July 10, 2018
The Center provides short, in-depth analysis of complicated issues at the intersection of business and human rights.
The Center’s Research in Brief series provides a close study of the implications of business’ operations on human rights. They condense rigorous academic research into new scholarship to reveal a set of facts previously overlooked.
GULF CONSTRUCTION TRACKER: 2017 TRENDS IN CONTRACT AWARDS
The aim of this newly developed Gulf Construction Tracker is to provide a central public online database of new construction projects likely to employ low-wage migrant workers in the Arab Gulf region. It also will provide up-to-date information on the types of projects being awarded and the companies awarding and winning contracts across the region. According to our findings, in 2017 new construction awards in the Gulf totaled at least US$ 88.6 billion in value, with 412 contracts awarded to 296 companies.
NO RIGHTS WITHOUT REMEDIES — AN ASSESSMENT OF CORPORATE REMEDY CHANNELS
We analyzed publicly available information from 369 companies that have made human rights
commitments to assess how many of them have also established grievance mechanisms to
identify and address human rights violations. We found that a quarter of corporations that
publicly committed to respecting human rights lack any means to pursue remedies.
ESTIMATING THE TRUE COST OF REMEDIATING THE READY MADE GARMENT INDUSTRY IN BANGLADESH
Four years after Rana Plaza the majority of factories still have major electrical, structural, and fire safety deficiencies, and the sector lacks adequate funding to resolve them. A starting point in doing so is to develop accurate estimates of the funds needed to remedy the widespread factory safety risks in Bangladesh’s garment sector and a plan to address this current funding gap.
FOREIGN FUNDING COMMITMENTS FOR BANGLADESH’S GARMENT SECTOR
In Bangladesh, over 5 million people work in the $24.5 billion ready-made garment (RMG) industry. In 2013, the collapse of five factories in the Rana Plaza complex killed more than 1,100 garment workers and brought significant international attention from governments, fashion brands, and consumers to the weak system of labor rights protections in Bangladesh. Despite the quarter of a billion dollars in funding committed to improve the industry, progress on fixing factories is slow.
COMPARING RESOURCES OF HUMAN RIGHTS MULTI-STAKEHOLDER INITIATIVES
Multi-stakeholder Initiatives (MSIs) have become the default response to governance gaps in different industry settings, ranging from private security providers to apparel to information and communication technology. To effectively close these gaps, MSIs require resources and capacity to implement the agreements and procedures that their members negotiate.
