Oil and mining in violent places: why voluntary codes for companies don’t guarantee human rights

This paper investigates the extent to which private companies operating in conflict zones can contribute to Human Rights abuses. In addressing this issue, it focuses on four voluntary frameworks – the UN Global Compact, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the Global Reporting Initiative and, most relevantly, the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights.The research finds that:

it is clear from the numerous cases where extractive companies have been blamed for complicity in human rights abuses, there are grounds for serious concern about the human rights implications of companies’ operations
in response to this, many major extractive companies have signed up to voluntary human rights frameworks of the kind described in this briefing paper
as an attempt to offer a comprehensive and credible answer, they have so far failed as no voluntary framework deals adequately with the vital issue of material support by companies to armed groups.

The authors conclude that there needs to be an enforceable international standard which ensures that a company discloses any material support to state security forces or other armed groups and shows that such support has been provided to meet an explicit legal requirement.