All Articles About Governance & Accountability

BSR Insight Article: Closer Look: Understanding Land Deals in Africa

The International Institute for Environment and Development's new guide to understanding land deals in Africa explores the significant impacts land contracts have on agriculture and food security in recipient countries. Land contracts define the terms of an investment project, and particularly how risks, costs, and benefits are distributed and who has the authority to sign the contract and through what process. Read more →

Posted: March 15, 2011 | Topics: Civil & Political Rights, Community Engagement & Development, Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, Energy, Governance & Accountability, Mining, Stakeholder Relations, Strategy & Integration, Supply Chain

BSR Insight Article: Practical Applications of the UN Business and Human Rights Framework on the Rise

Faris Natour, Director, Human Rights

John Ruggie, the UN special representative for business and human rights, issued a report listing practical applications of the UN "Protect, Respect, and Remedy" Framework. The framework, which has emerged as the de-facto standard for business and human rights, has already been applied by numerous governments, companies, investors, multilateral institutions, NGOs, national human rights institutions, academia, and the United Nations. Read more →

Posted: March 8, 2011 | Topics: Governance & Accountability, Human Rights, Reporting & Communications

BSR Insight Article: Promoting Human Rights in Saudi Arabia: A Strategic Role for Business

Chhavi Ghuliani, Manager, Advisory Services

Recently, BSR visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of a U.S. State Department project to promote CSR and human rights in the region. While there, BSR led: Read more →

Posted: February 1, 2011 | Topics: Governance & Accountability, Human Rights, Labor Migration, Stakeholder Relations

Blog: Conflict Minerals Reporting Regulations: Who is Covered?

Marshall Chase, Associate Director, Advisory Services

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released draft conflict minerals reporting rulesin December 2010 that have significant implications for a range of corporate sustainability issues—from supply chain monitoring and transparency to integrated reporting and responsible investing. In the short term, however, many people are simply focused on understanding and commenting on these rules, which are open for comment until the end of January 2011. Read more →

Posted: January 13, 2011 | Topics: Conflict Minerals, Governance & Accountability, Human Rights, Reporting & Communications, Supply Chain

BSR Insight Article: What to Look for in 2011

Aron Cramer, President and CEO

Over the past couple of years, relentless focus on the basic vitality of the world’s economy has distracted attention from important underlying trends. As we go into 2011, the market meltdowns of 2008 are receding from view. This means that structural changes in the world are—thankfully—again capturing the world’s attention. These longer-term developments are again shaping the business environment—and pointing to an even greater focus on sustainability as one of the defining characteristics of business success. Here are five key trends that will shape our world in 2011. Read more →

Posted: January 11, 2011 | Topics: Governance & Accountability, Human Rights, Reporting & Communications, Stakeholder Relations, Strategy & Integration