We fight corruption and enhance remedies.
The global reach and power of multinational corporations has increased in recent years. Yet, the conditions under which these businesses may be held liable for human rights abuses have not aligned with this evolution. As a result, victims of business-related human rights harms are often unable to obtain access to effective remedy.
There are no rights without remedy. We therefore push governments to ensure that they fulfill their duty to protect human rights by ensuring that victims have access to effective remedies, both judicial and non-judicial, for human rights abuses that occur at home and abroad.
As a significant barrier to accessing remedy, our work has a specific focus on addressing and combating corruption.
Today, Canada’s Minister of International Trade, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, announced the creation of an independent ombudsperson to investigate human rights abuses linked to Canadian corporations abroad.
The International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR), the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ), the CORE Coalition, Above Ground, and Public Eye are pleased to announce the launch of a new website: BHRinLaw.
Recognizing that NCPs can facilitate access to remedy in cases of corporate misconduct, the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR), Accountability Counsel, and OECD Watch researched whether the peer review process is really improving the effectiveness of NCPs overall. While our qualitative analysis is still ongoing, we have thus far found many ways in which the NCP peer reviews can be improved.
Today, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) begins its fall session. On the docket is Jesner v. Arab Bank, PLC, which is scheduled to be heard on October 11. The case will determine whether the Alien Tort Statute (ATS) can provide an avenue to deliver justice to victims of corporate harms. The ATS permits non-Americans to sue for international human rights abuses and is key to holding corporations accountable.
OTTAWA / September 28, 2017 - Legislators and experts from Canada, the U.S. and Europe are gathered in Ottawa today to review governments’ progress on protecting human rights within the context of transnational business.
As policy experts from around the world gather in Ottawa tomorrow to discuss the role of home states in ensuring business respect for human rights, a central question will be how Canada can emerge as a leader in this rapidly evolving field.
It is a critically important time to have this conversation. As the push for corporate accountability faces setbacks in the United States, Canada may hold the key for legislative progress in North America on business and human rights.