Stern Center for Biz and Human Rights Writes to Obama Admin.

The directors of the Center for Business and Human Rights at the New York University Stern School of Business wrote to President Obama after his administration announced that it would begin the process of writing a national action plan to examine the impact of business on global human rights. In a letter to President Obama, the authors urged the administration to look closely at certain sectors that are at particularly high risk for human rights violations including information technology, private security contracting and extractives and mining.

The letter also called for the U.S. Agency on International Development (USAID) to consider its role in assisting U.S. companies looking to protect human rights in the global supply chain.

The NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights is working to challenge and empower companies and future business leaders to make practical progress on human rights. In its first year, the Center convened U.S. companies and manufacturing industry leaders from Bangladesh to discuss persistent safety problems in the wake of one of the deadliest industrial disasters in history.

The Center recently began a research project into the human rights risks and responsibilities of technology companies operating in markets with repressive rights records and the collection and treatment of individuals’ data by those same companies.

The letter to the President included six themes and questions that the directors believe that the President should address in order to advance the respect of human rights from U.S and foreign companies. The themes suggested ranged from electronics and mining and the role of industry associations in advancing respect for human rights by U.S. companies to business and human rights in Myanmar.

regions: New York City

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