UN leaders urge companies relying on shipping supply chains to undertake urgent measures to protect seafarers’ rights
New due diligence tool aims to help businesses uphold their responsibility to protect human rights at sea as new COVID variants threaten to further delay crew
May 06, 2021 09:59 ET | Source: United Nations Global Compact United Nations Global Compact New York, New York, UNITED STATES
New York, NY, May 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 6 May 2021 A wide-ranging human rights checklist has today been issued to business enterprises engaged with the maritime industry to protect seafarers stranded on ships due to new COVID-19 variants and government-imposed travel restrictions, under a joint initiative by the UN Global Compact, the UN Human Rights Office, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 6 May 2021
A wide-ranging human rights checklist has today been issued to business enterprises engaged with the maritime industry to protect seafarers stranded on ships due to new COVID-19 variants and government-imposed travel restrictions, under a joint initiative by the UN Global Compact, the UN Human Rights Office, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The Human Rights Due Diligence Tool for cargo owners and charterers has been issued amid concerns that the number of crew stranded working beyond their contracts at sea by COVID-19 restrictions could surge from the current level of 200,000, potentially returning to the peak of 400,000 seafarers at the height of the crew change crisis in September 2020. UN agencies hope the new guidance will help ensure that the working conditions and human rights of seafarers are respected and comply with international standards.
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METRO reveals challenges in human rights due diligence: ‘Our value chain is not as straightforward as other sectors’ By Flora Southey One of the key challenges in achieving ‘equitable working conditions’ throughout the international wholesaler’s procurement channels lies in the complexity of METRO’s supply chain, explains Public Policy Manager Illa Brockmeyer.
International wholesaler METRO means big business. While headquartered in Germany, METRO also operates in Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Russia, and Asia. Last fiscal year, the company turned over around €25bn.
As an international distribution company, human rights due diligence is already a ‘core element’ of its sustainability strategy, explained Illa Brockmeyer, Public Policy Manager at METRO AG.
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Kakuzi is taking allegations into human rights abuse that has characterised its operations in the recent past with caution.
The firm’s Managing Director Chris Flowers says the board is working to establish a high-level Independent Human Rights Advisory Committee (IHRAC) whose role will be to provide independent advice to the board on matters relating to human rights and governance structures.
In October last year, 79 Kenyans sued Kakuzi parent company Camellia Plc in the United Kingdom (UK) for allegedly turning blind eye to systematic human rights abuse by Kakuzi Ltd employees in Kenya that include rape, killings, attacks, false imprisonment and mistreatment for 11 years.
Kakuzi moots committee to address human rights abuses standardmedia.co.ke - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from standardmedia.co.ke Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.