2018 United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights

http://webtv.un.org/search/panel-on-voices-from-the-ground-forum-on-business-and-human-rights-2018/5971600547001/?term=&lan=english&cat=Forum%20on%20Business%20and%20Human%20Rights&sort=date&page=2

Convened by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights in collaboration with: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), Eliminating Child Labour in Tobacco-growing (ECLT), The African Coalition for Corporate Accountability (ACCA), Dhaatri Resource Centre for Women and Children's Rights, Global Witness and Rafto Foundation for Human Rights

Short description of the session:
This trailblazing session will feature a panel made up of only human rights defenders and community representatives from all regions, who will speak frankly about their stories and experiences of working to improve business respect for human rights in their countries, as well as the attacks they are under because of doing so. The session will be divided into three parts: the first part with focus on ways in which they’ve successfully defended themselves and achieved their goals this year, the second part will identify the common challenges that defenders and community representatives face in their work, and the third part will outline what they want to see between now and the next forum. We will leave enough time for interaction with the audience after each segment.
This session will offer an insight into the lives and struggles of defenders and community representatives, and outline a set of their core challenges and expectations to businesses, investors and governments, thus setting the scene for the 7th Forum on Business and Human Rights.

Session objectives:
The session will provide a “reality-check” early on in the Forum, and outline a set of core challenges and expectations by defenders and community representatives to businesses and governments, thus setting the scene for the 7th Forum on Business and Human Rights. The goal of the first part will be discuss ways that they’ve successfully defended themselves and achieved their goals so far, the objective of the second part will be to identify common challenges that defenders face in their work, and the objective of the third part will be to for defenders and community representatives to voice their expectations to the forum (governments, businesses, and investors).

Key discussion questions:

• 1st part: focuses on ways in which they’ve successfully defended themselves and achieved their goals so far
  Question(s) to speakers: What was your main achievement in your work as a defender or community representatives this year? Why do you do what you do and what keeps you going?  
  Sub-questions: What were the main things that helped you and your colleagues continue defending human rights in the context of business operations in your country over the past year (coalitions, partnerships, new approaches to work, financial support, new laws, support from community/ family/ friends, religion, etc.)
• 2nd part: focuses on challenges HRDs face in their work
  Question(s) to speakers: Who prevents you from advocating for rights in your country and how? What are the main types of attack you and your colleagues have faced in defending human rights in business operations in your country this year?
• 3rd part: focuses on what they would like to ask from the forum (govts, businesses, investors) - what do they want to see between now and the next forum
  Question(s) to be asked to speakers: What are the main things that you would like to see businesses, investors and governments do in the coming year, that would  improve the safety for and prevent attacks on defenders working for human rights in business in your country, and improve business respect for human rights? 

Format of the session:
The session will open with a question or two to the audience to get them engaged early on. It will then be divided into three parts: the first part will identify ways in which they’ve successfully defended themselves and achieved their goals so far, the second will identify challenges that defenders face in their work, and the third part will outline what they would like to ask from the forum (governments, businesses, and investors) and what do they want to see between now and the next forum. We will leave enough time for interaction with the audience after each segment, so that governments, investors and businesses, can voice their proposals and feedback, and so that defenders and community representatives that won’t get a chance to speak on the panel, will have the opportunity to also share their stories (time permitting). The role of the moderator will be to engage the audience and to summarize the challenges and the demands voiced by the defenders.
In terms of identifying and voicing expectations, the speakers and the moderator will, to the extent possible, surface and built upon existing demands, such as the Action plan from the World HRDs Summit, the joint statement from 40+ civil society organizations from 2016, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders’ reports on the topic and other relevant material.

