Upcoming events
Launch of the U.S. Government's National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct
On March 25, the US will officially launch its revised and updated National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct. Hosted by Georgetown University Law Center, this program involves a number of BHRLA members including Executive Officer Meg Roggensack. See the flyer for more information including registration link.
The Role of Business Lawyers in Promoting Respect for Human Rights by Businesses
LALIVE is a founding member of the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association
Together with the UN Global Compact Network Switzerland & Liechtenstein we are delighted to invite you to the first Zurich BHRLA event to discuss
The role of business lawyers in promoting respect for human rights by businesses
Monday, 4 March 2024, 4:45pm-8pm
Venue: LALIVE, Stampfenbachplatz 4, 8006 Zurich
To register please email conference@lalive.law
(Please note this event will be in English)
As advisors to their clients and economic actors, lawyers and law firms must respect human rights and play a central role in helping businesses do the same. Leading professional associations, such as the International Bar Association and the Council of European Bars (CCBE), have published guidelines for lawyers, law firms and bar associations on how to meet the challenge. These guidelines are all aligned with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP), which are reflected in the principles of the UN Global Compact, which also aims to raise business awareness and encourage them to act in favour of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
This event will be an opportunity to learn about the initiatives led by lawyers, law firms and bar associations to promote respect for human rights and about the activities of the UN Global Compact Network Switzerland & Liechtenstein which can be a catalyst for such initiatives.
The panellists will discuss emerging legislation to mandate human rights due diligence included but not limited to the Swiss law and- as of this writing- the agreement on an EU-wide Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive covering human rights and the environment.
Agenda:
4:45pm: Registration
5pm: Welcome address and introduction by Daniel Lucien Bühr, Partner, LALIVE
5:15pm: Presentation of the UN Global Compact Network Switzerland & Liechtenstein by Executive Director, Antonio Hautle
5:30: Panel discussion followed by Q&A chaired by Simone Nadelhofer, Partner, LALIVE, with
Prof. Dr Kern Alexander, University of Zurich, Chair for Law and Finance
Antonio Hautle, Executive Director, UNGC Network Switzerland & Liechtenstein
Christoph von Toggenburg, Holcim, Group Head of Human Rights and Social Impact
6:30pm: Closing remarks by Matthias Gstoehl, Partner, LALIVE
6:35pm – 8pm: Drinks and Apéro Riche
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The BHRLA was established to inspire and advance business and human rights leadership, learning, collaboration and practice among commercial law firms and business lawyers around the world. We are keen to expand and broaden our membership and participation across the commercial legal sector. For more information on the BHRLA and how to join, please see our website here.
How can mandatory due diligence measures advance efforts to promote business respect for human rights?
Celebrating the First Anniversary of the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association
The Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations is pleased to invite you to a reception and debate on emerging mandatory human rights due diligence measures, and prospects for strengthening business respect for human rights.
John Ruggie, chief architect of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, recognized the need for a “smart mix” of tools to support uptake and integration of the UN Guiding Principles. Initial efforts focused on “soft law” approaches; a decade on, governments are now adopting legislation in this space. The European Union is finalizing a directive making human rights and environmental due diligence mandatory and Germany, France and Norway have passed similar laws; the US, Canada and Mexico have implemented bans on imports of products made with forced labor, with other jurisdictions considering similar.
A panel of legal experts and policymakers will debate these emerging trends and implications for corporate practice, with audience participation.
Date: 27 November 2023
Location: Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, Avenue de l'Ariana 5 1202, Geneve
Timings (local time):
18:15‐18:30 ‐ Reception
18:30‐18:45 ‐ Opening Remarks by Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations, Patricia McCullagh
18:45‐19:30 – Debate
Please note that government ID is required for entry
RSVP to GENEV.RSVP@international.gc.ca
THE GREAT DEBATE: Will mandatory due diligence measures represent the “end of the beginning”, or the “beginning of the end” of efforts to promote corporate respect for human rights?
Time: 8am PST; 11am EDT; 4pm BST; 5pm CEST
Join us for this virtual event, sponsored by the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association. Register by emailing Sarah.Mealing@cliffordchance.com.
In 2011, following the unanimous endorsement of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (“UNGPs”) by the UN Human Rights Council, its chief architect John Ruggie declared “the end of the beginning.”
He acknowledged that the UNGPs were not intended as a solution to all human rights problems, but rather as a common framework and set of normative standards.
