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In This Issue
Editor's Note
Linking Biodiversity and Sustainable Development
Poverty eradication and the protection and management of natural resources are both overarching goals and essential requirements for sustainable development. Achieving both of these objectives is made more difficult as biodiversity and the ecosystem services that underpin all life on earth are degraded by economic activities needed to reduce poverty.
In this week's feature article, BSR's Research Manager Linda Hwang explores this conundrum and provides four recommendations for how businesses can address the challenge of meeting both sustainable development and biodiversity conservation objectives.
Next, we highlight a key quote from last week's climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, which were attended by BSR's Ryan Schuchard and Joyce Wong.
Finally, we encourage you to provide comments and input on the recently released draft guiding principles for the UN "Protect, Respect, and Remedy" Framework for Business and Human Rights.
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In Depth
Biodiversity Conservation and Human Development
By
How can companies systematically align business success with poverty reduction, business strategies with healthy ecosystems, and biodiversity conservation with human development?
Read more →
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Toolbox
Draft Guiding Principles for the Implementation of the UN 'Protect, Respect, and Remedy' Framework
By Dunstan Allison Hope, Managing Director, Advisory Services, BSR
Last month, UN Special Representative for Business and Human Rights John Ruggie published a draft of "Guiding Principles for the Implementation of the UN 'Protect, Respect, and Remedy' Framework." This framework is quickly emerging as the global standard for managing corporate human rights impacts.
The principles provide recommendations and commentary for how companies can put the framework into practice. Recommendations include:
- Establishing a human rights policy that stipulates expectations for staff and business partners, is developed in consultation with internal and external experts, and is approved at the most senior level at the company.
- Carrying out human rights impact assessments to identify and evaluate actual and potential adverse human rights impacts of business activities and relationships.
- Developing structures and processes for the internal management of human rights.
- Tracking performance and publically communicating impacts.
- Providing or cooperating in remediation in cases where the company is found responsible for adverse human rights impacts.
A forum will be available until January 31, 2011, to submit your own views and input on the draft. BSR will be making its own submission to the forum, drawing on our experience addressing human rights challenges with member companies.
On the Record
UN Climate Chief Calls on Business to Lead a Global Solution
By Ryan Schuchard, Manager, Climate and Energy, BSR
Last week, the UN finished its 16th annual climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico. As observers grew frustrated by the continually slow progress, negotiators started paying greater attention to business’ role in taking the lead.
While some businesses are already engaged, Christiana Figueres, chief of the UN climate body, urged them to do more. She stressed the need for companies to tell their home governments well ahead of UN conferences that strong climate legislation is essential.
"We are stuck because the private sector is acting as a handbrake to governments."
—Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (December 6, 2010)
At the same time, Figueres called on business to not wait for governments to lead the world to a low-carbon economy. She instead encouraged companies to step ahead of governments by helping suppliers and customers reduce their emissions and by transforming their sectors through partnerships with peers to scale-up innovation and technological solutions, including clean energy in developing countries.
For more information on how business can lead on climate solutions, read the BSR Review or contact Ryan Schuchard.
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As if the political fallout from the recent disclosure of U.S. diplomatic cables was not reason enough to follow this story closely, the WikiLeaks saga has now squarely landed in the middle of one of the most pressing business and human rights debates of our time: the responsibility of business to respect the rights to free expression and privacy.