Background to the discussion:
Business and civil society operate in and benefit from a “shared space” defined by common, fundamental elements. The rule of law and freedom of expression, association and assembly are essential to the realization of all human rights, to good governance and accountable institutions. These elements are also critical to stable, profitable and sustainable business environments in which companies thrive and economies prosper. Standards and practices have evolved over the last two decades to encourage or require companies to respect human rights. Moreover, company engagement and consultation with local communities and stakeholders is overcoming conflict and confrontation in places and ways that encourage further progress. However, this shared space is under threat, not least through a sustained and growing attack on defenders wherever businesses have failed to comply with and respect due diligence national laws, standards and national and international human rights protocols. Alarmingly, in the last decade, HRDs have increasingly come under massive attack. Since 2015, there have been over 1,300 attacks on HRDs working human rights issues related to business, including almost 400 killings. Workers were exposed to physical violence and threats in 65 countries in 2018 and trade unionists were murdered in nine countries in the first half of that year. Journalists are increasingly being imprisoned and attacked – 262 journalists were imprisoned in 2017 and 29 journalists have been killed in 2018. Civicus data indicates that only 3% of people on the planet live in countries with truly ‘open civic space’. These pressures and attacks undermine the legal and institutional frameworks upon which both business and civil society depend. For the business and human rights agenda to continue moving forward, defenders, and the civic freedoms they need to do their work, must be recognized as a vital and inescapable part of ensuring human rights respect in business operations. Defenders cannot play that role without solid guarantees of safety and security. States have primary role in ensuring corporates respect constitutional frameworks and set in place governance machinery, regulatory mechanisms, legal and policy structures and resources as well as place the upholding of human rights and well-being of all its citizens at the core of its development economy.

Interpretation is provided in English, French and Spanish
 
Brief description of the session and session objectives: 

The objectives of this session are to: (1) discuss good practices from the perspective of the indigenous rights holders, lessons-learned, gaps, and challenges to strengthen the implementation of FPIC, in particular the significance of community protocols in the context of business activities and (2) identify factors for an enabling environment for respecting indigenous peoples’ rights and effective implementation of FPIC process.

Background to the discussion:

Following the adoption of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, a growing number of investors, financial institutions and businesses in a range of sectors have developed, or are in the process of developing, safeguard policies that require them to respect indigenous peoples’ rights, especially their right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) as part of the human rights due diligence expected of them and social license to operate. Furthermore, indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination and to lands, territories and resources have been gaining support and attention at different levels. However, a growing body of decisions of UN human rights bodies, regional and national courts and complaint mechanisms such as the OECD National Contract Points demonstrate that indigenous peoples continue to be the victims of human rights abuses associated with business activities.
At the same time, indigenous peoples are increasingly developing their own protocols and policies, which provide guidance to States and corporations on how to consult with them and seek their FPIC in accordance with their right to self-determination and their customary decision-making practices. Communities from the Murut Tahol Community in Alutok, Ulu Tomani, Tenom, Malyasia as well as the Juruna People in the Brazilian Amazon and the Embera Chami in Colombia, are among those who have developed such protocols. These protocols reflect the community's identity, culture, ways of life and the interconnection of territories, peoples and nature. They highlight the central importance of respect for indigenous peoples’ rights, including their self-determination right to decide their own plans, priorities and visions for their futures and the related right of communities to make decisions on externally proposed projects in or near their territories.
The UN Forum on Business and Human Rights is unique in that it provides all parties involved in such projects, i.e. States, private sector actors and indigenous peoples, a space in which to dialogue and to ensure that the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are effective for indigenous peoples, particularly in relation to their collective rights to self-determination, FPIC and lands, territories and resources.

Key discussion questions:

• What were the different contexts that community protocols have played a role (or could play a role) in facilitating meaningful FPIC processes?
• To what extent do community protocols address the role of governments in human rights due diligence and FPIC and the corresponding responsibilities of corporations?
• What are the experiences of implementing FPIC processes in different regions and are there good practices that can be replicated by other indigenous communities or adopted by States or private sectors in their policies and guidelines?

 
Format of the session: 

The event will consist of a panel discussion with brief case study presentations followed by a 50-minute interactive discussion with session participants. The focus will be on how to ensure the effective implementation of consultation and FPIC in the context of business activities and the role which indigenous peoples’ consultation and FPIC protocols can play in this regard.
Indigenous community representatives from three regions (Asia, Latin America and Africa) will present their experience with consultation and FPIC processes and their views on the importance and benefits of consultation and free prior and informed consent (FPIC) protocols that are developed by indigenous peoples themselves.
The floor will be opened to participants to raise questions and present their perspectives on and experiences with consultation and FPIC processes and on related protocols developed by indigenous peoples. This part of the session will be “talk show format”, with the participants having the opportunity to raise questions amongst each other as in a public dialogue or engage with the panel.

