Joint Civil Society Letter to the High Commissioner for Human Rights

UN Photo/Mark Garten

Mar 23,2020

Ms. Michelle Bachelet

High Commissioner for Human Rights

Palais Wilson – United Nations

Geneva, Switzerland
March 17, 2020

Dear Madam High Commissioner,

The undersigned organizations commend you and your Office for the publication of the United Nations (UN) database of businesses engaged in activities related to Israeli settlements (database) in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), ahead of the 43rd Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), almost four years since the establishment of the mandate. The database’s release demonstrates the commitment of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to upholding human rights standards and the rule of law in pursuit of justice and accountability for oppressed persons, groups and peoples around the world, while reaffirming OHCHR’s independence and impartiality in the face of undue political pressure. We reaffirm our continued support to the independent work of the OHCHR.

Our organizations welcome the release of the database, although not comprehensive in scope, as a critical first step toward the fulfilment of Human Rights Council resolution 31/36 (2016), which strongly indicates that the OHCHR will question the role of business enterprises within the context of rapid illegal settlement expansion. It also indicates that the OHCHR will question Israel’s ongoing consolidation of its unlawful annexation of occupied East Jerusalem and de facto annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank in breach of international law and human rights standards. To this end, the database’s release sets an important precedent by establishing a tangible mechanism strengthening the implementation of international law, particularly in relation to State obligations and the responsibility of businesses to respect international law and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), including in situations of conflict and occupation.

As our organizations strongly welcome the long overdue release of the database, we also reiterate the importance of fulfilling the mandate of HRC resolution 31/36 in its entirety; i.e., to ensure the annual update of the database within the framework of the OHCHR. The undersigned organizations are committed to supporting such annual updates through increased transparency and engagement from your office in order to ensure that the database is a living and public document, which serves as a platform for transparency and positively incentivizes corporations to end their activities and relationships with Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise.

We look forward to continuing to work with the OHCHR, with a view toward ending corporate impunity for profiting from grave breaches of international law.

Sincerely,

  1. 11.11.11
  2. Addameer
  3. Al Mezan
  4. Al-Haq
  5. Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ)
  6. Article 1 Collective
  7. Association Belgo-Palestinienne WB
  8. Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS)
  9. Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID)
  10. AssoPacePalestina
  11. BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
  12. Belady Organization for Human Rights
  13. Broederlijk Delen
  14. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
  15. Center for Constitutional Rights
  16. Center for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights “Hurryyat”
  17. Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)
  18. Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem (CCPRJ)
  19. CNCD – 11.11.11
  20. Collectif Judéo Arabe et Citoyen pour la Palestine (CJACP)
  21. Community Action Center – Al Quds University
  22. Conectas Direitos Humanos
  23. Dawlaty
  24. De-Colonizer
  25. Defender Center for Human Rights
  26. EMCEMO
  27. Euromed Rights
  28. Gate 48
  29. Gibanje za pravice Palestincev, Slovenia
  30. Gulf Centre for Human Rights
  31. Housing and Land Rights Network – Habitat International Coalition
  32. Human Rights and Democracy Media Center (SHAMS)
  33. Human Rights Initiative Women in Black (Vienna), Austria
  34. International Accountability Project
  35. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
  36. International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
  37. Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign
  38. Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center
  39. Jewish Voice for Peace
  40. Jurists Without Chains
  41. Libyan Center for Freedom of the Press
  42. MIR-France, in English : IFOR (International Fellowship of Reconciliation)-France
  43. Movement against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples (MRAP)
  44. Mwatana for Human Rights
  45. Nederlands Palestina Komitee
  46. Norwegian People’s Aid
  47. One Justice for Human Rights
  48. Oxfam
  49. Palestina Solidariteit vzw (Belgium)
  50. Palestine Link
  51. Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)
  52. Palestinian Counseling Centre (PCC)
  53. Palestinian Human Rights Organisations Council (PHROC)
  54. Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisations Network (PNGO)
  55. PAX
  56. Pax Christi Vlaanderen
  57. Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine
  58. Première Urgence Internationale
  59. Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies (RCHRS)
  60. SolSoc
  61. Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Researches
  62. Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression
  63. Syrian Network for Human Rights
  64. Syrians for Truth and Justice-STJ
  65. The Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO)
  66. The European Trade Union Network for Justice in Palestine
  67. The Land Defense Coalition & The Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Campaign (Stop the Wall)
  68. The Libyan Network for Legal Aid
  69. The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH)
  70. The Rights Forum
  71. Tiye International
  72. Trócaire
  73. Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC)
  74. US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
  75. Vrede vzw, Belgium
  76. Women Defenders Network
  77. Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
  78. Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC)