Catalonia establishes a new Centre for Business and Human Rights

The Parliament of Catalonia has approved the creation of the Catalan Centre for Business and Human Rights, following more than a decade of advocacy led by Lafede.cat and the Catalan Platform for Peace and Human Rights in Colombia. NOVACT has been part of this collective effort from the outset through Lafede.cat’s Business and Human Rights Working Group.

The Parliament of Catalonia has passed the law establishing the Catalan Centre for Business and Human Rights, a new public body tasked with preventing, investigating, assessing and monitoring potential human rights and environmental abuses linked to business activities.

The approval marks the culmination of more than ten years of advocacy led by Lafede.cat and the Catalan Platform for Peace and Human Rights in Colombia. Through Lafede.cat’s Business and Human Rights Working Group, NOVACT has contributed to advancing this initiative alongside around twenty civil society organisations working to establish a public accountability mechanism for corporate human rights abuses in Catalonia.

A new public accountability mechanism

The Catalan Centre for Business and Human Rights will be able to receive complaints from affected individuals and communities, investigate alleged abuses, produce reports and issue recommendations to strengthen the protection of human rights and the environment in relation to business activities.

Its creation represents an important step towards strengthening public mechanisms to prevent corporate impunity and support communities affected by business-related human rights and environmental harms.

A new phase begins

With the law now approved, the next stage is to establish the Centre and make it fully operational. The coming months will be crucial to formally set up the institution and provide it with the resources needed to carry out the responsibilities assigned to it under the new legislation.