Interpretation is provided into Spanish

Organized by UNICEF

Short description and session objectives:
This session will explore different methods of conducting human rights due diligence with consideration of children’s rights and voice, and the role of different stakeholders in making this happen including investors, governments, companies and UN agencies. The session will consider both challenges and solutions to the integration of child rights into business processes by engaging the audience in an interactive and participatory manner.  

Format:
Interactive discussion between main panel speakers and different interventions from the floor representing different perspectives and voices.


Background to the discussion:
The focus of the session is to emphasize the need for companies to take specific measures to understand and address their potential impacts on groups and communities that may be at heightened risk of vulnerability or marginalization. Children are often the most vulnerable population, requiring specific attention to guarantee respect for their human rights. It is possible that one business activity might not impact the rights of adults, but the same activity could adversely impact the rights of a child. Despite this, children have not been adequately considered by business. Companies’ consideration of their impact on child rights is often relegated to the issue of child labour or community investment, yet the impacts of business on children extend to such aspects as product design and advertising, the behaviour of staff towards children, and children’s rights in the supply chain, and the ways that companies operate in the wider community. Moreover, children are usually less well placed to advocate for their own interests and may be silenced within their households or communities. Unless companies make dedicated efforts to understand the risks they pose to child rights, and engage child rights advocates – children may be at risk of exclusion from companies’ human rights due diligence and stakeholder engagement processes.

Interpretation is provided in English and Spanish

Organized by ENEL

Brief description of the session:
This session will explore the nexus between renewable energies and Indigenous people.  Enel Green Power will be publishing a book to give a voice to some of the indigenous communities hosting renewable plants in different countries with regard to the cultural aspects of water, earth, wind and sun,  all of which,  from the company’s point of view, are primarily energy sources. This will serve as a starting point for the session.

Session objectives:
To open a multi-stakeholders’ dialogue on the implications of Indigenous people rights and renewable energies deployment.

Key discussion questions:
Analyzing how renewable plants relate to indigenous peoples, with a focus on cultural identities and natural resources. Underlying themes of this session are both the relation between indigenous peoples' rights and the impacts of business activities, as well as the link between climate change and the transition to a green economy.

Format of the session:
Roundtable and Q&A

Background to the discussion:
On the one hand, renewable energies are key to fight climate change whose negative impacts are particularly strong on those emerging economies where indigenous communities are more concentrated;  on the other hand, the same technologies still have environmental, socio-economic and cultural impacts.
 The private sector in general, and Enel Green Power in particular, has been focusing its efforts on mitigating socio-environmental impacts, through its sustainable construction site and plant models.
The panel will concentrate on how renewable energies can be integrated in an environment, which is not only a physical entity but also a cultural landscape where, for example, “energy sources” have cultural/spiritual meanings. The discussion will be led by representatives of indigenous communities EGP is working or will be working with, institutional representatives and one artist who has been working on art as a tool for social inclusion.

Organized by the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation and Participant Media

Short description of the session:
Join us for a special screening of THE PRICE OF FREE, followed by a conversation with Nobel Peace Laureate, Kailash Satyarthi (other panelists TBD).
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, THE PRICE OF FREE is a suspenseful yet intimate look at one man’s groundbreaking struggle to liberate every child possible from slavery. From director Derek Doneen and Oscar winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth,” “He Named Me Malala”), the film follows Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and his team of leaders around the world through gripping secret raids and quests for missing children in the hopes of ending the cycle of poverty that forces them and their families into dreadful circumstances. Refusing to be daunted by the impossible, they have succeeded in rescuing over 87,000 children and created a global movement which has resulted in legislation which helps protect young children. The film was co-produced by Concordia Studio and Participant Media, and will be released by YouTube Originals.

Session objectives:

• Introduce / re-introduce Kailash Satyarthi and his movement to the audience
• Illuminate the persistence of child labor, hidden in supply chains
• Discuss the role of business in child labor and slavery in supply chains
• Describe the film’s social impact campaign and how companies in the room can screen this film for their employees, leaders and partners.

