Monthly Archives: August 2012

From 22-23 August Director Trade Policy Roel Nieuwenkamp and Nora Dessing, both of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, visited South Africa to promote the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPs). Among other things the expert mission spoke … Continue reading →

WME Environment Business Magazine – 22 August 2012 There’s a new global standard on human rights, supported by the federal government, which is relevant to anyone doing business here or abroad, writes Catherine Sutherland. The unanimous endorsement of the Guiding … Continue reading →

Leaked documents show that Dutch-British oil and gas company Shell financed Nigeria’s security forces, which are often seen as corrupt and involved in human rights violations. A Dutch political party raised questions, calling Shell’s financing ‘irresponsible and unacceptable’. The data, … Continue reading →

The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights are a set of principles designed to guide companies in maintaining the safety and security of their operations within an operating framework that encourages respect for human rights. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and … Continue reading →

Internal documents reveal oil company spent $383m over three years protecting staff and installations in Niger delta region. If it were a country Shell would have the third highest security budget in Africa. Photograph: Adrian Arbib/Corbis Shell is paying Nigerian … Continue reading →

Excerpts from Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights, Democracy, and Labor at the Robert F. Kennedy Compass Conference in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts [Kerry Kennedy and I] have worked for years together and it’s always been such … Continue reading →

By Marianne Comfort, Institute Justice Team It has been impressive to see how Mercy has coordinated a response on many fronts to the recent violence in Peru over the siting of a gold and copper mine in the Andes. The … Continue reading →

The recent move by the Obama Administration to suspend unilateral sanctions on Burma (Myanmar) led to a flurry of opinions. Many who oppose the move highlighted the specific request of Burmese Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi for Western governments … Continue reading →