Tools and Guidance Portal, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre

This webpage provides links to general guidance on business and human rights, with links to tools for advocates.

Corporate Accountability for Human Rights Abuses: A Guide for Victims and NGOs on Recourse Mechanisms, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)(2010)

FIDH's flagship guide for victims and NGOs on mechanisms to address business-related human rights abuse. The guide provides a comprehensive overview of different judicial and non-judicial mechanisms with relevant sections on extraterritorial application. Learn about how to campaign for corporate accountability using the UN and other intergovernmental mechanisms, judicial mechanisms, mediation mechanisms, financial institutions, and voluntary and other CSR initiatives.

Transnational Corporations on the Defendant's Seat: Human Rights Violations and Possibilities for Accountability, Terra de Direitos - Fernando Gallardo Vieira Prioste and Thiago de Azevedo Pinheiro Hoshino (2010)

The guide aims to assist organizations and social movements seeking to take action against human rights abuses committed by transnational corporations through the use of corporate accountability instruments at the national and international levels.

Why Investment Matters: The Political Economy of International Investments, Kavaljit Singh (2007)

In this book, the author explains "the central role transnational corporations (TNCs) play in the investment debate. He sets out in clear and simple language how investment patterns have changed in the last two decades. He debunks some of the myths surrounding investment flows, and he suggests ways in which the vast sums of money sloshing around the global financial system can be brought back under the democratic control of citizens and governments." Chapter 9 includes a discussion on strategizing and campaigning and Chapter 10 highlights several resources for advocates.

The Campaigner's Guide to Financial Markets: Effective Lobbying of Companies and Financial Institutions, Corner House - Nicholas Hildyard and Mark Mansley (2001)

The guide provides information about financial institutions and provides campaigners with the "nuts-and-bolts practicalities of financial market campaigning."

A portal for the work of Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on business and human rights, John Ruggie, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre

A web portal on the Special Representative's work from 2006-2011, including links to several resources developed for this mandate.

Advocacy Guide on Business and Human Rights in the United Nations - Part I: The Mandate of the Special Representative, International Network for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net) - Corporate Accountability Working Group(2009)

This guide assists civil society in taking a more active role in UN debates around the issue of corporate accountability and human rights. It highlights emerging issues for advocacy within the context of the mandate of the former UN Special Representative to the Secretary General on Business and Human Rights.

Business Research

How to do Corporate Research Online, Corporate Research Project - Philip Mattera

This webpage guide was created "to help researchers and activists gather essential information on any type of U.S.-based company, whether small or large, privately held or publicly traded."

Crocodyl: Collaborative Research on Corporations

A website containing collaborative research from NGOs, journalists, activists, whistleblowers and academics from both the global South and North, on the profiles of the world's most powerful corporations.

Legal Research

Corporate Legal Accountability Portal, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

"This portal includes concise profiles of lawsuits in which companies are accused of human rights abuses, and expert commentaries."

Introduction to Human Rights Legal Research, Washington School of Law (last updated May 2010)

A toolkit that includes foreign law research guides, a guide to journals and indexes, a guide to researching specific regions and topics, and a guide to UN document research.

The Labor & Employment Standards Library (LESLi), STR (Specialized Technologies Resources, Inc)

This library assists with legal research on labor-related human rights issues. It provides up to date information on "labor, wage, and health & safety laws applicable to social compliance assessments" from over 140 countries. STR also offers analytical tools "to help make country-to-country comparisons of legal requirements, as well as advanced site functionality that allows searches by specific law criteria."

Mapping

Making Maps that Make a Difference: A Citizens' Guide to Making and Using Maps for Advocacy Work, International Rivers- Freyja Knapp (2007)

"Mapping refers to any process that visually displays information at its location." This guide introduces "the power and process of mapping for communities facing destructive development projects."

