Business & Human Rights
Resource Centre

You're browsing our English site, so by default we are only showing content in English. If you'd prefer to view all available content regardless of language, please change this switch.

Open Translation Menu Close Translation Menu

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Show all languages

You're browsing our English site, so by default we are only showing content in English. If you'd prefer to view all available content regardless of language, please change this switch.

Briefings & Reports

This section contains annual, biannual, quarterly and regional bulletins published by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.

Unjust transition on trial: Communities and workers litigate to shape corporate practice

The speed of the energy transition will depend on investment flows and the retention of public trust. Yet the disturbing trend of systemic abuse of communities and workers in renewable energy value chains has given rise to a tide of strategic litigation by communities and workers left with no option but to turn to the courts to defend their rights. These lawsuits result in project delays, “stop orders” and escalating costs - risks which companies and investors can and must avoid through robust human rights due diligence and better project design.

Highlighted Releases

Just for show: Worker representation in Asia’s garment sector & the role of fashion brands & employers

We examine the role of trade unions and alternative representative structures across six major garment-producing countries in South and Southeast Asia, exploring how brands and their suppliers are relying on ineffective representation structures as an alternative to union engagement, undermining freedom of association and collective bargaining, depleting trade unions’ ability to build their membership and contributing to a vicious cycle of poor working conditions in the sector.

People power under pressure: Human rights defenders & business in 2023

Effective engagement and collaboration between civil society and investors is crucial in the fight for digital rights and corporate accountability. Lessons from the experiences of activists, civil society organisations and tech investors.

Transition Minerals Tracker: 2024 Global Analysis

Our annual analysis highlights the urgent need for a just energy transition based on three core principles: shared prosperity; robust human rights due diligence and worker, community and defender rights protections; and fair negotiation between business, workers and communities.

2023 KnowTheChain Apparel & Footwear Benchmark

KnowTheChain's latest assessment of 65 of the biggest apparel and footwear companies' efforts to address supply chain forced labour reveals companies remained largely reactive to human rights violations rather than evidencing robust, embedded human rights and environmental due diligence practices designed to prevent abuse.

Switched off: Tech company opacity & Israel’s war on Gaza

We invited 104 technology companies operating in or providing services to the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel to respond to a survey on transparency and heightened human rights due diligence in the context of Israel's war on Gaza.

Myanmar Garment Worker Allegations Tracker: Three years of military rule

1 February 2024 marks three years since the military takeover of Myanmar. Since then, we've recorded hundreds of attacks on garment workers’ human rights both in their workplaces and on the streets. We examine allegations of abuse tracked over the past year and responses from international buyers alongside testimony from workers.

KnowTheChain: Good Practice Guide 2024

13 Aug 2024 This Guide is a resource for companies and investors seeking to understand what strong corporate practice and disclosure looks like with respect to a range of key elements of upstream supply chain human rights due diligence. It draws on data collected by KnowTheChain over eight years of benchmarking global multinational companies across three sectors: Apparel & Footwear, Food & Beverage and ICT. Read more

From mining to renewable energy: Lessons learnt from benefit sharing legislation for a just transition in Africa

6 Aug 2024 The climate crisis necessitates a global transition to renewable energy that is not only fast but also fair: a shift that includes the creation of shared prosperity for the frontline communities being asked to host vast renewable energy installations and transition mineral mines. We examine existing legislative frameworks in Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe that have the potential to help deliver shared prosperity for the communities whose land and resources are crucial for the energy transition. Read more

Powering electric vehicles: Human rights impacts of Indonesia's nickel rush

31 Jul 2024 Nickel, a key component in electric vehicle batteries, is set to play a crucial role in the shift away from fossil fuels. As Indonesia's nickel mining sector grows to meet the needs of the expanding EV industry, we examine the impacts of nickel mining on two small islands in Southeast Sulawesi: Wawonii and Kabaena. Read more

Unjust transition on trial: Communities and workers litigate to shape corporate practice

10 Jul 2024 The speed of the energy transition will depend on investment flows and the retention of public trust. Yet the disturbing trend of systemic abuse of communities and workers in renewable energy value chains has given rise to a tide of strategic litigation by communities and workers left with no option but to turn to the courts to defend their rights. These lawsuits result in project delays, “stop orders” and escalating costs - risks which companies and investors can and must avoid through robust human rights due diligence and better project design. Read more

Keeping watch: Surveillance companies in Middle East & North Africa

26 Jun 2024 We asked 23 companies which allegedly produce or provide surveillance technologies to governments in the MENA region to respond to questions on their corporate transparency and human rights due diligence processes. Only five responded. Read more

Just for show: Worker representation in Asia’s garment sector & the role of fashion brands & employers

19 Jun 2024 We examine the role of trade unions and alternative representative structures across six major garment-producing countries in South and Southeast Asia - Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - and explore how brands and their suppliers are relying on ineffective representation structures as an alternative to union engagement, undermining freedom of association and collective bargaining, depleting trade unions’ ability to build their membership and contributing to a vicious cycle of poor working conditions in the sector. Read more

Transition Minerals Tracker: 2024 Global Analysis

16 May 2024 Our annual analysis highlights the urgent need for a just energy transition based on three core principles: shared prosperity; robust human rights due diligence and worker, community and defender rights protections; and fair negotiation between business, workers and communities. Read more

People power under pressure: Human rights defenders & business in 2023

7 May 2024 We recorded 630 instances of attacks against people raising concerns about business-related harms in 2023. This is part of a consistent, ongoing pattern of attacks against HRDs protecting our rights and planet globally, with more than 5,300 attacks recorded since January 2015. Read more

Fuelling injustice: Transition mineral impacts in Eastern Europe & Central Asia

30 Apr 2024 Previously neglected in global analyses of transition minerals, the EECA region is becoming a new hotspot for transition mineral extraction and supply – primarily due to abundant reserves of these minerals now critical to a fast transition to clean energy. However, new research reveals that between 2019 and 2023, more than 400 allegations of abuse were linked to the development, extraction and processing of 20 transition minerals in the region. Read more

Taking CTRL: Pathways to effective tech investor engagement

24 Apr 2024 Effective engagement and collaboration between civil society and investors is crucial in the fight for digital rights and corporate accountability. Lessons from the experiences of activists, civil society organisations and tech investors. Read more