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Business & Human Rights Resource Centre appoints Melissa Ortiz Massó as Researcher Representative for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
October 2017
Business Human Rights Resource Centre is pleased to announce the appointment of Melissa Ortiz Massó as Researcher Representative for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Melissa will succeed Karen Hudlet Vázquez, who has accepted a scholarship to pursue aPhD in the United States. The Resource Centre is very grateful to Karen for her contribution in firmly establishing the Centre, and the agenda of business and human rights, in the region.
Melissa's role includes drawing attention to the impacts (positive and negative) of companies on human rights in the region; highlighting allegationsby civil society and the cases that have received little attention; seeking public responses from companies to allegations of abuse; undertaking observation missions; strengthening relations with NGOs, companies, investors, journalists and government representatives; providing regional inputs inline with the Centre’s global priorities; and advancing the broad agenda of business and human rights. Melissa will be based in Mexico City, and will begin her work with the Centre on 16 October2017.
Melissa said: "I live in a region where, despite advancing in the democratic agenda, the issues of social, economic and opportunity inequality are becoming more pronounced. In this scenario of inequalities and despite the commitment of the States, communities and vulnerable people experience violations of their rights on a constant basis. At the same time, there are more and more organizations and communities working to guaranteeing and defending human rights. The responsibility for bridging inequality gaps must be shared by the community, and those of us in a privileged situation have more responsibility in this matter. In this sense, the business sector should not be alien to its commitment to the community and the environment in which they operate, and therefore be consistent with the human rights agenda. Working at the Business Human Rights Resource Centre is a great opportunity to contribute, froman original perspective, to the strengthening of our communities from the local to the regional arenas.”
About Melissa
Melissa has worked in several civil society organizations in Mexico. She has over 15 years of experience in multi-actor political negotiation, training, conflict resolution and agreement practices. She has worked on issues of government and open parliament, legislative impact and advocacy, gender equality, human rights and transparency.
She worked with the renowned organization Fundar Centro de Analísis e Investigación for 10 years as a promoter and in charge of relations with the legislature. In recent years, she has become an independent consultant working with social movements and human rights organizations.
Melissa has a degree in International Relations from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She speaks fluent Spanish and English, and has a basic level of Portuguese.
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About Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
The Resource Centre, a non-profit organization, provides the leading information hub on business & human rights in 8 languages: Our goal is to encourage companies to respect human rights, avoid damages against people and maximize their positive impact. To achieve this we have three strategic aims: increase transparency, corporate accountability, and empower the business and human rights movement. Our online library covers more than 7,000 individual companies, more than 180 countries and more than 150 topics.
The Resource Centre invites companies to respond publicly to various allegations of misconduct raised by civil society. Our response rate is 80% worldwide. Activists and communities value our support in raising their concerns globally, as well as for seeking corporate responses. In addition, companies value the opportunity to present their views uncensored. This process sometimes leads to real improvements on the ground, and in all cases to greater transparency and accountability.
Our researchers are based in Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, Hong Kong, Philippines, India, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Senegal, South Africa, UK, Ukraine, and USA. Our International Advisory Network is chaired by Mary Robinson (former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and former President of Ireland). We also have more than 23 academic partners.
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