Joint Statement of Non-Governmental Organizations on Results of the January 2006 Plenary Session
 We, the undersigned nongovernmental organizations, are deeply disappointed with the inability to finalize participation criteria at the last Plenary.
The Voluntary Principles process is at a critical crossroads and its long-term sustainability and credibility are contingent on the implementation of these criteria as a minimum but essential measure of adherence by participants. We strongly encourage the Plenary, Steering Committee, and the relevant working groups to quickly and expeditiously develop robust reporting guidelines on the implementation of the Principles, and an effective process for appointing investigative panels and recommending remedial measures for noncompliance. These systems should be operational by 2007 at the latest, must affirm the importance of all three institutions represented in the Plenary, and should be intended to maximize the effective implementation of the Principles in order to avoid complicity in human rights abuses.
We will cautiously support the revised criteria as circulated on February 2, 2006-and are comfortable with the deletion of the phrase "In the case of a current participant" as proposed by several members of the Plenary. However, continued progress in these areas, particularly in implementation and reporting, largely determine whether we can continue to participate in the process in the long term.
Amnesty International
The Fund for Peace
Human Rights First
Human Rights Watch
International Alert
Oxfam America
Pax Christi
02/16/06
US-UK Voluntary Principles on Security and
Human Rights
Throughout 2000, representatives from the U.S.
Department of State and the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth
Office met with oil, mining and energy companies, together
with human rights, labor and corporate responsibility groups,
to develop a set of Voluntary Principles on Security and Human
Rights. These principles are designed to provide practical
guidance that will strengthen human rights safeguards in company
security arrangements in the extractive sector. They are the
basis of a global standard for the extractive sector. The
Principles are the first set of guidelines of their sort for
this sector. They address three areas of mutual concern to
both companies and NGOs:
- Engagement with private security
- Engagement with public security
- Risk assessment supporting security arrangements
consistent with human rights
Participants involved in this initiative
are: Human Rights First , Human Rights Watch,
Amnesty International, International Alert, Chevron, Texaco,
Freeport McMoran, Conoco, Shell, BP, Rio Tinto, Fund for Peace,
Council on Economic Priorities, Business for Social Responsibility,
the International Business Leaders Forum and the International
Federation of Chemical, Mine and General Workers’ Unions.
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