Ramallah:The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has released an updated report on its database of companies involved in activities within Israeli colonial settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territory. The list now includes 214 companies from 11 countries.
According to Palestine news & Information Agency, the database was initially created following a mandate from the United Nations Human Rights Council and was first published in 2020, with subsequent updates in 2023 and 2025. The latest report identifies companies engaged in activities such as agriculture, transportation, storage, waste management, energy, food, and hospitality services.
The OHCHR received data on 596 companies after a public call for submissions in 2024. Last year's report reviewed 215 business enterprises, and this year's update evaluated an additional 126 companies. Of these, 61 were added to the list, while five previously listed firms were removed due to cessation of relevant activities.
This update provides detailed information on each company's involvement in adverse human rights impacts, categorized into three levels by the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights 'causing,' 'contributing,' and 'directly linked.' The assessment focuses on the impact on the right to self-determination, with 200 companies contributing to adverse impacts and 14 directly linked without a causal relationship.
The report emphasizes the responsibility of businesses to respect human rights and undertake due diligence to avoid involvement in human rights violations. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Trk highlighted the importance of business enterprises addressing adverse human rights impacts in their operations.
Additionally, the report underscores the necessity for States to ensure effective remedies for those affected by human rights abuses linked to business activities. This update follows other OHCHR reports on commercial interests in conflicts in Sudan and Myanmar.