Europa Press (Spain), 31 January 2005
translation from Spanish original
CSR – Business and Human Rights strengthens its website to offer up-to-date information on 2000 companies
(Madrid, 31 January) The non-profit organization Business and Human Rights Resource Centre has strengthened its website to offer up-to-date information on the behaviour of over 2000 companies worldwide.
The Resource Centre says that the need for “facts” on companies’ human rights performance increases by the day, and emphasises that without the protection of human rights “corporate responsibility is no more than empty rhetoric.”
With the aim of improving the tracking of companies throughout the world, in particular by journalists, the Business and Human Rights website provides free and up-to-date information on the positive and negative impacts of over 2000 companies’ environmental and social conduct. It currently receives around 1.5 million visits per month.[clarification: the website receives over 1.5 million hits per month]
Through links to original reports and to its own investigations[clarification: the Resource Centre engages in research but does not conduct its own field investigations] it brings public scrutiny to issues such as discrimination, pesticide poisoning, child labour, contamination of drinking water, sexual harassment and indigenous people’s rights.
It also highlights the steps some companies are taking in the area of social responsibility, on issues such as promoting diversity, the fight against HIV/AIDS, the reduction of harmful emissions or supply chain management.
Among the recent issues covered by the Resource Centre are scandals involving security companies contracted in Iraq, efforts to provide aid following the tsunami that hit southeast Asia in December, and calls for the respect of labour rights in China gearing up to the 2008 Olympics.
The Centre also plans to announce a new service that will send to 10,000 opinion leaders worldwide the most important news, as well as potential company responses.
For this event, which will take place on 28 January, the organisation has chosen the annual meeting that the World Economic Forum in Davos will hold this year starting from next Wednesday. Among the issues to be debated by political and business leaders from around the world are the fight against poverty, climate change, and good governance.
The presentation of the new website took place last Friday at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos (Switzerland). Participating were the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, who said that “no debate can move forward, no change can be made, without facts.”
According to her, this website “helps consumers, investors, companies and campaigners make decisions that make a difference.” Representatives from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the multinationals Gap and ABB also took part.
Business and Human Rights is a non-profit organisation that aims, through the spread of information, to encourage companies to respect human rights throughout their operations. To prevent conflicts of interest it does not accept donations from companies, corporate foundations, or serving senior executives.