A decade on, a new approach has emerged. The European Union is in the last stage of negotiations on a directive making human rights and environmental due diligence mandatory; Germany, Norway and France have passed similar laws in recent years, and the U.S., Canada and Mexico have implemented bans on imports of products made with forced labor, with other jurisdictions considering similar bans.
Join the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association (“BHRLA”) for an “Oxford-style” debate, on one of the business and human rights field’s central questions: whether emerging mandatory human rights due diligence measures represent a step forward, or a step back, in efforts to promote business respect for human rights.
Do these initiatives represent the “end of the beginning” in the evolution of business and human rights—marking the next stage in the field’s progress—or are they “the beginning of the end”, signaling a narrower, less holistic approach to advancing business respect for human rights – and one that is less likely to prevent and address adverse impacts on people?
Ten debaters, representing commercial and in house legal counsel, consultancies, civil society and academia, will tackle this question in an Oxford-style debate.
Our moderator is Marti Flacks, Director, Human Rights Initiative, Center for Strategic and International Studies.
FOR the proposition that the CSDDD is the “end of the beginning”:
Sarah Altschuller, Global Head, Business and Human Rights, Verizon
Jon Drimmer, Partner, Paul Hastings LLP
Dunstan Allison-Hope, Vice President, Human Rights, Business for Social Responsibility
Marian Ingrams, Director, OECD Watch
Meg Roggensack, Executive Officer, BHRLA
AGAINST the proposition, arguing that the CSDDD is the “beginning of the end”:
Yousuf Aftab, Director, A2
Gabrielle Holly, Senior Advisor, Human Rights, Business and Tech, Danish Institute for Human Rights
Rae Lindsay, Partner, Clifford Chance LLP and Co-Chair, BHRLA
Peter Nestor, Global Head of Human Rights, Novartis
Anita Ramasastry, Professor of Law, University of Washington, former member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights
NOTE: Teams have been randomly assigned and encouraged to embrace and advance their Team’s assigned point of view. For purposes of this debate, and to encourage a freewheeling and thought-provoking discussion, debaters are not speaking as representatives of their organizational affiliation or reflecting their personal views.
For more information and details on how BHRLA handles your personal information, please see our privacy policy which can be found on our website
Practicing Law with Respect for Human Rights: Opportunities and Challenges - Perspectives From Law Firms and In-House Counsel
“What is considered merely unethical today may well be illegal tomorrow”, and lawyers have the unique opportunity to help clients navigate these changing expectations, observes recently released guidance by the International Bar Association. This draft Guidance Note, issued to supplement a 2016 Practical Guide, is the focus of a July 11, 2023 panel discussion hosted by the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association to consider these questions:
How can lawyers act as “wise counselors” to help business identify and manage human rights risks in an evolving regulatory and legal landscape?
What are some of the key challenges and opportunities for in house and external counsel in taking human rights into account as part of professional obligations and services? How are these opportunities affecting the structure and management of legal practice?
What are some emerging examples of innovation by lawyers to advance implementation of the UN Guiding Principles in practice?
Date - Tuesday 11 July 2023
Time - 08:30-10:00 ET / 14:30-16:00 CET / 13:30-15:00 BST
Venue - Virtual – joining details to be provided after registration
Moderator:
Stephané Brabant, Trinity International
Panel speakers:
John Sherman, Former Counsel, Shift
Sarah Altschuller, Business and Human Rights Counsel, Verizon
Helene Bogen, Senior Associate, Wiersholm
Please RSVP here.
BHRLA and HSF Lunchtime Seminar - “The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises”
The OECD Guidelines comprise recommendations addressed to business enterprises regarding responsible business conduct across a range of topics relevant to sustainability. Countries adhering to the Guidelines are required to establish National Contact Points (NCPs) to promote and further the effectiveness of the Guidelines, including by resolving complaints regarding the conduct of individual enterprises. The number of complaints submitted to NCPs has steadily increased since the process was introduced in 2000.
The Guidelines were first adopted in 1976 and most recently revised in 2011 when a Chapter on Human Rights was added to the Guidelines recommending, amongst other things, that business enterprises should adopt a policy commitment to respect human rights and should carry out human rights due diligence. The Guidelines adopt a risk-based due diligence model drawing on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and apply due diligence recommendations to other facets of business conduct, including in relation to the environment and labour rights. Further revisions to the Guidelines are expected to be confirmed at OECD ministerial meetings taking place this month.
