News release: “Over the last 13 years, governments, major multinational corporations, and non-governmental organizations have worked together in the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights Initiative, in an effort to make sure that when companies extract resources in some of the most difficult places on earth, they take tangible steps to minimize the risk of human rights abuses in the surrounding communities. On March 13-14, 2013 the Government of the Netherlands hosted the Annual Plenary Meeting of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights Initiative in The Hague. At the outset of the meeting, the U.S. Government released our first-ever public report on U.S. efforts to implement the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, in line with our commitment to help make the Voluntary Principles Initiative as transparent as possible.”