arrests
    May 11, 2013
    Authorities in Burma should drop charges against ethnic Arakanese activists who participated in peaceful protests against Chinese-led oil and gas projects, Human Rights Watch said today. Ten activists are scheduled to face criminal charges in court on May 13, 2013, for demonstrating and holding a peaceful march without a permit on April 18 on Maday Island in Burma’s western Arakan State.
  • Amnesty International, EG Justice, and Human Rights Watch Joint Statement on Concerns Ahead of the May 26 Vote in Equatorial Guinea
    May 7, 2013
    Equatorial Guineans will go to the polls on May 26, 2013, to elect members of a new parliament as well as local council members across the country. Voters will also elect, for the first time, 55 members of a new Senate established in accordance with the revised constitution promulgated in February 2012. The remaining 15 will be directly appointed by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. In the run-up to the May 26 elections, Amnesty International, EG Justice, and Human Rights Watch are expressing concern about a number of human rights issues.
  • Equatorial Guinea: Human Rights Concerns Ahead of Elections
    May 7, 2013
  • US: Supreme Court Limits Suits against Rights Abusers Abroad
    Apr 29, 2013

    A decision by the US Supreme Court could severely limit the use of a federal statute that for more than 30 years has permitted foreign victims of atrocities abroad to obtain civil remedies in federal courts and has denied rights abusers a safe haven in the United States. It undercuts case law that had made the US courts a mainstay for redress for victims of serious human rights abuses.

  • World Bank: Commit to Rights in 2030 Vision
    Apr 19, 2013
    The World Bank’s “vision” statement will be undermined if it fails to recognize the importance of human rights, nine organizations warned. The human rights and development groups called on President Jim Kim to make a firm commitment to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights in all of its activities.
more documents on this topic »