Human Rights Documentation, Monitoring, and Impact Assessments

A Practitioner's Guide to Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation, and Advocacy, The Advocates for Human Rights and US Human Rights Network (2011)

This guide provides "a step by step guidance for advocates who want to use human rights monitoring, documentation, and advocacy in their social justice work. From framing an issue in terms of internationally recognized human rights to submitting a detailed complaint to a human rights body," this manual assists with a variety of human rights advocacy activities.

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development: Training Manuals, FORUM-ASIA

A collection of training manuals focusing on fact finding, research, and documentation.

Getting it Right - A Step by Step Guide to Assess the Impact of Foreign Investment Projects on Human Rights, Rights and Democracy (2008)

The guide offers a step-by-step process for impact assessment teams to review positive and negative impacts of foreign investment projects.

Human Rights Impact Assessments for Foreign Investment Projects: Learning from Community in the Philippines, Tibet, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Argentina and Peru, Rights & Democracy (2007)

Through the use of five case studies, this report assists in developing and refining a methodology to help community stakeholders understand the human rights impacts of foreign investment projects.

International Human Rights Fact-Finding Guidelines (the Lund-London Guidelines), Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

These guidelines, written for NGOs, offer assistance in fact-finding and report writing "with a view to improving accuracy, objectivity, transparency and credibility in human rights fact finding."

Training Manual on Human Rights Monitoring Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (2001)

This manual provides guidance for the "conduct of human rights monitoring in United Nations field operations, but it may also be useful to other human rights monitors." It also provides guidance on human rights monitoring in relation to internally displaced persons, children, places of detention, elections, trials, demonstrations, armed conflict, and economic, social and cultural rights.

How to Create Videos for Change, Witness

A five-minute video highlighting the strengths and challenges of using video for human rights advocacy.

Message in-a-box: tools and techniques for communicating your cause, Tactical Tech Collective

Message in-a-box provides a large variety of resources and tips on making and distributing one's own media. The website covers: "A strategy for making media; print; images; audio; internet; video; and mobiles. Each section includes information, references, links and inspiring case studies that show how the right tools and tactics can be used to make media with impact. Message in-a-box also provides open source software tools to make our own media and video and text 'how-to' guides that tell you how to do this."

AMICC's Media Training, Coalition for the International Criminal Court (2003)

A comprehensive guide to using the media as a tool, which includes steps to create and maintain media contacts and deliver a successful media campaign.

Barefoot Workshops

Barefoot Workshops teach individuals and organizations how to use digital video to further their message.

Judicial Mechanisms

Act Now! A Campaigner's Guide to the Companies Act, CORE and the Trade and Justice Movement (2007)

"This guide provides advice and ideas on how activists and campaigners can use the [UK] Companies Act to help improve the social and environmental performance of companies."

Extraterritorial Jurisdiction in the European Union - A Study of the Laws and Practice in the 27 Member States of the European Union, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and REDRESS (2010)

The paper provides a general overview of the state of extraterritorial jurisdiction in the EU, though it is not specifically aimed at corporate accountability.

Transnational Corporations on the Defendant's Seat: Human Rights Violations and Possibilities for Accountability, Terra de Direitos - Fernando Gallardo Vieira Prioste and Thiago de Azevedo Pinheiro Hoshino (2010)

The guide aims to assist organizations and social movements seeking to take action against human rights abuses committed by transnational corporations through the use of corporate accountability instruments at the national and international levels.

Transnational Litigation Manual for Human Rights and Environmental Cases in US Courts: A Resource for Non-Lawyers, Earth Rights International - Marco Simons(2006)

"This manual is intended to serve as an informational and educational tool for individuals and organizations contemplating litigation in United States courts as a remedy for human rights or environmental harms."

Non-judicial mechanisms

Corporate Accountability for Human Rights Abuses: A Guide for Victims and NGOs on Recourse Mechanisms, Section III: Mediation Mechanisms, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)(2010)

FIDH's flagship guide for victims and NGOs on mechanisms to address business-related human rights abuse. Section III examines mediation mechanisms such as the OECD National Contact Points.

