Violations of human and environment rights continue

Friends of the Earth International asserts that the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are insufficient because they are not standing UN policy and do not obligate states to incorporate them into national law. The statement highlights ongoing environmental damage by companies like Shell in the Niger Delta and Vale and BHP Billiton in Brazil as evidence of corporate impunity. It advocates for the 'Treaty' established by UN Human Rights Council resolution 26/09 to create binding rules for transnational corporations, while criticizing the European Union and United States for opposing this process in favor of corporate-friendly investment treaties.

• The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are not official UN criteria or guidelines and do not obligate states to incorporate them into national policy; instead, states are only 'strongly encouraged' to create National Action Plans (NAPs).
• The UN Guiding Principles and associated National Action Plans have failed to hold multinational corporations accountable or provide affected communities with enforceable mechanisms for justice and the implementation of verdicts.
• UN Human Rights Council resolution 26/09, adopted on 26 June 2014, initiated a process to establish a binding treaty that would apply international human rights law to the activities of transnational corporations for the first time.
• The European Union has opposed the binding treaty process and has shown poor leadership in implementing the Guiding Principles, with only seven of its 28 member states having adopted a National Action Plan since 2011.
• The document cites specific instances of corporate environmental and human rights failures, including Shell's pollution in the Niger Delta, Wilmar's land grabbing and deforestation, Chevron's refusal to pay compensation in Ecuador, and the Doce River disaster in Brazil caused by Vale and BHP Billiton.

APA

admin (2016). Violations of human and environment rights continue. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/violations-of-human-and-environment-rights-continue/

Chicago

admin. Violations of human and environment rights continue. Friends of the Earth International, 2016. https://www.foei.org/violations-of-human-and-environment-rights-continue/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=admin |title=Violations of human and environment rights continue |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=16 June 2016 |url=https://www.foei.org/violations-of-human-and-environment-rights-continue/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2016violations, author = {admin}, title = {{Violations of human and environment rights continue}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {https://www.foei.org/violations-of-human-and-environment-rights-continue/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }