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Business & Human Rights Resource Centre Launches its First Regional Briefing on Latin America & the Caribbean

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre Launches its First Regional Briefing on Latin America & the Caribbean

Published 09-09-13

Submitted by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Today the non-profit Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is launching in English and Spanish its first regional briefing on “Business & human rights in Latin America & the Caribbean – a round-up of recent developments.”

Download the briefing and its annex here

Mauricio Lazala, the Resource Centre’s Deputy Director, said:

“This briefing provides a reality-based snapshot of companies’ human rights impacts in the region over the past two years.  It highlights concerns raised by civil society, company responses to allegations of misconduct, positive initiatives by business, and developments in law, policy, lawsuits, and the international business & human rights framework.” 

Subjects in the briefing include impacts on indigenous and afro-descendant peoples, abuses of trade union rights, health & safety abuses, child labour, forced labour, workplace discrimination, industrial pollution and large infrastructure projects affecting health and causing displacement, and tax avoidance affecting human rights.  The briefing also refers to human rights lawsuits against companies, for alleged abuses in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala and Peru.

The briefing’s introduction notes which companies headquartered in the region had the best and worst response rates for the period 4 January 2012 to 7 August 2013, when Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited them to respond to human rights concerns raised by civil society.  Of those companies that were invited to respond on more than one occasion, the following six had a 100% response rate: Cerrejón, Emgesa, Grupo Pellas, Grupo Vicini, Minera Real Bonanza and Vale.  The following seven companies had a 0% response rate: Capital en Crecimiento, Cemex, Comisión Federal de Electricidad, EcuaCorriente, PDVSA, Telmex and Vetra Energy.

The briefing and annex also show response rates country-by-country for the same time period.  Companies headquartered in the following countries in the region responded 100% of the time: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Peru.  Companies headquartered in Ecuador and Venezuela responded 0% of the time, though in each case it was just one company failing to respond.  The annex also notes which companies headquartered outside the region responded 100% of the time to civil society concerns regarding their impacts within Latin America & the Caribbean, and which responded 0% of the time – the largest number of firms with a 0% response rate are headquartered in Canada.  The annex provides details of all the company responses.

Amanda Romero Medina, the Centre’s Latin America & Caribbean Researcher based in Bogotá, commented:

“There are many challenges in this region: significant abuses by some companies impacting individuals and communities, especially vulnerable populatıons such as indigenous peoples, afro-descendants, women, children and migrant workers.  Many civil society organızations work under difficult cırcumstances; some face violence in response to their efforts to protect victims of corporate abuses.

Yet there are positive signs in some countries, including greater awareness that companies have a responsibility to respect human rights, and governments have a duty to protect against corporate abuses.  Some governments are providıng better avenues for remedy and redress, and introducing free, prior and informed consent into their public policies.  Some companies are embedding the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights into their operations.  Many NGOs in this region do outstanding work to combat corporate abuses.” 

Julia Mello Neiva, the Resource Centre’s Brazil, Portugal & Portuguese-speaking Africa Researcher based in São Paulo, said: 

“Many Brazilians have experienced human rights abuses related to businesses’ operations in both urban and rural areas; cases in the briefing from Brazil range from harms related to mega infrastructure projects in cities and the Amazon, to displacement by agribusiness in the vast rural steppes.  The country faces many challenges, including in protecting indigenous peoples’ rights to their ancestral lands.  There are positive developments as well.  Some government agencies have been credited for effective work to combat forced labour.  And some companies have started to take steps to embed human rights principles into their operations.”

We will disseminate the briefing worldwide including to civil society groups, companies and governments in the region.  We will submit the briefing to the Organization of American States, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, United Nations Working Group on business & human rights, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, IFC, IMF, UNDP and World Bank.  We will contact various governments to express concern about those companies headquartered in their country that fail to respond to civil society when human rights concerns are raised, and to note which companies have a good response rate.

Countries: The briefing refers to Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Companies mentioned in this briefing and annex include:

47 Brand

Ecopetrol

Mineros de Colombia

Abbott

EcuaCorriente

Mitsubishi Corporation

ADM

Electricaribe

Molinos

Aeromar

Emgesa

Monsanto

Aeromexico

Empresa General de Combustibles

Monterrico Metals

Agencia Nacional de Petróleos (ANP)

Empresas Públicas de Medellín

Motel Marín 014

Agrojell

Enami-Ventanas

MPX

Alcoa

Endesa

Muriel Mining Company

Anglo American

Enel

Nestlé

AngloGold Ashanti

Excellon Resources

New Balance

Antamina

Ferrominera Orinoco

Newmont

APM Terminals

First Majestic

Nicaragua Sugar Estates

Aramark

Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas

Nidera

Arcor

Ford

Nike

Asomucan

Fortuna Silver

Occidental Petroleum

Banco Castilla-La Mancha 

Forza

Oro Blanco

Banco do Brasil

Frito-Lay

Pacific Rim

Banco Espirito Santo

Gas Natural Fenosa

Pacific Rubiales

Banco Hipotecario

General Motors

Pan American

Banco Santander

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

PDVSA

Banpro Grupo Promerica

Gipsyes

PepsiCo

Barrick Gold

GlaxoSmithKline

Petrobras

Baterías Record

Glencore Colquiri

Petroperú

Bavaria

Glencore Xtrata

Petrotrin

Bayer

Goldcorp

Pfizer

Benetton

Gran Colombia Gold

Philip Morris

BHP Billiton

Grand Hotel Tijuana

Piedra de Águila

Bioparques de Occidente

Grupo El Comercio

Plaza Agua Caliente

BP

Grupo Eulen

Pluspetrol

BP Biocombustíveis

Grupo México

Prodeco

Bradesco

Grupo Pellas

PVH Corp

Bridas

Grupo San José

Radius Gold

Buenaventura

Grupo San Pedro Tarapacá

Refinor

Bunge

Grupo Vicini

Renco

Caixabank

Guardagolfo

Repsol

Candente Cooper

Heineken

Río Blanco Copper

Capital en Crecimiento

Hidralia Energia

Rio Tinto

Cargill

Hidro Santa Cruz

Samic

Carlos Casado

Higia

Santa Rita de Autopeças

Castro-Limón

Holcim

Seaboard

Catatonia

HSBC

Servicios Mineros de Centroamérica

CDP El Cuero

Hudbay Minerals

Shell

Cementos Argos

Incovi

Siderúrgica Paz del Río

Cemex

Inditex

Sodexo

Cerrejón

Infinito Gold

Southern Cross

Chevron

Ingenio Azucarero Guabirá

Syngenta

China Railway

Inland & Offshore Contractors Limited

Tahoe Resources

Chiquita

Invercaixa

Teck

Cirigliano Group

ISA

Telefónica Telecom

CMPC

Isagen

Telmex

Coca-Cola FEMSA

Itaú Unibanco

Total

Codelco

Jumi

Total Austral

Colmotores

Kappes, Cassiday & Associates (KCA)

Transocean

Comisión Federal de Electricidad

Kinross Gold

Trenes de Buenos Aires

Consorcio Duquesa

La Cumplida

US Capital Energy

Consórcio Norte Energía

La Nación

Vale

Constructora González

La Veloz del Norte

Venalum

Cosan

Lafarge

Vestas

CPFL Energia

Life is Good

Vetra Energy

Daimler

Macquarie

VF Corporation

Del Monte

MAG Silver

Walmart

DJ Orthopedics de México

Maple Energy

Welch Allyn México

Doe Run

Mareña Renovables

Wilson Sons

Dole Food

Mattos Filho Advogados

Xstrata

Dreyfus

McDonald’s

Xstrata Copper

Drummond

Medanit

Yanacocha

DuPont Pioneer

Mercedes-Benz

Ypacaraí

DynCorp International

Minera Cuzcatlán

YPF

Eco Oro Minerals

Minera Real Bonanza

Zara

To discuss the briefing, please contact:

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre tracks the human rights impacts (positive & negative) of over 5000 companies in over 180 countries.  We seek responses from companies when concerns are raised by civil society.  The response rate is over 70% globally.  Advocates thank us for bringing global attention to their concerns and for eliciting responses from companies.  Companies thank us for providing them the opportunity to present their responses in full.  This process often leads to real improvements on the ground.  We also provide guidance materials to assist NGOs, companies, governments and others. 

Special portals on the Resource Centre’s website include:

Mary Robinson chairs our 70-member International Advisory Network.  Our 23 Academic Partners include leading academic institutions in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America.

The Centre has 14 regional researchers:

  • Sa'eda Al-Kilani, Middle East & North Africa Researcher, based in Jordan
  • Lowell Chow, East Asia Researcher, based in Hong Kong
  • Aliou Diouf, Francophone Africa Researcher, based in Senegal
  • Rania Fazah, Middle East & Gulf Region Researcher, based in Lebanon
  • Eniko Horvath, Europe Researcher, based in UK
  • Harpreet Kaur, South Asia Researcher, based in India
  • Joseph Kibugu, Eastern Africa Researcher, based in Kenya
  • Nokukhanya (Khanya) Mncwabe, Anglophone Africa Researcher, based in South Africa
  • Julia Mello Neiva, Brazil, Portugal & Portuguese-speaking Africa Researcher, based in Brazil
  • Irene Pietropaoli, Acting UK, Ireland and Israel & Palestine Researcher, based in UK
  • Gregory Regaignon, Research Director & North America Manager, based in USA
  • Amanda Romero, Latin America & Caribbean Researcher, based in Colombia
  • Ella Skybenko, Eastern Europe & Central Asia Researcher, based in Ukraine
  • Bobbie Sta. Maria, Southeast Asia Researcher, based in Thailand

For further information about the Resource Centre, see the “About us” section of the website.

SUPPORT THE RESOURCE CENTRE: Please consider donating to Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, to enable us to continue our work in Latin America & the Caribbean and internationally, and to offer our website, special portals, Weekly Updates and regional briefings to a global audience without any charge.  As we do not accept donations from companies or company foundations, donations from individuals and foundations are essential for our work to continue.

Donate online: http://www.business-humanrights.org/Aboutus/Makeadonation  

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is a Registered Charity in England & Wales (no. 1096664), and in the United States is a tax-exempt non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

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Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

The Resource Centre is an independent non-profit that promotes greater awareness and informed debate about human rights issues relating to business. Our website is updated hourly with news and reports about companies’ social and environmental impacts worldwide, including alleged abuses, positive steps, and company responses to concerns raised about their conduct. The site has sections on over 4000 companies. It also includes special resources such as all materials issued by the UN Special Representative on business & human rights; a list of companies with human rights policies; profiles of lawsuits against companies. Mary Robinson is Chair of our International Advisory Network. Visit the website for further details and to sign up for free Weekly Updates. See website for contact details of our New York office and team members in Hong Kong, India, South Africa, UK, Ukraine, USA

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