UN "Human Rights" Council Adopts Resolution Promoting BDS

The UN's top human rights body, the Human Rights Council, concluded the final day of its main annual session on March 24, 2017 by adopting a resolution entitled "Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan." It was one of 5 anti-Israel resolutions adopted in a single day. By comparison, only one resolution was adopted by the Council for each of Iran, Syria and North Korea.

The resolution, submitted by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, was adopted by the UN Human Rights Council by a vote of 36 in favor (Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burundi, China, Congo, Cote D'Ivoire, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela), 2 against (Togo, United States), 9 abstentions (Albania, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Panama, Paraguay, Rwanda, United Kingdom).

The resolution includes the following:

"The Human Rights Council,
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13. Calls upon all States:
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(c) To provide guidance to individuals and businesses on the financial, reputational and legal risks, including the possibility of liability for corporate involvement in gross human rights abuses and the abuses of the rights of individuals, of becoming involved in settlement-related activities, including through financial transactions, investments, purchases, procurements, loans, the provision of services, and other economic and financial activities in or benefiting Israeli settlements, to inform businesses of these risks in the formulation of their national action plans for the implementation of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and to ensure that their policies, legislation, regulations and enforcement measures effectively address the heightened risks of operating a business in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem;
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14. Calls upon business enterprises to take all necessary measures to comply with their responsibilities under the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and other relevant international laws and standards with respect to their activities in or in relation to the Israeli settlements and the wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and to avoid contributing to the establishment, maintenance, development or consolidation of Israeli settlements or the exploitation of natural resources of the Occupied Palestinian Territory;"