Protecting Rights. Ending Corporate Abuse

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UK government succeeds in weakening EU corporate transparency reform

The UK and other governments have succeeded in watering down new European rules designed to boost corporate transparency. However, MEPs brought forward and defended some important improvements to the initial proposal, such as a requirement for companies to report on the most significant risks to people and planet posed by their suppliers. The reform will...

Corporate abuse victims sign away rights under UK company complaint process

Tanzanian villagers using an internal company grievance process to raise complaints about UK mining firm African Barrick Gold (ABG) have been required to sign a confidential legal waiver, committing them to secrecy and barring them from taking part in any further actions against the company. Read the press release >>

Justice denied for victims of corporate human rights abuse

Victims of human rights abuses caused by multinational companies are unable to access justice, despite government commitments to action made over two years ago, according to a major new report  released ahead of the UN Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva.

Coming up: UN Forum on Business and Human Rights

The 2nd UN Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights begins on 2 December in Geneva. The Forum brings together representatives from civil society, government and business to discuss key issues and work that has gone on over the past year to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Indigenous people’s rights...

Corporate transparency: latest on the European proposals

Over the last few weeks, much of CORE’s advocacy work has focused on influencing the EU non-financial reporting reforms. All of the amendments that the European Coalition for Corporate Justice put forward to strengthen the proposal have been tabled by at least one political group, and some have the support of multiple groups. So even...

CORE’s freedom of information requests on Shell court case: FCO & BIS scrape the bottom of the barrel for excuses

In February 2012, the UK government made an intervention in Kiobel -v- Shell, a US court case brought against Shell by a group of people from the Niger Delta. The case became notorious when Shell argued that corporations couldn’t be sued for violating international law. The UK government joined with the Dutch government to submit...

Action plan on human rights must go beyond business as usual

A coalition of human rights and development NGOs, alongside unions, has given a cautious welcome to today’s launch of an official UK government Action Plan on Business and Human Rights by Vince Cable and William Hague. Read the press release >>

Government must extend extraterritoriality to curb corporate abuse

Parliamentarians and NGOs have welcomed a report by a committee of MPs urging the government to do more to address human rights abuses resulting from the overseas activities of UK businesses. Read the press release >>