Joint statement on conflict & due diligence legislation
The forthcoming EU due diligence Directive is lacking in its provisions for companies that are active in conflict affected areas and should be amended to align better with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Together with 50+ signatories, IPIS calls for a heightened, conflict-sensitive due diligence process for high-risk areas that includes
New 5-year project aiming to empower communities and civil society to foster justice and human rights in Tanzania’s natural resource sector
In 2022, IPIS launched new work on the human rights impact of the natural resource sector in Tanzania. Our new five-year project “Empowering Tanzanian communities and civil society to foster justice & human rights in natural resource governance” builds on the expertise IPIS has been developing on northern Tanzania’s small- and large-scale mining sector as
Op-ed: Belgium’s inaction on diamond trade with Russia is not justifiable
This op-ed was published in Dutch in De Standaard on April 12, 2022 — Hans Merket The Antwerp diamond hub presents itself as the most ethical in the world. This does not sit well with turning a blind eye on the war in Ukraine. There are no arguments left to justify doing nothing about the
KP CSC Highlights of 2021
At the start of this new year the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition looks back on the previous one with these highlights from 2021
WEBINAR ALERT: Conflict diamonds are real, real talk is rare & affected communities want answers
On 20 October 2021, the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition (KP CSC) is convening its second webinar of 2021 in the conversation on “Conflict diamonds are real, real talk is rare”. IPIS, as part of the KP CSC, is co-hosting this 90-minute webinar. The webinar is an opportunity for the diamond and jewellery industries to
An updated human rights complaint system for Tanzania
Over the past three years, IPIS has been collaborating with Tanzania’s Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG) to create a new system that allows the public to lodge human rights grievances with CHRAGG. This work is part of the EU-funded project “Improving monitoring, research and dialogue on Business and Human Rights in Tanzania”.
Knowing your rights: awareness raising on land and environmental rights and access to justice in rural communities of Tanzania
As part of the EU-funded project “Improving monitoring, research and dialogue on Business and Human Rights in Tanzania”, Business and Human Rights Tanzania (BHRT) has been conducting public education campaigns in remote rural areas of Tanzania. This activity aimed to support individuals and communities affected by or vulnerable to corporate harm to claim their rights
Third Multi-Stakeholder Conference on Business and Human Rights in Tanzania stresses the need for awareness, stakeholder engagement and a National Action Plan
On the 17th of February 2021, around 80 key stakeholders from civil society, communities, business and government agencies from Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar gathered at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Dar es Salaam for the third annual multi-stakeholder conference on Business & Human Rights in Tanzania. This event was organised by the Tanzanian Commission for Human Rights
Discussing Business and Human Rights in Tanzania: stakeholder workshops
On 16 February 2021, Business and Human Rights Tanzania (BHRT), the International Peace Information Service (IPIS) and the Commission for Human Rights and good Goverance (CHRAGG) held a series of bilateral consultations and workshops with civil society and business stakeholders in preparation of the third annual Multi-stakeholder Conference on Business and Human Rights in Tanzania,
Conflict diamonds are real, real talk is rare
IPIS is a member of the Kimberley Process Civil Society Coalition which works for better rights of communities affected by diamond mining. A new video of the Coalition highlights that conflict diamonds are not a thing of the past. The video shows jewelers the testimonies of Progress, Héritier and Ibrahim, community members from Zimbabwe, the
Stakeholder Consultation on the Belgian National Baseline Assessment on Business & Human Rights
On February 10, 2021, HIVA-KU Leuven, The Law and Development Research Group and IPIS will hold a stakeholder consultation on the Belgian National Baseline Assessment on Business & Human Rights. Discover the programme and register here.
Agoria Academy on Supply Chain Due Diligence
On the first of January 2021 the EU Regulation on Responsible Minerals entered into force. It is hence high time for businesses in Europe to prepare for the mandatory due diligence requirements of the Regulation. On 21st of January IPIS delivered a half-day training session to members of Agoria, the federation for the Belgian technology
The relevance of the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation for 3TG producing countries
The EU Conflict Minerals Regulation will come into force on January 1, 2021. From this date, European 3TG importers will need to carry out due diligence to identify, manage and report on risks in their supply chains. Concerned companies, the Member State Competent Authorities, the EU Commission and producing countries all need to make the
Intermediate findings on the Belgian National Baseline Assessment on Business and Human Rights.
On October 29th, researchers from the University of Antwerp, the University of Leuven and IPIS presented their intermediate findings on the Belgian National Baseline Assessment on Business and Human Rights (NBA) during a workshop of the Sustainable Development Goal Forum 2020.
New Website on the Belgian National Baseline Assessment on Business and Human Rights
The website on the Belgian National Baseline Assessment on business and human rights (NBA) informs stakeholders on the NBA process, timeline and methodology.
Second multi-stakeholder dialogue on Business and Human Rights in Tanzania urges focus on “the human rights impact of large infrastructure projects”.
Dar es Salaam, 18 March 2020 For the second time, Business and Human Rights Tanzania (BHRT), the Tanzanian Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG) and the International Peace Information Service (IPIS) brought together key stakeholders from civil society, the business community and various government agencies from Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar for an annual
Conflict diamond certification scheme unable and unwilling to reform
“Conflict diamond certification scheme unable and unwilling to reform” Today, another three-year reform cycle of the Kimberley Process came to an end without meaningful change. Participating states could only find consensus on insignificant changes to the scope and governance of the scheme. They once again failed to effectively protect communities in diamond mining areas from
11 December 2019 – IPIS presents “The social, economic and human rights impact of mining: the case of Tanzania”
IPIS kindly invites you to a presentation of its work on mapping the social, economic and human rights impact of mining in Tanzania. IPIS will present the results of its wide-scale mobile data collection on artisanal and industrial mining in northwest Tanzania. This presentation will shed light on the nature, scope and impact of mining
Launch of the second “Voices from Tanzania” series: Business and Human Rights studies with a focus on land rights and environment
In 2019, Business and Human Rights Tanzania (BHRT), the Tanzanian Commission of Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG) and the International Peace Information Service (IPIS) will collaborate again with Tanzanian civil society organisations in its partner series “Voices from Tanzania”. In its the first volume , the “Voices from Tanzania” publication covered a diverse range
“All eyes on the Kimberley Process for desperately needed reform on conflict diamonds”
Civil society calls on Participants to take their responsibility in preventing diamond-related conflict This week saw the end of the 2019 intersessional meeting of the Kimberley Process (KP) chaired by India. The week-long conference was the scene of discussions among delegates on the possibility of expanding the Kimberley Process’ scope to ensure that the scheme