He assures that the request is mandatory and that “there is no other scenario” than for companies to comply with it.
The Minister of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030, Pablo Bustinduy, has asked Spanish companies with interests in Israel to adopt all necessary measures to ensure that their activity does not contribute to exacerbating the situation in Gaza, which he has described as ” genocide”.
To this end, as reported by its department in a statement, this Wednesday it has begun to send letters to Spanish companies with prominent economic activity in Israel with a view to guaranteeing that they do not contribute to “the flagrant violations of Human Rights that the State of Israel is being committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the Gaza Strip, against the Palestinian population.
In them, it calls on them to report to the Ministry the evaluations and studies carried out to avoid the main risks of abuse that their activities and business relationships could entail, including consultations with Human Rights experts or with potentially affected groups and other interested parties.
Likewise, Bustinduy urges Spanish companies to be accountable for the measures they are adopting to prevent any negative consequences that their economic activity may cause in the situation that is being experienced in Gaza and the West Bank.
The minister also wants to know the mechanisms and provisions that have been put in place so that consumers have full knowledge of the actions they are carrying out and thus avoid participating directly or indirectly in the serious violations of Human Rights that the Palestinian people are suffering. .
According to its department, “this is an initiative that seeks to find solutions to put an end to the genocide in Palestine and is framed as another action in the political line of the Government of Spain that seeks to recognize the State of Palestine and promote its entry.” as a full member of the UN”.
As an argument, Bustinduy recalls in the letter that on January 26, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to adopt immediate and effective measures to prevent the genocide in the Gaza Strip, as well as the various resolutions of the Security Council and of the United Nations Human Rights Council that have shown that Israeli settlements in the West Bank represent a serious violation of International Law.
One of these latest resolutions, as recalled by the Ministry in its statement, urges States to adopt measures to prevent companies domiciled in Israeli territory and/or under their jurisdiction from refraining from committing serious violations of the Human Rights of Palestinians or contribute to them, in accordance with the standards established in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
These principles, he adds, determine the responsibility of companies to exercise due diligence in matters of Human Rights, identifying, preventing and mitigating the adverse effects of their operations, including in their commercial relationships and value chains. Furthermore, he recalls that these principles are included in the National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights, approved in 2017.
They are also included in the obligations contemplated by the European Directive on due diligence of companies in matters of sustainability, recently approved by the European Parliament and which must be transposed into Spanish legislation within a maximum period of two years.
It stipulates the need to guarantee the right of consumers to have information that allows them to enjoy goods and services that fully respect Human Rights.
Finally, explains the Ministry of Social Rights, Bustinduy’s request also responds to the concern that the Palestinian ambassador to Spain, Husni Abdel Wahed, conveyed to him in the recent meeting they held about the linking of European companies to activities that may have a direct or indirect impact on the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the ongoing genocide.
A REQUEST OF MANDATORY COMPLIANCE
Bustinduy has clarified that the requirement is mandatory and that, as requested by the Government of Spain, “there is no other scenario” other than for companies to respond and explain what measures they adopt to prevent the housing situation in Gaza from worsening. West Bank.
“They have the legal obligation to do so and I am sure that it must be complied with. This will be the case, as I am sure that many of them, if not all, have taken the necessary measures to ensure that this is the case,” the minister stated in a statement. interview on Antena 3, which Europa Press has collected.
For the head of Social Rights and Consumption, the measure is part of “normal activity” and “the responsibilities” that his Ministry has, among which are ensuring that the activity of companies complies “from the beginning of the chain of value until the products reach consumers” that Human Rights are respected “around the world.
