• World Bank: Uphold Rights
    Press release
    Nov 15, 2012
    The World Bank should incorporate human rights in its revised policies as a key component of fulfilling its mission to eradicate poverty. A new review of the World Bank’s environmental and social policies, known as the “safeguard” policies, begins with a consultation meeting in Washington, DC on November 15, 2012.
  • Equatorial Guinea: Lawyer Detained, Denied Visits
    Press release
    Oct 25, 2012
    Authorities in Equatorial Guinea have arbitrarily detained the prominent lawyer Fabián Nsue Nguema in Black Beach prison in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, and are refusing to allow him visitors. Nsue’s wife told Human Rights Watch that she was twice refused when she asked to see her husband but that prison authorities had privately confirmed to her that he is being held there.
  • Equatorial Guinea: Human Rights Lawyer ‘Disappeared’
    Press release
    Oct 24, 2012
    The authorities in Equatorial Guinea should immediately investigate the alleged enforced disappearance of a top human rights lawyer who has been unaccounted for since the evening of October 22, 2012.
  • World Bank Support for “Development” by Force
    Commentary
    Oct 11, 2012
    Ethiopia remains in much need of development aid, particularly in the areas of food security, health, and education. But donors need to hold true to their own policies to ensure that they don’t fund harmful projects, directly or indirectly.
  • UN Human Rights Council: HRW's Submission for Canada's Universal Periodic Review
    Written statement
    Oct 10, 2012
    This submission, drawn from recent Human Rights Watch research, focuses on four areas of concern regarding Canada’s human rights record: violence against indigenous women and girls, counterterrorism, abuses related to the extractives industry, and the use of cluster munitions. It also examines Canada’s adherence to commitments made in response to its first Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2009.
  • Bangladesh: Tanneries Harm Workers, Poison Communities
    Press release
    Oct 8, 2012
    Workers in many leather tanneries in the Hazaribagh neighborhood of Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital, including children as young as 11, become ill because of exposure to hazardous chemicals and are injured in horrific workplace accidents, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The tanneries, which export hundreds of millions of dollars in leather for luxury goods throughout the world, spew pollutants into surrounding communities.
  • Recommendations for the Asian Development Bank in Drafting Re-engagement Strategy for Burma
    Letter
    Oct 7, 2012
    As the ADB re-engages in Burma, it has a rare opportunity to shape the development agenda by pressing for enhanced transparency, accountability, and respect for human rights. Experience has shown that if these reforms do not take place early in a transition, they are much more difficult to achieve later on. The ADB should ensure the right sequence, priorities, and safeguards for its programs in Burma.
  • Letter to the World Bank Group Regarding Re-engagement with Burma
    Letter
    Oct 3, 2012
    We write to you to share our recommendations for the World Bank Group as it re-engages with Burma. The Group has a rare opportunity to shape the development agenda in Burma by pressing for enhanced transparency, accountability, and respect for human rights through the re-engagement process. Experience elsewhere has shown that if these reforms do not take place early in a transition, they are much more difficult to achieve later on. The Group should ensure the proper sequencing, priorities, and safeguards for its programs in Burma.
  • Public Comment on the US Reporting Requirements for Investment in Burma
    Commentary
    Oct 3, 2012

    Human Rights Watch welcomes the opportunity to comment on the “Reporting Requirements on Responsible Investment in Burma.” This submission supplements a joint comment by United States and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and a coalition comment by the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR), which Human Rights Watch also endorses.

  • Joint Comment on the Reporting Requirements on Responsible Investment in Burma
    Commentary
    Oct 3, 2012
    The undersigned United States and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are pleased to submit a public comment regarding the “Reporting Requirements on Responsible Investment in Burma.” Many of our organizations have expressed concerns about the scope and timing of the US government decision to permit new investment in Burma and argued for stronger requirements to be imposed on American companies in view of serious, ongoing human rights and corruption concerns. We nevertheless support the reporting requirements as a valuable–if incomplete and imperfect–means to help advance human rights and political reform, consistent with the US government’s longstanding foreign policy priorities in Burma.