Key discussion questions:

• What can the private sector do to help solve this problem?

Background to the discussion:
The film will be launched globally on November 27th by YouTube Originals.
The Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation and Participant Media (in partnership with YouTube and Concordia Studio) will empower students, policymakers, and business leaders to take action toward a future that is child-labor free. The campaign will provide audiences across the U.S. and around the world with an opportunity to understand and reflect on how many of the products we use in our daily lives — from our coffee, to our clothes, to our mobile devices — could include the work of children. The campaign will provide pathways for audiences to invest, advocate and lead change.
Recognizing the key role that business plays in eliminating forced and child labor, Participant Media is offering the film to companies with global supply chains, so that they might screen for their employees, leadership, customers or shareholders. Companies may choose a date between October 2018 and April 2019 to screen all or a portion of the film and use the event as an opportunity to spark a conversation about improving supply chain practices. Participant Media will provide tools for hosting a successful screening event.

Organized by Association of Labour Providers (ALP) and Stronger Together

Brief description of the session:
There are 150 million migrant workers globally, according to the ILO. Migrant workers contribute to the economies of their host countries, and the remittances they send home help to boost the economies of their countries of origin. Yet at the same time human rights’ abuses involving migrant workers continue to be widespread. Migrant workers are vulnerable to exploitation, human trafficking and modern slavery at all stages of the employment cycle: recruitment, employment and termination.

In this session, attendees will discuss safeguarding migrant workers, particularly through responsible recruitment practices. Speakers from business, civil society and international organisations will enter into conversation with the audience whilst sharing their experiences and insights from working in the agricultural, food, garment, mining, construction and engineering sectors in a range of countries. They will explain models of good practice, collaboration and key lessons learned, with the intention to scale up the good practices and address remaining gaps and challenges, as per the conclusion of the UN Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises report to the General Assembly that this is much needed.

Session objectives:

• Explore key human rights challenges regarding migrant workers across sectors, in particular regarding recruitment
• Identify the practical steps different stakeholders should/can take to safeguard migrant workers across supply chains
• Discuss what remediation should look like when incidents have been identified in the supply chain
• Share good practice of collaborative initiatives and solutions

Key discussion questions:

• What are the key human rights challenges regarding migrant workers?
• What is the role of businesses regarding safeguarding migrant workers at different points in the supply chain?
• What are the challenges to brands, employers and recruiters of poor recruitment practices in supply chains?
• What role can businesses play in safeguarding migrant workers in countries where relevant legislation and/or enforcement is limited?
• Are industry approaches rather than company-specific approaches more effective for addressing the most serious human rights risks for migrant workers?
• Do we need compliance-based or beyond compliance solutions to create change?

Format of the session:
The session will be opened with a brief introduction by the moderator and the speakers, followed by an interactive, conversational session with the audience. The moderator will ask a question, provide speakers with the opportunity to respond with short remarks to frame discussions, after which the floor will be opened to the audience.

Background to the discussion:
Labour recruitment is now rightly identified as one of the greatest human rights risk areas in businesses and supply chains. Recruitment channels often operate across borders and exploitation of vulnerable workers can be hidden in informal and/or complex labour supply chains.
Momentum is rapidly growing to focus on this issue with brands, contractors and retailers’ ethical trading and sustainability programmes expanding to look not only at the conditions in the workplaces of the businesses that supply them or are subcontracted by them, but also at the conditions faced by jobseekers and workers throughout their recruitment journey.

http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/human-rights-council/forum-on-business-and-human-rights/watch/panel-on-safeguarding-human-rights-defenders-forum-on-business-and-human-rights-2018/5972123912001/?term=

Organized by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights in collaboration with: 

• Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
• Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
• Global Witness
• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
• International Service for Human Rights
• Peace Brigades International
• Rafto Foundation for Human Rights

Brief description of the session :

The need for enhancing protection of human rights defenders who speak up against business-related human rights impacts is a standing item on the Forum’s agenda. This session led by the UN Working Group in collaboration with NGOs is envisaged to consist of two parts:

