The business “responsibility to respect” human rights in Latin America, until recently, was governed mainly by soft law, namely the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (“UNGP’s”). Two new legal...more
On 1 July 2022, the Norwegian Transparency Act entered into force. It requires that large domestic (Norwegian) companies and foreign companies doing business in Norway implement and account for human rights due diligence in...more
Five practical steps large Japanese companies should take to prepare for the introduction of mandatory due diligence -
The European Commission recently published the text of the proposed Corporate Sustainability Due...more
The European Commission has published a proposed Directive on “Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence” (the “Proposed Directive”). The Proposed Directive would impose extensive and legally enforceable duties on large...more
June’s G7 summit showed that eradicating forced labor in Xinjiang remains a top priority for leaders of the world’s most advanced economies. But what does this mean for international businesses with supply chains extending to...more
8/6/2021
/ China ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Forced Labor ,
G7 ,
Human Rights ,
Modern Slavery Act ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Supply Chain ,
UK ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Withhold Release Orders (WROs)
Business and Human Rights: Energy and extractives in a changing landscape of new generation trade agreements protecting and promoting both trade and human rights -
As allegations of genocide, forced labour, or widespread...more
For over 20 years, a little-known dispute resolution mechanism has facilitated conciliatory ends to numerous human rights and environmental grievances levied against multinational corporations. The OECD’s National Contact...more
Business and human rights will continue to receive significant attention and development in 2021. Take a look at what is on the horizon . . .
COVID-19: Vaccines are being administered in some countries but COVID-19...more
1/21/2021
/ Child Labor ,
Climate Change ,
Contact Tracing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Governments ,
Human Rights ,
New Guidance ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Supply Chain ,
US State Departments ,
Vaccinations
Report from the 2019 Mayors’ Annual Energy Summit in Carlsbad, NM -
We attended the Mayors’ Annual Energy Summit again this year, on September 12, at the Walter Gerrells Civic Center Annex in Carlsbad, NM. The Mayors’...more
10/14/2019
/ Arbitration ,
CFIUS ,
Climate Change ,
DIFC ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Summit ,
Foreign Investment ,
Human Rights ,
Oil & Gas ,
Project Finance
An increasing number of lawsuits relating to climate change are being filed with courts all around the world. But there is another avenue for pursuing grievances related to climate change that has been relatively unexplored...more
10/10/2019
/ Climate Change ,
Due Diligence ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Violations ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Human Rights ,
Multinationals ,
NGOs ,
OECD ,
Project Finance
Court Faults FERC in its Handling of ANR Storage Company’s Six Year Quest for Authorization to Charge Market-Based Rates for Natural Gas Storage Services -
On September 21, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District...more
While energy companies around the world are becoming aware of the possibility of being sued in domestic courts for human rights offenses that their global subsidiaries have allegedly committed, there is another important...more
Developing an FSRU Project in New Markets: 10 Key Considerations -
As at 1 July 2017, the total number of operational floating storage and regasification units (“FSRUs”) globally stood at 26, with 23 operating as terminals...more
2/23/2018
/ Energy Sector ,
FERC ,
Foreign Investment ,
Human Rights ,
Income Taxes ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
Offshore Drilling ,
Oil & Gas ,
Parent Corporation ,
Partnerships ,
Subsidiaries ,
Tariffs ,
UK
A landmark United Kingdom case recently has made it clear that UK-based parent companies may be found liable for human rights violations committed by their foreign subsidiaries. Plaintiffs all over the world are filing...more
Business Compliance with Human Rights -
The subject of compliance by businesses (from small to multinational) with human rights norms is in the news every single day. Following the endorsement by the UN Human Rights...more
At a time when the extractive industry is facing additional scrutiny from NGOs and civil society organizations for its human rights practices, and States are beginning to take concrete steps to improve their laws governing...more
Environmental Citizen Suits—A Growing Trend Under the Trump Administration -
In his first year in office, President Trump has begun to deliver on his campaign promise of rolling back environmental regulations—from the...more
12/14/2017
/ American Institute of Architects ,
Architects ,
Citizen Suits ,
Climate Change ,
Construction Contracts ,
Construction Industry ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Human Rights ,
Keystone XL Pipeline ,
Oil & Gas ,
Trump Administration
International human rights laws and norms are increasingly playing a role in shaping how energy companies conduct their business all over the world. Shareholders increasingly demand compliance with human rights norms;...more
10/13/2017
/ Alien Tort Statute ,
Assault ,
Battery ,
Best Practices ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Due Diligence ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Eviction ,
Harassment ,
Human Rights ,
Human Trafficking ,
Mining ,
OECD ,
Parent Corporation ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Remediation ,
Shareholders ,
Slavery ,
Supply Chain