The spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, said an update was issued to the database of business enterprises involved in certain activities relating to settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. ‘Those of you who have been following this issue closely will recall that the UN Human Rights Council, in a resolution in 2016, mandated our Office to produce a database of business enterprises involved in such activities. We subsequently issued a report in 2018 on the methodology used, and then a report in 2020 containing the database itself,’ said the Spokesperson in a statement. ‘The 2020 report identified 112 business entities which we had reasonable grounds to conclude were involved in one or more of the specific activities referenced in the HRC resolution. While the resolution calls for annual updating, no regular resources were provided for that purpose, limiting our ability to undertake further work. However, a number of companies continued to engage with us, seeking their removal from the database,’ said the statement. The spokesperson explained that reasonable grounds were found for the removal of 15 business enterprises on the basis that they were ceasing or were no longer involved in one or more of the listed activities in the OPT. The UN high commissioner expressed hope that this would serve as a tool for constructive engagement to ensure full compliance with obligations and responsibilities under international human rights law. ‘The High Commissioner expresses hope for it to become a tool that could be used in other country contexts too.’

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA