To complete our Business and Human Rights ‘101’ Introductory Webinar Series, the GCNA invites you to a webinar on addressing adverse impacts on human rights.
Even with best practice human rights policies and practices, companies may still cause or contribute to adverse human rights impacts. Where they identify that they have done so, businesses should engage in active remediation.
To address adverse impacts, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) state that businesses should provide for or cooperate in remediation through legitimate processes. This may include establishing effective operational-level grievance mechanisms.
We will be joined by James Ensor, Group Social Policy Lead, BHP Billiton and Darian McBain, Global Director of Sustainable Development, Thai Union Group. Vanessa Zimmerman, Director, GCNA and Chair, GCNA Human Rights Leadership Group will lead the webinar.
This webinar will explore:
- Key judicial and non-judicial grievance mechanisms and barriers to exercising those mechanisms of which business should aware, e.g. Australian Human Rights Commission, OECD National Contact Points
- How to establish an effective operational level grievance mechanism in line with the UNGPs
- Different approaches to working alongside business partners when addressing adverse impacts
- Accountability gaps and how other key stakeholders including NGOs are proposing to address them
Why join?
Businesses face growing expectations from governments and regulators, NGOs, business partners, investors and other stakeholders to ‘know and show’ that they respect human rights both at home and abroad. Further building this momentum, in 2016, the Australian Government will begin formal consultations on a potential National Action Plan on business and human rights.
It is now critical for businesses to understand how to manage their human rights risks, and demonstrate that they are meeting their responsibilities. It is also important that businesses are equipped to participate in key policy discussions such as any forthcoming National Action Plan consultations. These webinars will bring businesses up to speed on the business and human rights agenda within Australia and globally, and outline the practical steps they need to take to manage their risks and meet their responsibilities on human rights.
Who should participate?
The webinar series is an essential core awareness-raising program for business on how to manage risks and meet growing stakeholder expectations around human rights. It is aimed at those new to business and human rights or looking for a refresher. While information will be provided about recent developments in the business and human rights field the series is targeted at those without extensive knowledge of the UNGPs. Other events will be held throughout the year to build on the series and to update members on new business and human rights initiatives and do some ‘deeper dives’ into specific issues.
The webinars are relevant for representatives from a wide range of business functions, including CSR / sustainability, community / stakeholder engagement, human resources, procurement, risk and compliance, legal and public affairs. The webinars are targeted at all sectors and companies operating both within and outside Australia. As a result they will not focus on any one thematic issue such as labour rights though relevant cross-sectoral examples will be brought into the discussion.
Register