Corporate Accountability for Human Rights Abuses: A Guide for Victims and NGOs on Recourse Mechanisms, Section V: Voluntary Commitments: Using CSR Initiatives as a Tool for Enhanced Accountability, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)(2010)

Section V examines the mechanisms that can be explored in relation to voluntary commitments taken by companies.

Guide to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises' Complaint Procedure. Lessons from Past NGO Complaints, OECD Watch (2006)

This guide provides assistance to NGOs on "how to construct a complaint, issues NGOs should consider before submitting a complaint, how the complaint process has been typically handled by National Contact Points and what roadblocks NGOs could encounter" and much more.

BASESwiki, Harvard Kennedy School

"BASESwiki is a collaborative work space for sharing information and learning about how dispute resolution between business and society works around the world." This resource provides user-generated information about many non-judicial mechanisms worldwide.

UN Human Rights Bodies and Mechanisms

Corporate Accountability for Human Rights Abuses: A Guide for Victims and NGOs on Recourse Mechanisms International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)(2010)

FIDH's flagship guide for victims and NGOs on mechanisms to address business-related human rights abuse. Learn how to advocate for business accountability using UN and other intergovernmental mechanisms.

Human Rights Bodies, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

This website provides direct links to all of the U.N. Human Rights Charter-based and Treaty-based bodies. It also provides an overview of the different bodies, information on petitions, information on treaty body reform, and much more.

Human Rights Treaty Bodies - Individual Communications, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

This webpage provides information for individuals and groups who would like to bring a complaint before an international human rights treaty body.

Simple Guide to the Treaty Bodies International Service for Human Rights

Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Visit this website for information on thematic and country mandates, as well as the activities of special procedure mandate holders.

International Labour Mechanisms

Corporate Accountability for Human Rights Abuses: A Guide for Victims and NGOs on Recourse Mechanisms, Section I: Intergovernmental Mechanisms, Part II: ILO Mechanisms, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)(2010)

FIDH's flagship guide for victims and NGOs on mechanisms to address business-related human rights abuse. Section I explains intergovernmental mechanisms including the three main supervisory mechanisms available through the ILO.

Trade, Investment, and Finance Bodies

Corporate Accountability for Human Rights Abuses: A Guide for Victims and NGOs on Recourse Mechanisms, Section IV: Who is Funding the Project or Owns the Company? Using Financial Institutions' Mechanisms and Engaging with Shareholders, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)(2010)

FIDH's flagship guide for victims and NGOs on mechanisms to address business-related human rights abuse. Section IV explains how to use financial institution mechanisms and engage with shareholders.

Accountability Resources Guide, Accountability Counsel (2011)

The guide addresses tools for "redressing human rights, social policy and environmental violations by international financial institutions and private corporate actors."

Bank Information Center - Resources

"The Bank Information Center partners with civil society in developing and transition countries to influence the World Bank and other international financial institutions to promote social and economic justice and ecological sustainability." The Center offers guides for advocates seeking to engage with the World Bank Group and other regional development banks.

Tools for Activists: An Information and Advocacy Guide to the World Bank Group, Bank Information Center (2007)

This guide assists individuals and communities to develop strategies to defend their rights in the context of development decisions. Also available in Hindi, Bahasa, Chinese and Russian.

Unpacking the ADB: A Guide to Understanding the Asian Development Bank, Bank Information Center(2006)

"The ADB Toolkits series is intended to help those unfamiliar with the Asian Development Bank to gain an understanding of the institution, the work it does, and why it is important for civil society groups to be aware of its operations. The Toolkits series also serves as a resource for activists who are already involved in monitoring ADB operations."

Examining the African Development Bank: A Primer for NGOs, Bank Information Center(2007)

"The purpose of this Primer is to help Africa's civil society better understand what the AfDB is, how it may affect them, and what they can do to influence it."

Citizens Guide to the EIB (European Investment Bank), Counter Balance (2008)

This guide lays out basic facts about EIB and discusses the Bank's obligations under EU law and EU development goals and treaties.

