Upcoming events of the IBA Business Human Rights Committee

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Driving respect using mandatory human rights due diligence

6 November 2020  1200 – 1300 (GMT)

The IBA Business Human Rights Committee has organised a session entitled ‘Driving respect using mandatory human rights due diligence’ at the IBA 2020 – Virtually Together conference.

As mandatory human rights due diligence (mHRDD) legislation becomes a reality in an increasing number of jurisdictions, it is now incumbent on many companies to implement mHRDD in their businesses and supply chains. The objective of the panel is to shed light on key emerging questions to assist companies as they consider how to approach these binding human rights-related requirements.

What is the global direction of travel that regulators and policymakers are taking, as well as the actual and perceived objectives of these laws? Are government approaches coherent? If not, what issues does this raise? Are enforcement methods aligned and is the penalty for non-compliance a relevant driver? How does mHRDD fit with increasing diligence requirements on other non-financial issues (notably connected with the environment and governance)? How has Covid-19 shifted the focus of mHRDD?

These questions will be discussed by leading business and human rights lawyers participating in a stimulating roundtable session. Participants will share knowledge on: (1) the development of mHRDD in their own jurisdictions; (2) insights on the implementation of such laws into companies’ own policies, compliance and governance processes as well as into their supply chains; and (3) the role of business lawyers in this new era for wider environmental and social responsibility.

Artificial intelligence and human rights: challenges and opportunities

18 November  1400 - 1515 (GMT)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming societies and will drastically impact on current and future generations. Machine learning can be deployed in very diverse sectors, such as banking, human resources, risk management, law enforcement, medical diagnostic and autonomous systems such as self-driving cars and autonomous weapons systems. Considering the potentially disruptive impact of AI on humankind, the current debate has focused on the governance structure best suited at promoting innovation, while also reducing the negative risks related to these technologies.

This panel will look at the role of legal professionals in promoting this balance, when conducting a Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD), which is advised to assess and address the just mentioned risks. The discussion will also incorporate the view of the private sector and will contribute to the development of a toolkit for HRDD for algorithmic systems.

This is an Open Access Session, which is free to attend. We ask that you please register for this session via the zoom registration link (https://ibanet-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tJA_hYasQuKrhrNn8toI9g).

The impact of government sanctions on international human rights

16 November  1600 – 1700 (GMT)

This panel will discuss the types of sanctions used by governments to impact international human rights, for example Magnitsky Acts. The panel will then address what actual impact these sanctions have on addressing international human rights violations.

This review will include a discussion of the impact that counter-terrorism sanctions regimes are having on humanitarian agencies’ ability to deliver life-saving consignments. The discussion will include the viewpoint of sanctioned parties and how they end up on sanctions lists, and involve a discussion of the due process and recourse issues associated with such actions. In addition, the panel will discuss how international legal and business matters are impacted by such sanctions and what practices and policies are best for law firms and multinational businesses to follow in order to comply with such sanctions, anticipate additional sanctions, and incorporate these activities into their international human rights reports and policies.

This is an Open Access Session, which is free to attend. We ask that you please register for this session via the zoom registration link (https://ibanet-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_meGVrHEZRbCAWi3DD5Gk8g).

Tailings storage facilities - everything you want to know about management standards

23 November  1400 - 1500 (GMT) 

Pursuant to the dramatic collapse of the Brumadinho Tailing Dam in early 2019, an international initiative was set up by the International Council on Mining and Metals, the United Nations Environment Programme and the Principles for Responsible Investment to adopt global best practices on tailings storage facilities. The intention is to propose an international standard for the safe management of tailings storage facilities in order to avoid catastrophic failures that could affect any of the 3,500 tailing dams and any of the other storage facilities that exist around the world. Such failures can result in terrible consequences for man and for the environment, including fatal occurrences and devastating damage taking several years to repair.

In this session, academics and practitioners will debate the issues concerning the management of tailing storage facilities and specifically, the key challenges for international standards in addressing such issues.

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