UN lists 214 firms from 11 countries over activities in Israeli settlements

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has listed 214 companies from 11 countries in its database of firms involved in specific activities within Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, urging these companies to take action to address the negative human rights impacts linked to their operations.

In a report updating the database established in 2020 at the request of the Human Rights Council, the office said it had added 61 companies to the list and removed five after determining there were reasonable grounds to believe those firms were no longer engaged in the activities under review.

The update focuses on companies operating in agriculture, transport, storage, waste management, energy, food, and hospitality sectors, following a public call for information issued by the office in 2024. The office reviewed information on 215 companies last year and 126 more this year, and continues to assess data on firms not yet covered by the report’s findings.

The report noted that the office’s assessment centers on impacts related to the right of Palestinians to self-determination, and does not evaluate the effects of company activities on other human rights due to limited resources.

Company involvement was classified into three categories based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: causing the impact, contributing to it, or being directly linked to it.

According to the office, 200 of the listed companies contribute to negative impacts on the right to self-determination, while 14 are directly linked to such impacts. No company was found to have directly caused the impact.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said: "The report reminds companies of their human rights responsibilities and the expectation that they exercise due diligence to ensure they are not involved in human rights violations or abuses."

The report also reaffirmed that states are obligated to take judicial, administrative, legislative, or other appropriate measures to ensure effective remedies for those affected, in accordance with international law, in cases related to business activities within their territory or jurisdiction.

Israeli companies make up the vast majority of those listed. The other companies are based in the United States (8), Spain (3), the United Kingdom (2), France (2), China (2), South Africa, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, and Mexico (one company each).