LSE - Laboratory for Advanced Research on the Global Economy - Investment & Human Rights Project

On 3 July Andrea Saldarriaga, Visiting Fellow at the Laboratory for Advanced Research on the Global Economy (Lab), hosted a delegation of representatives from the Chilean government, including both the Under-Secretary for the Economy and Business and President of the Social Responsibility Council for Sustainable Development and the Chilean Ambassador to the UK. The meeting addressed the Chilean National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights and explored possible avenues for effective implementation, including in the area of foreign investment. Dr. Jan Kleinheisterkamp, Associate Professor of Law at the LSE and Andrea Shemberg, Visiting Fellow at the Lab,  attended to provide their expertise. Other experts invited included Lise Johnson from the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, Suzanne Spears from Notre Dame Law School and Peter Frankental from Amnesty International UK. The meeting is one important piece of work that Saldarriaga is undertaking to build understanding around State implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

On 23 March, the Laboratory for Advanced Research on the Global Economy at the Centre for the Study of Human Rights in collaboration with the Law and Financial Markets Project and the Transnational Law Project hosted an evening discussion on Financial Institutions and Human Rights. The event attracted over 40 participants from banks, banking associations, law firms, students, academics and civil society. Andrea Saldarriaga moderated the discussion centred on the Dutch Banking Sector Agreement on human rights. Representatives from the Dutch Banking Association, ING Bank in the Netherlands and Standard Chartered Bank in the UK offered their insights on the agreement and whether such an initiative might make sense in the UK context. A lively debate followed, which was initiated by Dr. Philipp Paech, Andrea Shemberg and Dr. Jan Kleinheisterkamp.

On 19 October 2016 the IHR Project and the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre will host an expert meeting on investment and human rights. A group of human rights practitioners, investment specialists and academics from across the globe will gather at the LSE to discuss what international human rights law and policy can offer to current reform efforts regarding international investment.

During the last several years, international investment agreements, like the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership  (TTIP) being negotiated between Europe and the United States or the Transpacific Trade Partnership Agreement (TPPA) deal between the United States and  11 other countries have proven very controversial. Protests across Europe (embed link), in the United States, Latin America, Asia and Africa have expressed fears that such investment agreements do not create benefits for people, but instead benefit only large corporate interests to the detriment of human rights and democratic institutions.

Discussion about reforming these investment agreements to address some of the fears expressed across the world have begun. But the question remains whether the reform efforts, as they are being framed, will be sufficient to ensure that international investment will not infringe on people’s rights and will enhance the enjoyment of human rights such as access to an adequate standard of living, food, water, medical care and education.

The 19 October invitation-only meeting will look at whether a human rights perspective could help to ensure that reform efforts hit the mark. It will also address what research is needed to bring human rights to play meaningfully into the discussions about international investment reform and what role human rights advocates could play. A short note will be published on the Hub to provide the IHR Project’s reflections from the […]

The LSE IHRP has released its Guide to Implementing the UN Guiding Principles in Investment Policymaking. The web versions are now available in English, Spanish and Bahasa Indonesia.

Guide in English, PDF, 1MB

Guide in Spanish, PDF, 1MB

Guide in Bahasa Indonesia, PDF, 1MB

This Guide:

Aims to help States better implement their State duty to protect (DtP) under the UN Guiding Principles for 
Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) across investment policymaking.
Highlights why investment policymaking should be a priority area for UNGP implementation.
Offers a practical Guide to implementation by (i) mapping the diverse State functions, instruments and actors 
that are relevant throughout the life cycle of an investment project; (ii) presenting six key issues that are most
 relevant for implementing the UNGPs in investment policymaking; and (iii) providing ideas and examples of
 measures for State implementation.
Is intended for government officials who are involved in all stages of investment policymaking and for those
 leading the implementation of the UNGPs; it is also intended for use by civil society, business enterprises and
 other stakeholders who can contribute to improving the ability of States to protect human rights in the context 
of investment.

IHRP work on the UNGPs and Investment Policymaking:

This Guide is one outcome of a larger IHRP research and capacity building project on the implementation of the UNGPs in investment policymaking. In late 2015, the IHRP hosted workshops and dialogues in Colombia and Indonesia. The in-country work was aimed at providing recommendations for integrating investment policymaking in the respective National Action Plans on business and human rights (NAPs). The work was coordinated with the officials in each country leading on the development and implementation of the NAPs. Each workshop explored how the UNGPs apply to investment policymaking, and what this implies in […]