Know Your Rights, International Accountability Project

This website provides resources on the human rights obligations of corporations and international financial institutions.

Financial Sector

The Campaigner's Guide to Financial Markets: Effective Lobbying of Companies and Financial Institutions, Corner House- Nicholas Hildyard and Mark Mansley (2001)

The guide provides information about financial institutions and provides campaigners with the "nuts-and-bolts practicalities of financial market campaigning."

Extractive Industry

Drilling Down: The Civil Society Guide to Extractive Industry Revenues and the EITI, Revenue Watch Institute (2008)

Using real-world examples and data from multiple countries this guide provides "step-by-step explanations of each phase of EITI [Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative] implementation and a comprehensive review of extractive industries accounting for civil society readers."

Legal Remedies for the Resource Curse, A Digest of Experience in Using Law to Combat Natural Resource Corruption, Open Society Justice Initiative, Open Society Foundations (2006)

This report assesses the availability of legal remedies for addressing corrupt practices in the natural resource industries. Legal Remedies for the Resource Curse is a digest of practical experience in using law to combat corruption across jurisdictions.

Hydroelectric

Dams, Rivers and Rights: An Action Guide for Communities Affected by Dams, International Rivers (2006)

An education tool that provides information and tools to help communities decide how to respond to a proposed dam, how to protect rights, and how to demand a voice in decisions about dams.

Tools for Activists, International Rivers

These tools provide "practical advice for community activists working to protect rivers and stop destructive river-engineering projects."

Workers

The ILO MNEs Declaration: What's in it for Workers?, ILO (2011)

"This guide explains how workers can use international labour standards to promote corporate social responsibility. It was written in response to concerns about corporate activity before and during the global financial crisis, and incorporates the ILO's Tripartite Declaration on Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration), an authoritative document on corporate social responsibility (CSR). The MNE Declaration, based on principles derived from international labour standards, is the only international CSR instrument that has been endorsed by governments, employers' organisations and trade unions."

Women

Trafficking in Persons: A Gender and Rights Perspective: Briefing Kit, UNIFEM (2002)

"This briefing kit is an invitation to all practitioners addressing the issue of trafficking in persons to revisit and rethink their efforts from a gender and rights perspective. It consists of a number of informative fact sheets on the topic, its magnitude, and best practices to address the problem."

Human Rights Protections Applicable to Women Migrant Workers: A UNIFEM Briefing Paper, UNIFEM (2003)

"This briefing paper provides some tools for human rights advocates working to advance the rights of women migrant workers. It examines a set of concerns facing women migrant workers using the five most relevant major human rights conventions, including CEDAW."

Gender Equality at the Heart of Decent Work, International Labor Organization (2008-2009)

"In June 2008 the International Labour Organization (ILO) launched a year-long, global, public awareness-raising campaign, "Gender equality at the heart of decent work." This campaign, coinciding with the 90th anniversary of the ILO, was held in the lead-up to the June 2009 International Labour Conference's general discussion on the same topic. The campaign was built around twelve Decent Work themes, one each month highlighting how women and men may be affected differently in their access to rights, employment, social protection and social dialogue. For each of the campaign themes, an information brief was produced, accompanied by a poster and postcard, as well as a video news release and dedicated webpage. The September 2008 brief, "Remove the Obstacles: On the right track to equality," jointly developed by the Bureau for Gender Equality (GENDER) and the International Labour Standards Department (NORMES), focuses specifically on the institutional link between ILO standards and CEDAW."

ABC of women workers' rights and gender equality, ILO (2007)

"This revised and expanded guide focuses on States' or employers' obligations, and workers' rights, in relation to gender equality in the world of work.This edition incorporates important information relevant to women workers in entries on sexual harassment, women in development, the glass ceiling and many more. The guide is specifically designed for the non-academic, non expert public wishing to improve their knowledge of legal matters and socio-economic developments in this field."

