Co-Chair
Maria Fernanda
Mierez
Co-Chair
Vanessa Zimmerman
Business Human Rights Committee
The Business Human Rights (BHR) Committee creates awareness of business and human rights and broader corporate sustainability principles. Preventing and addressing business-related human rights risks is key to ethical business, good governance and increasingly legal compliance for businesses including law firms.
The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as the core international standard, provide guidance on governments’ duty to protect against human rights harm by business; business’ responsibility to respect human rights; and access to remedy for business-related human rights harm.
The BHR Committee promotes legal skills to advise clients in this area and facilitates dialogue among lawyers to support evolution.
Forthcoming conferences and webinars View All Conferences
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
02 Nov - 07 Nov 2025
Toronto , Canada
IBA Annual Conference Copenhagen 2026
04 Oct - 09 Oct 2026
Copenhagen , Denmark
Publications
Corporate responsibility in the age of surveillance and transnational repression: legal obligations and human rights due diligence
The proliferation of advanced surveillance technologies has outpaced the evolution of legal safeguards, potentially resulting in significant threats to privacy, the freedom of expression and other human rights. Emerging regulatory frameworks, however, do impose binding human rights due diligence obligations on companies. This article examines the obligations of corporations, particularly those developing and distributing surveillance tools.
Released on Aug 21, 2025
The EU Omnibus and business and human rights risks
The Council of the European Union has adopted a pro-business draft of the Omnibus simplification package, reducing the scope of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and limiting the substantive sustainability reporting and due diligence obligations contained therein. Financial institutions have warned that the Council’s proposal will exacerbate existing issues related to a lack of environmental, social and governance (ESG) data, including data on human rights impacts, thereby restricting the reorientation of capital towards sustainable investments.
Released on Aug 21, 2025
Developing a corporate grievance mechanisms platform to address business and human rights issues in Japan - key opportunities and challenges for lawyers
One of the most critical challenges that companies and lawyers face in addressing business and human rights issues is how to effectively design and implement corporate grievance mechanisms that ensure access to a remedy and the meaningful role lawyers can play in this process. This article aims to share the key lessons learned from the first few years of operation of the Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights’ Engagement and Remedy Platform, with a focus on developing effective corporate grievance mechanisms.
Released on Aug 14, 2025
The indirect horizontal effect of human rights - aligning people and planet in Shell v Milieudefensie
In a ruling dated 11 November 2024, the Hague Court of Appeal upheld Shell’s appeal against the Dutch NGO/campaign group Milieudefensie, overturning a 2021 ruling that had ordered Shell to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 relative to 2019 levels. For the reasons set out below, the Court of Appeal quashed the 2021 judgment, denied the claims of Milieudefensie and ordered it to pay costs. This judgment provides key considerations on the linkages between the climate crisis and the corporate responsibility to respect human rights.
Released on Nov 12, 2024
Subcommittees and other groups
The Business Human Rights Committee also coordinates the activities of the following subcommittees/working groups.
- Business Human Rights Committee Advisory Board