This lunchtime seminar is intended to provide a high-level introduction to the Guidelines, including the expected revisions and the NCP process. The panel will also discuss how the Guidelines are relevant to the development and implementation of mandatory sustainability and human rights due diligence regulations.
This seminar is open to members of the BHRLA and non-members. Spaces are limited so please RSVP via this link here as soon as possible indicating if you would like to join us in person or online. Please also indicate if you are a BHRLA member, and include your full name, affiliation, position and whether you have any dietary or access requirements Herbert Smith Freehills should be made aware of.
This is a hybrid event. Join us in person for a sandwich lunch and networking opportunities or virtually.
Date - Monday 19 June
Time - 12:30 – 13:30 BST
Venue - Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, Exchange House, Primrose Street, London, EC2A 2EG or Online
Chair:
Rae Lindsay Partner, Clifford Chance and Co-Chair of the BHRLA
Panel speakers:
Nicola Bonucci Partner, Paul Hastings and former OECD Director of Legal Affairs
Antony Crockett Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills
Martijn Scheltema Partner, Pels Rijcken
Business and Human Rights in Practice: Three Law Firms, Three Perspectives On Opportunities For First and Second-Year Associates
The Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association (BHRLA) is pleased to present this webinar conversation among three Washington, D.C. based partners and their first and second-year associate colleagues.
Partners will talk briefly about the scope of their law firm’s business and human rights practice, and together with their colleagues, discuss a few assignments illustrating practice opportunities and engagement in this field of practice. The remainder of the session will be a facilitated question and answer session among participants.
The session will be moderated by Meg Roggensack, Executive Officer of the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association.
Panelists include:
Steve Nickelsburg, Partner, Clifford Chance LLP
M.E. Bultemeier, Associate, Clifford Chance LLP
Jon Drimmer, Partner, Paul Hastings LLP
Daye Cho, Associate, Paul Hastings LLP
Rachel Alpert, Partner, Jenner & Block LLP
Kyle Tramonte, Associate, Jenner & Block LLP
Date: Friday, June 16, 2023
Time: 14:30 - 15:30 BST (9:30AM - 10:30AM ET)
Location: Virtual
Joining instructions will be provided closer to the event date.
The Role of the BHR Lawyer in the Just Transition
We are delighted to invite you to the first London event of the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association (BHRLA) to discuss the role of business and human rights (BHR) and of commercial lawyers in the 'just transition'.
The Sharm El-Sheikh Implementation Plan agreed at COP 27 recognises that the urgent action required to address climate change must also support a transition to net zero that is both just and inclusive, while minimising negative social or economic impacts. The plan emphasises that a "just and equitable transition encompasses pathways that include energy, socioeconomic, workforce and other dimensions" (para. 29). The newly minted Kumming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework expressly provides that its implementation "should follow a human rights-based approach".
Though the notion of 'just transition' is broadly defined, essential components – stakeholder engagement, protection of the vulnerable, and a proactive understanding of how people's rights can be negatively impacted by state policies and business activities - are also components of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP).
Roger Leese, Partner, Clifford Chance, will lead a panel discussion with Vanessa Havard-Williams, Partner and Global Head of Environment & Climate Change, Linklaters, Andrea Saldariagga, Director, Social and Environmental Policy, Barclays, and Anna Triponel, Founder and Advisor, Human Level.
The panel will explore the relevance of business and human rights frameworks to the just transition and the lawyer's role in advising their clients. The panel will consider the differing policy approaches and legislative initiatives within the European Union and the United Kingdom: to what extent do they expressly and effectively address the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss whilst also promoting the concept of a just transition in which no-one is left behind?
The agenda for the event:
6pm: Introduction from Rae Lindsay, Partner, Clifford Chance LLP and Co-Chair of the BHRLA
6:10pm: Panel Discussion and Q&A
7pm – 8pm: Reception
To register for the event, click here
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Contact: sarah.mealing@cliffordchance.com
This in-person event will take place at:
Clifford Chance LLP, 10 Upper Bank Street, London, E14 5JJ
The BHRLA has been established to inspire and advance business and human rights leadership, learning, collaboration and practice among commercial law firms and business lawyers around the world. We are keen to expand and broaden our membership and participation across the commercial legal sector. For more information on the BHRLA and how to join, please see our website here.