Heartland Initiative, Inc.

In this International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC blog post, Chief Legal Officer Cordula Droege and Legal Adviser Maya Brehm caution that recent challenges to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) mirror broader threats to the life-saving protections of IHL. They argue that justifications for using anti-personnel mines tend to be divorced from battlefield realities and overlook the appalling impacts of these treacherous weapons. The authors also show how efforts to circumvent or abandon the APMBC challenge fundamental precepts of IHL and undermine the international rule of law. The post concludes with a call to reinforce humanitarian norms as essential safeguards for upholding humanity in war. #antipersonnelmines #apmbc #internationallaw #weapons https://lnkd.in/gmXZH2W6

?? "Restricting financial institutions from considering real risks – whether economic, climate, geopolitical, or industry-specific – goes against everything that makes free markets work." -- Andrew C., director of the Freedom to Invest initiative at Ceres, Inc. #responsiblebusiness #responsibleinvestment #bizhumanrights #risks https://lnkd.in/eV-iwung

?? "Complicated politics. Complicated ethics. No one-size-fits-all ESG screen applies any more. But investors should resist Jingoistic pressure to embrace the defence industry unconditionally. They still have a duty to influence conduct for the better." #bizhumanrights #esg #responsibleinvestment #weapons https://lnkd.in/eCWn9MSK

For decades, the rich and powerful have coveted Congo’s vast mineral wealth. You may not know much about the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but its natural resources quietly impact your daily life. Recently, an armed group backed by Rwanda seized control of two cities in eastern Congo, leaving civilians injured or dead and displacing hundreds of thousands of residents. Host Ngofeen Mputubwele—whose family hails from the DRC—speaks with two very special guests: his parents. He’s also joined by Human Rights Watch associate director Lewis Mudge, who has spent years in the country. If you think this war has nothing to do with you, think again. #bizhumanrights #drc #rwanda https://lnkd.in/gWVdC2sw

?? "The current fighting in DRC is emblematic of a new frontier in geopolitical competition, violent conflict and business risk: the contested control for the so-called ‘critical minerals’ which underpin the clean energy transition and digital infrastructure. These two-dozen?or so minerals are necessary for a raft of new technologies – everything from wind turbines to computer chips to missile guidance systems. Scratch the surface of many current geopolitical challenges and conflicts – the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Trump’s push to absorb Greenland and Canada into the US, or the brewing trade war between the US and China – and critical minerals appear, sooner or later." -- Oli Brown of TrustWorks Global #bizhumanrights #criticalminerals #conflict #drc #rwanda https://lnkd.in/gZ24N_Pq

Mondelēz International is asking U.S. regulators for permission to ignore a shareholder proposal that calls for greater transparency on the company's?operations in Russia, Ukraine, and other conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRA). In a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the snack company requested permission to omit a resolution submitted by Wespath Institutional Investments from its upcoming shareholder meeting agenda. Wespath and other shareholders argue that Mondelez must disclose how it conducts business in CAHRA while upholding human rights. They are calling for an independent third-party assessment. Last year, a similar proposal garnered more than 30% of shareholders’ support. #bizhumanrights #responsibleinvestment #cahra #russia #ukraine #transparency https://lnkd.in/g9gBJv7q

?? "Like companies, investors have a?responsibility to respect human rights?in their business activities and relationships. Factoring in environmental, social and governance (ESG)?considerations into investment decision-making is also considered to be part of?investors’?fiduciary duty.?Because severe risks to people and the environment can easily turn into material risks?for?companies, causing reputational damage, legal liabilities, and financial losses.?As human rights are part of the “S” in ESG,?company’s human rights management and performance?are increasingly?relevant for responsible investors." -- focusright ltd #bizhumanrights #responsibleinvestment #esg #resource

?? "Still, even after the full-scale invasion, hundreds of Western companies, like Philip Morris and Procter & Gamble, continued to do some form of business in Russia. Altogether, they have paid approximately?$16 billion?in Russian taxes in three years of war — enough for tens of thousands of long-range missiles. International sanctions?do not apply?to suppliers of food, such as the Chicago-based Mondelēz International, which makes Oreos, and the company’s C.E.O. recently told The Financial Times that shareholders do not 'morally care' if the company operates in Russia. Hecker notes that this past June, Starbucks and the Coca-Cola Company filed to?re-register their trademarks?in the country. For many foreign firms, the shame of effectively bankrolling an expansionist totalitarian regime is an insufficient deterrent — and sanctions remain the only real red line. 'Before the war was a year old,' Charles Hecker writes, 'companies started asking when they could go back.'" #bizhumanrights #russia #ukraine #sanctions #materialrisk

A new report by Crude Accountability, "Russia’s Shadow Fleet," exposes the Russian Federation’s sanctions-evading oil trade, which flows from the Black Sea and other Russian ports to the EU and elsewhere. "The 'shadow fleet' represents myriad problems that we associate with the war in Ukraine, but in reality, they are also reflections of much larger crises. The apathy of Western corporate actors, slow and bureaucratic responses from Western governments, inefficiencies, exploitation, neglect by international organizations, and the ever-present risk the fossil fuel industry poses to the environment and climate in the name of profit won’t just go away if we simply sit and wait. They will only grow to be worse. The time to act is now." -- Jeffrey Dunn, Crude Accountability Research Coordinator #bizhumanrights #russia #oilandgas #sanctions #shadowfleet https://lnkd.in/gXAN62DV

This week, Oxfam released 'Innovative Pathways: When and How to Use Alternative Approaches to Human Rights Impact Assessments,' a briefing paper exploring alternative methods for conducting HRIAs. As companies are increasingly conducting human rights and environmental due diligence, HRIAs have emerged as a useful tool to identify and understand how people are impacted by business activities. But HRIAs can be complex and resource-intensive endeavors. Several alternatives are being developed, such as rapid assessments, joint HRIAs, and sector-wide or landscape assessments. In this paper, Caroline Brodeur and Eline Achterberg outline these emerging alternatives and provide recommendations for when, how, and under what conditions companies can opt for a specific approach to ensure that the assessments serve their ultimate goal: ensuring that human rights are respected, with an emphasize that?cutting corners is not an option. #bizhumanrights #assessment #hria #duediligence https://lnkd.in/g5GYWAnF