What the BBC didn’t say about workers in Bangladesh

Photo via Unsplash, Yaopey Yong The BBC's recent Panorama investigation, Dying for a Bargain, brought welcome attention to the issue of workers' rights in the Bangladesh garment sector, where more than 1,100 people recently died in the collapse of a garment factory at Rana Plaza. It rightly pointed out that up to a million people work in … Continue reading What the BBC didn’t say about workers in Bangladesh

Three reasons why the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights should prioritise gender

  This week the UK government takes the historic step of becoming one of the first institutions to make an official statement on how companies should operationalize the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, more commonly known as the Ruggie Principles. Leading the process to formalize the ambitious but sometimes vague standards laid … Continue reading Three reasons why the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights should prioritise gender

The evolution of multi-stakeholder initiatives: Lessons for the Bangladesh garment sector

Photo via Unsplash, Sazzad Bin Jafor In the months since the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh sparked a drive to address worker health and safety in the garment sector, I’ve been suffering a severe case of déjà vu. Here’s how it has played out: high-profile exposure of human rights abuses, coupled with intense lobbying … Continue reading The evolution of multi-stakeholder initiatives: Lessons for the Bangladesh garment sector

Preventing another Rana Plaza: Mapping the path forward

Photo via Unsplash, Nicola Fioravanti This week American stakeholders announced the formation of the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety and signatories to the European Fire and Building Safety Accord released their Implementation Plan. While both agreements represent steps in the right direction, to address the root causes of the Rana Plaza disaster, both initiatives must … Continue reading Preventing another Rana Plaza: Mapping the path forward