The November 2011 edition of AEFJN's Forum for Action is now online. It contains articles on the ethical responsibility of the Church on the climate issue, on the clean up of the Ogoniland oil spills, which will take decades, on the spread of Libyan arms in the Sahel, on the production of medicines in Africa and on the EU's attempt to force African countries to sign EPAs.
The national election campaign officially started the 28th October in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), exactly one month ahead of historic presidential and legislative elections, scheduled for November 28 2011. 41 humanitarian and human rights organizations, among them AEFJN, have expressed concern about the high political tension and deteriorating security situation. They have called upon all Congolese and international actors involved to take urgent measures to prevent electoral violence, better protect civilians and ensure credible, free and fair elections.CSR News Update - November 2009
Joint Statement by the Swedish and the Spanish Council
Presidency on Corporate Social Responsibility - November 2009
On the 13th November the Swedish Government, which is currently holding the presidency of the Council of the EU and the Spanish Government, which will hold the presidency in the first half of 2010 and released a Joint Statement on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The statement was released after a high-level conference on CSR organized by the Swedish presidency in Stockholm.
The Statement affirms that "the European Union and its Member States should take a global lead and serve as a good example on Corporate Social Responsibility when building markets, combating corruption, safeguarding the environment and ensuring human dignity and human rights in the workplace. (...)The responsibility is threefold: the State duty to protect - including legislation as well as implementation of human rights obligations, in particular with regard to business; the corporate responsibility to respect human rights; and the responsibility of all parties involved to ensure access to adequate remedies to uphold and develop such human rights."
The Swedish and the Spanish declare the importance of the United Nations' Protect Respect and Remedy framework has for the work on CSR in the European Union. The framework was developed by the Special Representative of the UN for these issues, Prof. John Ruggie. The Framework rests on three pillars: the state duty to protect against human rights abuses by third parties, including business, through appropriate policies, regulation, and adjudication; the corporate responsibility to respect human rights, which in essence means to act with due diligence to avoid infringing on the rights of others; and greater access for victims to effective judicial and non-judicial remedy.
The statement also encourages the EU and its Member States to "Clarify the impact that company law can have on issues within the field of CSR, such as incorporation, directors' duties, reporting, stakeholder engagement, and corporate governance generally" to "ensure that businesses respect human rights wherever they are operating" and to "further greater access to effective remedies, both legal and non-legal".
The statement ends by affirming that"the incoming Spanish Presidency of the European Union, (...) will continue to promote and put into practice the Protect, Respect and Remedy framework".
The statement is an important step forward as it recognizes that CSR cannot only be on voluntary basis and that the EU and its Member States have to provide a legal basis, which holds companies accountable and permits access to compensation. However, it is too early to celebrate as the document remains very vague on the concrete measures to be taken. It will be therefore important that civil society maintains pressure on the EU and its Member States to make sure that the commitments are fulfilled.
Thomas Lazzeri