Business respect for human rights – building on what works 26 - 28 November 2018 - United Nations, Geneva
An opportunity for business leaders to track and inform
expectations, standards and practice
This briefing from the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights about the upcoming United Nations Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights contains information on how to register, objectives, benefits for business of participating, information about speakers and the agenda, and some guidance on preparing.
OVERVIEW & BENEFITS
From 26 to 28 November 2018, the United Nationswill convene leaders frombusiness, government and civil society to understand and evaluate progress, good practices, challenges and paths-forward for addressing business and human rights. The UN Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights (the Forum) represents a key opportunity for all stakeholders, including business leaders from all industries and geographies, to engage in dialogueabout the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and related global trends.
Engage with the global community of peers working inside companies to implement corporate respect for human rights
Immerse yourself in the business and human rights field for three days and be exposed to the latest thinking, up-to-date work and stories from experts
and track your progress
Track fast-moving expectations, standards and requirements including in relation to due diligence, reporting, responsible supply chain management
Learn about good practices and innovations involving a multitude of issues relevant to diverse industry sectors
Connect with leaders in the business and human rights field, including civil society and academia from around the world capable of providing local knowledge about human rights risks and how to address them
Interact with policy makers and standard setters from government, the investment community and multilateral institutions
Over three days, participants have the opportunity to attend and engage in panel discussions on topics that relate to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as well as current business-related human rights issues. The Forum is the foremost event to network, share experiences and learn about the many initiatives to promote corporate respect for human rights.
Registration is open via this page. There is no registration or participation fee.
PROGRAMME & SPEAKERS
Speakers include the UN High Commissioner for Human RightsMichelle Bachelet, together with senior representatives from the ILO, OECD and various UN agencies. Business leaders addressing and contributing to the Forum will include Patrick Pouyanné,Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer for TOTAL S.A., and senior representatives and practitioners from Hilton, Newmont Mining, NXP, BNP Paribas, Microsoft, Novartis, Google, Intel, Mars and Orange.You can also hear from senior leaders from organisations including the IBA, ICMM, Responsible Business Alliance, Amnesty International, ICAR, IHRB, Oxfam, International Trade Union Confederationand more.
SESSION ORGANISED BY GBI AND THE RBA Human rights due diligence across value chains
Tuesday 27 November 2018, 11.30 – 13.00 | Room XVII
Join us at the Forum to explore practical steps companies are taking – in collaboration with business partners and key stakeholders – to manage human rights challenges across their value chains. During this session, we will also explore how business practitioners are mapping and visualising their value chains, to strengthen stakeholders’ understanding of what the value chain looks like and how its complexity can affect efforts to implement human rights due diligence.
Confirmed speakers include:
Andrea Shemberg, Co-Chair, GBI
Rob Lederer, Executive Direct, RBA
James Nicholson, Head of Corporate Responsibility, Trafigura
Benjamin Katz, Pact
Tony Khaw, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, NXP
We encourage you to participate actively, and come prepared to share your own stories, experiences and insights on these challenges, to enrich our discussion. Access more information here.
FOCUS ON EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF BUSINESS RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
The central theme of the 2018 Forum is "Business respect for human rights - building on what works."The programme features sessions for new audiences and discussions on broader policy trends, encompassing the role of the business and human rights movement in today’s political and social contexts around the world. The Forum will examine emerging good practices and innovationsto ensure effective due diligence and respect for human rights in practice, as well as identifying gaps and shortcomings in existing efforts, with a view to promoting policy coherence and committed actionin the service of human rights and rights-holders. Details of the discussions can be found in the interactive programme here.
WHY BUSINESS SHOULD ATTEND IN 2018
Participate in important conversations about human rights due diligence - shape expectations and be part of building solutions. This demonstrates clearly that the business community is willing to engage; signals that companies are active on the issues and open to meaningful dialogue; and shows that business is committed to building practical solutions to the challenges of effective due diligence.
Business has unique and valuable contributions to offer. Company representatives attending the Forum are considered to be among the real leaders in this space. They provide a combination of experience on the ground and in companies, and practical approaches to problem solving, with the ability to provide innovative ideas and concrete examples and insights. As such, attendance provides an opportunity for peer learning with other business leaders and to accelerate mutual learning and understanding.
Engage with multiple stakeholders and hear diverse and challenging perspectives. The Forum is a unique opportunity to spend time in a different environment connecting with the human rights world. Attendance offers immersion in a multi-stakeholder environment to enable participants to read the pulse of the business and human rights agenda. Participants can learn about trends, developments and challenges relating to due diligence across the three days.
PREPARING & CONTRIBUTING
The UN Forum is designed to be an interactive and constructive dialogue among diverse stakeholders. The voice and ideas of practitioners from the business community is critical to the Forum’s success. In particular, representatives working in or with business can bring unique perspectives about the realities of implementing corporate respect for human rights in the context of specific industries, operations, geographies, business relationships and corporate functions.
In the run up to the Forum, to help you decide which sessions to go to, you may want to review the session concept notes that the UN will upload on their main site. Once you have reviewed the programme and decide which sessions you plan to attend, it is ideal if you engage with colleagues and peers ASAP, and arrive at the Forum prepared to:
Share your organisation’s efforts to address the issues relevant to the session
Share challenges your company encounters when addressing corporate respect for human rights in practice
Ask questions of panel members to get guidance about issues and dilemmas facing your company
Offer ideas for what other stakeholders might helpfully do to address the issues being discussed
Session moderators will have received guidance from the UN to enable all stakeholders the chance to input from the floor. There is no need to sign-up in advance to make a contribution. Contributions from the floor should be no more than a few minutes long.