More and better work for Women, An Action Guide, ILO (1996)

"This manual provides guidelines, both didactic and practical, to ensure more and better jobs for women, to achieve equality of opportunity and treatment for women and men in the world of work, and to support particularly disadvantaged groups of poor working women. The guidelines are based on the ILO's long experience and continuing efforts to promote gender equality."

Children

Training Manual to Fight Trafficking in Children for Labour, Sexual and Other Forms of Exploitation, ILO and UNICEF (2009)

This manual - developed by ILO and UNICEF under the UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking - "seeks to aid governments, workers, employers, international, and non-governmental organizations that combat trafficking in children for labour, sexual and other exploitation."

Indigenous Peoples

Guide to Free Prior and Informed Consent, Oxfam Australia- Christina Hill,Serena Lilly White and Michael Simon (2010)

"This guide provides basic information about the right to FPIC [Free Prior and Informed Consent] and how this right can help people to have a say about development projects, such as dams, mines and, logging and other large infrastructure projects." "It is also a practical tool to facilitate dialogue between communities and the project developers," and offers a "seven step framework which aims to assist Indigenous Peoples affected by a project to collectively claim their right to FPIC."

Indigenous and Tribal Peoples' Rights in Practice: A Guide to Convention 169, ILO (2009)

This guide provides "governments, indigenous and tribal peoples and workers' and employers' organizations with a practical tool for the implementation of indigenous peoples' rights, based on the experiences, good practices and lessons learned that have been generated so far."

Guide to Indigenous Peoples' Rights in the International Labour Organization, Forest Peoples Programme - Fergus MacKay

"This report provides guidance on how to file a complaint with the ILO's Governing Body. Illustrations are given of relevant cases and decisions, and concrete examples of how a case can be moved through the system. There is also a summarised review of the specific rights protected under the two ILO Conventions most relevant to indigenous peoples: ILO 107 and ILO 169."

The Right to Decide - The Importance of Respecting Free, Prior and Informed Consent, Amazon Watch (2011)

"This briefing paper focuses on the roles and responsibilities of companies, investors and finance institutions to identify, prevent and address the adverse human rights impacts of company operations. It identifies the rights of indigenous peoples that are potentially affected by extractive industry and infrastructure projects," and identifies "some of the key challenges involved in implementing a Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) policy and makes recommendations for companies and shareholders who engage in business activities or investments in the Amazon."

Persons Marginalized on the Basis of Descent (including Caste)

The Ambedkar Principles, Principles and Guidelines to address Caste Discrimination in the Private Sector, International Dalit Solidarity Network (2009)

The Ambedkar Principles "enable national and multinational companies, as well as foreign investors, to contribute to eliminating caste discrimination in the labour market in South Asia where it continues to be a massive human rights issue. Companies supporting the Ambedkar Principles are asked to work progressively towards their implementation and to regularly, preferably annually, report on their progress as part of their diversity or corporate social responsibility reporting, and also to consider engaging in some form of external audit."

New Tactics in Human Rights: A Resource for Practitioners, New Tactics in Human Rights (1999)

This resource covers a number of tactics including, prevention, intervention and restorative tactics, as well as tactics for building human rights cultures and institutions.

Leveraging the Money: Enforcing Human Rights by Influencing Financial Institutions, New Tactics in Human Rights (2004)

"In this notebook Ulrich Mueller describes a strategy of the FoodFirst Information and Action Network to influence large mining operations that were causing various human rights abuses, by putting pressure on banks and other financial institutions that invest in those mines."

Human Rights and the Corporation: The Development of the Human Rights Compliance Assessment, New Tactics in Human Rights (2004)

"In this notebook Reed Addis describes the development of the Human Rights Compliance Assessment by the Danish Institute for Human Rights."

Corporate Accountability Beyond Borders: Exploring Home States' Efforts to Protect Against Business-Related Human Rights Abuses, New Tactics in Human Rights (2010)

An online dialogue where practitioners share their "experiences using extraterritorial avenues for justice in preventing, punishing and providing remedy for business-related human rights abuses."