Business and Human Rights
All companies have a direct responsibility to respect human rights in their own operations. Amnesty International believes that the business community also has a wider responsibility -- moral and legal -- to use its influence to promote respect for human rights.
| Promoting Legal Accountability For Human Rights | Eye on Business
| Operating in Zones of Conflict | Environment and Human Rights
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FOCUS ACTION
Stop the U.S. from renewing Lethal Shooting Contracts
On September 16, 2007, private contractors working for the U.S.-based company Blackwater Worldwide shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians in the streets near Nisour Square, Baghdad. When the State Department investigated Blackwater, it gave contractors protection from prosecution in exchange for providing information about the occurrence. Call for a suspension of the contract until it is clear that proper vetting mechanisms are in place to prevent further abuses. »Act Now!
- Operating in Zones of Conflict
- Oil companies operating in Sudan
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Much of the revenue fueling the conflict in Darfur is generated by the oil industry. Ninety percent of Sudan's export income is derived from oil, with a majority of those revenues funding military expenditures, and virtually none supporting social development. To ensure the speedy and full deployment of a hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping force (UNAMID) in Darfur, Khartoum must hear from key economic interests, including the oil companies that they depend on for revenue. To convince these oil companies to act, we must enlist their investors as our allies. Learn more and take action now »Corporate accountability in the "war on terror"
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U.S. companies may be fueling human rights violations and operating in a virtually rules-free zone in the "war on terror." Private military and security contractors (PMSCs), many with multi-million dollar government contracts, have been accused of engaging in sexual abuse and torture, and implicated in hundreds of shootings at Iraqi civilians. More than 25 U.S. aviation companies have been linked to "renditions", the U.S. government's policy of transferring people secretly and illegally to countries known to practice torture, including Richmor Aviation.
» Take action now
Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights
Amnesty International helped develop the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, which guide companies in maintaining the safety and security of their operations within a framework that ensures respect for human rights. Amnesty has remained involved in the process since their launch in 2002. Though we continue to support the Principles, and have reinforced their importance as regards security in Iraq, we are also concerned about apparent failures to effectively implement the Principles in countries such as Nigeria.Oil impunity in Nigeria
© A. Dilworth, FOEThe failure of the Nigerian government to rigorously enforce its obligations to protect human rights is fuelling violations of civil and political as well as economic, social and cultural rights in the process of the oil exploration and production in the Niger Delta. Learn how companies are failing to live up to human rights principles in the Niger Delta.
Conflict Diamonds and the Kimberley Process
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Learn how diamonds have fueled conflicts in Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, destroying nations and costing an estimated 3.7 million lives, and keep updated about developments in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. See the results of our jeweler's survey. Take action using our new buyers' guide.
- Promoting Legal Accountability For Human Rights
- AIUSA supports national and international legal instruments that promote greater corporate responsibility for human rights, including those that assure the risk of legal accountability if a company commits or is complicit in human rights abuses in their operations.
- Eye on Business
© AFPInternet censorship in China
In China, US corporations such as Yahoo! (YHOO), Microsoft (MSFT), and Google (GOOG) are contributing to human rights violations, directly or indirectly. Learn more and take action to demand these companies stop aiding repression, censorship, and violation of fundamental freedoms.Chevron Corporation (CVX)
In the Niger Delta
Ten years after the internationally condemned executions of the “Ogoni 9,” including Ken Saro-Wiwa, the legacy of human rights violations in the Niger Delta continues. Learn more, download Amnesty’s recent report, “Ten years on: injustice and violence haunt the oil delta,” and take action to demand that Chevron (CVX), the U.S. Government, and other key players address human rights abuses in the region.In the Amazon
Chevron's drilling practices in the Ecuadorian Amazon have left a legacy of pollution and health problems in the indigenous communities and the people in the area. Learn more and take action to protect human rights in the Amazon.Dow Chemical/Union Carbide Corporation (DOW)
In Bhopal, India
22 years have passed since a chemical spill in Bhopal, India killed thousands and contaminated the local environment, resulting in devastating health and economic impacts. Learn more, download the official report, take action to demand accountability from Dow Chemical / Union Carbide Corporation (DOW).ExxonMobil (XOM)
Find out how AIUSA is helping to advance human rights accountability at ExxonMobil (XOM), the world's largest oil company, through dialogue and campaigning activities related to its global operations.Trade, Investment and Human Rights
Learn how AI has been pushing for transparency and greater human rights accountability related to international trade and large foreign investment projects.Workers rights are human rights
Learn about the responsibilities of business to protect and uphold the rights of workers and find out how workers rights are being threatened in countries around the world.
- Environment and Human Rights
- Corporate and development interests are inflicting a devastating toll on human rights and the environment. Worldwide, a disturbing trend has emerged whereby environmental defenders are persecuted for asserting their basic rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful protest.
