[{"bbox": [98, 151, 1151, 310], "category": "Text", "text": "gravely affect human rights protection. They, thus, must work with the State to ensure the protection and promotion of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. In addition, a burgeoning workforce of 60 million people in Pakistan and the harsh human rights conditions they are subjected to underscore the need for BHR in the country. Although Pakistan has promulgated a number of laws under its international obligations to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other international human rights bodies, numerous cases have been documented that demonstrate human rights violations in the business context."}, {"bbox": [136, 310, 1151, 469], "category": "List-item", "text": "a. Human rights are adversely affected by a wide range of business activities in Pakistan. Examples include, but are not limited to, forced or bonded labour and child labour; discrimination and harassment against women and other vulnerable or marginalised communities in the workplace; poor implementation of labour standards; displacement and violation of land rights of rural, displaced and indigenous communities; high levels of environmental damage; and, the predominance of informal working arrangements in the economy which further contribute to increased labour and human rights violations."}, {"bbox": [136, 469, 1151, 572], "category": "List-item", "text": "b. The most significant flaw in Pakistan's domestic framework from a BHR perspective is the lack of a legislative requirement to conduct human rights due diligence in business activity. Due to gaps in legislation and the lack of enforcement of existing laws, the country lacks a regulatory environment, which fails to keep businesses in check."}, {"bbox": [136, 575, 1151, 628], "category": "List-item", "text": "c. Pakistan's business community appears to have a limited understanding of human and labour rights, which impacts corporate entities' implementation of human rights."}, {"bbox": [136, 628, 1151, 681], "category": "List-item", "text": "d. The problem is exasperated by insufficient funding for the NHRIs charged with protecting and promoting human rights to fulfil their mandate and hold businesses accountable for their actions."}, {"bbox": [98, 681, 1151, 894], "category": "Text", "text": "Pakistan's GSP+ status, which the EU granted in exchange for improving compliance with 27 core international conventions pertaining to human rights, labour, corruption and the environment, is contingent upon implementing these conventions. According to the development principle of \"do no harm,\" it is essential to ensure that the economic benefits of GSP+ are implemented responsibly. In this action, safety standards will be strengthened by supporting the development of normative environments and legal protection mechanisms for private sector workers. In addition, the action will support the implementation of the first National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights and its nexus with environmental access to justice in close coordination with the Ministry of Human Rights and other key government and private sector stakeholders."}, {"bbox": [98, 919, 652, 945], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Natural disasters and national response/redress mechanisms."}, {"bbox": [98, 972, 1151, 1079], "category": "Text", "text": "Pakistan faces several **environmental challenges**, including air pollution, water pollution, and water scarcity. Today, Pakistan is amongst the top ten countries identified as hotspots for climate impact¹¹ – ranking eighth globally and second-to-worst in South Asia, narrowly behind Bangladesh. Climate change will only intensify these challenges, highlighting the need for urgent action to protect the environment and its impacts on human well-being."}, {"bbox": [98, 1105, 1151, 1288], "category": "Text", "text": "The devastating 2022 floods have disproportionately affected the most vulnerable, including women and minorities. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan, between June and August 2022, approximately 33 million people – that is, one in seven – have been affected by a combination of riverine, urban, and flash flooding, including 8 million displaced. Out of the 25 poorest districts in Pakistan, 19 were calamity affected in the provinces of Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Post-disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) 2022 report estimates total damages to the tune of EUR 15.3 billion and total economic loss of about EUR 15.6 billion.¹²"}, {"bbox": [98, 1317, 1151, 1476], "category": "Text", "text": "PDNA 2022 further estimates that 15.7 per cent of people in calamity-hit districts lacked access to electricity, compared to 9.3 per cent nationally. The post-flood scenario impacts the entire landscape of SDG prioritisation of the government of Pakistan. SDGs agenda is essentially based on the principles that ‘seek to realise the human rights of all. More than 90 per cent of the targets reflect elements of international human rights and labour standards.’¹³ The pledge to “leave no one behind” mirrors the fundamental human rights principles of non-discrimination and equality. A unified mechanism for expediting the redress of fundamental rights does not exist for the affected"}, {"bbox": [147, 1514, 1047, 1553], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹¹ See: D. Eckstein, V. Künzel, L. Schäfer, Global Climate Risk Index 2021. Who Suffers Most from Extreme Weather Events? Weather-Related Loss Events in 2019 and 2000-2019"}, {"bbox": [147, 1553, 918, 1593], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹² “Pakistan Floods 2022: Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) - Main Report”, UNDP Pakistan, October 2022\nhttps://www.undp.org/pakistan/publications/pakistan-floods-2022-post-disaster-needs-assessment-pdna-main-report"}, {"bbox": [147, 1593, 1077, 1631], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹³ “Human Rights and SDGs – two sides of the same coin”, Sarah Rattray, July 5, 2019, https://www.undp.org/blog/human-rights-and-sdgs-two-sides-same-coin"}, {"bbox": [1069, 1639, 1083, 1661], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "7"}]