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OxHRH

Part I: The intersection of Business and Human Rights at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Nicolas Carrillo-Santarelli - 10th March 2016

Business & Resources & Environment & Development

In its recent judgment in the case of the Kaliña and Lokono Peoples v Suriname, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) referred to a hotly contested and popular topic: business and human rights. Despite being constrained by jurisdictional limits, the Court succeeded in denouncing corporate violations of human rights. This, the first post in […]

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OxHRH

Understanding One of the Worst Environmental Disaster in Brazil’s History

Lucia Berro and Carolina Leao - 27th January 2016

Business & Resources & Environment & Development

On November 5 2015, the Fundão dam—property of the mining company Samarco—collapsed, sending more than forty billion litres of ore tailings into a small town called Bento Rodrigues district, in the state of Minas Gerais. As a result, fifteen people died and four are missing, while the town itself was completely destroyed: 1469 hectares of […]

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OxHRH

Nigerian Farmers Can Sue Shell in Dutch Court: Precedent for Transnational Cases against Multinationals

Anneloes Hoff - 26th January 2016

Business & Resources & Environment & Development

A recent ruling by the Court of Appeal in The Hague signals new hope on the horizon for victims seeking a judicial remedy for corporate negligence or human rights abuse. On 18 December 2015, the Dutch court ruled that four Nigerian farmers can bring Shell to court in the Netherlands for the environmental damage caused […]

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OxHRH

Jade and Conflict in Myanmar: Regional Regulatory Instruments, Regulatory Gaps and Future Implications for Ethical Business

Fabiana Di Lorenzo - 9th January 2016

Business & Resources & Environment & Development

Global Witness has recently presented the findings of a  twelve-month investigation which revealed how the jade industry in Myanmar, worth nearly half of the country’s GDP, is enriching the state coffers while ripping out the benefits from ordinary local people and workers. The most precious jades in the world are found in the Kachin Hills […]

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OxHRH

Indigenous Rights Litigation meets Global Climate Change in Queensland Australia

Benedict Coyne - 8th January 2016

Business & Resources & Environment & Development

Indigenous rights are currently going head to head with global climate injustice in Queensland, Australia. An important and novel judicial review case is afoot in the Federal Court of Australia, Brisbane, concerning a challenge by Adrian Burragubba of the Wangan and Jagalingou Peoples, to the proposed $16.5 billion Carmichael Coalmine in Queensland’s Galilee Coal Basin […]

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OxHRH

Rerouting From the Treaty Road Most Travelled

Bellinda Chinowawa - 9th November 2015

Business & Resources & Environment & Development

The corporate entity has been described as the most effective structure for capital accumulation because it allows for the separation of ownership from management. The transnational corporation (TNC) in particular, is a significant social and economic presence. International law has not, however, advanced to the point where TNCs are considered to have human rights obligations […]

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OxHRH

Bloody Diamonds and the Sordid “Trans-Atlantic Affair”: Where to From Here?

Nazreen Shaik-Peremanov - 26th October 2015

Business & Resources & Environment & Development

Through decades of complicit trade, blood diamonds have made their way from their African countries of origin across the Atlantic for cutting, polishing and beneficiation into European countries of export destination. Adorning the fingers of a few in these destinations, multinational corporations have maintained their consortiums to the peril of those who truly own this […]

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Courts and Climate Change: Breakthrough for Judicial Activism in the Netherlands

Anneloes Hoff - 7th October 2015

Business & Resources & Environment & Development

The 24th of June 2015 was a historic day for climate litigation: the district court in The Hague ordered the Dutch government to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% by 2020 (as compared to 1990 levels). This is the minimum target set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The court […]

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OxHRH

Sustainable Development Goals: A Beacon of Light or Another Stumble in Global Governance?

Jaakko Kuosmanen - 26th September 2015

Business & Resources & Environment & Development

The United Nation’s new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted yesterday by the world’s leaders in a highly anticipated Summit in New York. At the end of the year, the SDGs will replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and they will set the new global development agenda for the next fifteen years. The general atmosphere […]

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OxHRH

Taking the Needs of Future Generations into Account: the Case of Wales

Jaakko Kuosmanen - 20th May 2015

Business & Resources & Environment & Development

The issue of long-term governance is gaining attraction around the world. Many governments are looking into mechanisms that could be helpful in integrating the needs of future generations better into the existing political processes. Discussions have also take place at international forums. At the UN, for example, a report by the Secretary-General titled ‘Intergenerational Solidarity […]

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OxHRH

The Emergence of Business and Human Rights in the EU’s External Relations

Gosia Pearson - 3rd March 2015

Business & Resources & Environment & Development

Globalization has provided for numerous opportunities for enterprises to contribute to the respect of human rights. At the same time, it also increases the risks of business involvement in human rights violations. The European Union sought to address these challenges in its internal policies and in relations with third countries and organisations. The European Union […]

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OxHRH

Los "Fondos Buitre" y la Ley de Quiebras de los Estados en crisis económica.

admin - 3rd February 2015

Business & Resources & Environment & Development

En un libro reciente editado por Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky y Jernej Letnar Cernic se ha observado que la gestión deficiente de los recursos públicos, la crisis financiera mundial que limita el desarrollo fiscal, millones de personas arrojadas a la pobreza, y los regímenes autoritarios que ejecutan campañas criminales exitosas con la ayuda de las instituciones […]

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