1. The first part of the session will be dedicated to showcasing new efforts to strengthen corporate respect and support for human rights defenders. Presentations will be brief, but meant to highlight encouraging initiatives and action.
2. The second part of the session will focus on the growing trend of criminalization and legal harassment of defenders who speak up against business-related impacts and identify concrete action to be taken by governments, business and others to address it. The panel aims to identify what "human rights due diligence" is needed and what are some of the practical considerations for preventing that companies become involved in criminalization and legal harassment of defenders who engage in legitimate efforts to address potential and actual adverse impacts. This will include identifying steps to be taken by:

• home States
• host States
• companies that cause negative impacts and who are the main targets of criticism
• companies that have business relationships to those causing the abuse (typically transnational corporations and their responsibility to address impacts in their supply chain)
• investors
• companies that invest in contexts where criminalization of human rights defenders is a salient issue

Background to the discussion:

Threats to human rights defenders and to civic freedoms are increasing concerns globally. A large number of human rights defenders are under threat and attack because they raise concern about adverse human rights impacts of business operations, often in the context of large development projects that affects access to land and livelihoods. At the same time, the space for civil society actors to raise concerns about human rights impacts is shrinking, and human rights defenders face criminalization when engaging in public protest or civil dissent.
Concerns are being raised about the role of business in contributing to attacks against human rights defenders or in failing to take action against such attacks. Questions are also being raised about the role of business in helping to protect human rights defenders and civic space.
States have the primary obligation to ensure the rights and protection of human rights defenders, as set out in various human rights instruments – in particular the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders – and as reaffirmed in many UN Human Rights Council and General Assembly resolutions, including through the March 2016 resolution on the protection of human rights defenders working on economic, social and cultural rights.
The importance of human rights defenders in the context of business-related impacts on human rights is recognized by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. They highlight the key role human rights defenders can have in human rights due diligence and enabling companies to understand concerns of affected stakeholders. In particular, the Guiding Principles:

• Urge businesses to consult human rights defenders as an important expert resource as part of their human rights due diligence, as defenders have a key role as watchdogs, advocates and voice for affected stakeholders.
• Urge States to ensure that the legitimate activities of human rights defenders are not obstructed.

References

• The deadly price of fighting for human and environmental rights - Anita Ramasastry, UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights; Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; David R. Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment; Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
• Protecting and respecting those who speak up against business impacts on human rights - takeaways from the 2017 UN Forum and the way forward - UN Working Group

Short description of the presentation:
The problems surrounding the lack of sanitation and the notorious consequences of such inadequacies for women’s rights correlate directly to inadequate investment in universalizing these services. Building water and sewage systems in cities that currently lack sanitation services significantly advances human rights, especially for women. This is what happened to the women of Uruguaiana, a city in Brazil’s southernmost state. The presentation will focus on how investments in sanitation over the last eight years, have been made in a human rights compliant manner, including through mapping and analyzing social vulnerabilities before disbursing, and impact analysis to ensure residents have benefited from the investments made. The presentation will also explain how the active multi-stakeholders engagement made this turnaround possible.

Presentation objectives:
Using the study entitled “Sanitation and the Lives of Brazilian Women” and presenting the case of “Uruguaiana” to showcase how investment in sanitation services significantly advances human rights, especially for women. It will also show how engagement efforts and environmental education contributes to viewing sanitation services as a basic right to which all peoples are fully entitled.

Brief description of the presentation:
Most human rights instruments appear gender neutral, but will often affect men and women differently due to the substantial differences in the lives of men and women. One of the most salient gender-specific human rights for all women impacted by business activities are sexual abuse and harassment. The #Metoo campaign has exposed the massive extent of such violations in many industries in the global north. There is little reason to believe that this is any different in the global south. It is most likely the opposite in many of the countries where women´s basic human rights have weak support and protection. #Metoo has exposed the need for whistle blowing safe reporting systems, and for women to organize and speak to identify, prevent and remediate abuse and finally change the game.

Presentation objectives:
In the snapshot we will discuss how lessons learned from #Metoo can speed up the efforts to effectively integrate gender in the UNGPs.

Brief description of the presentation:
Indigenous women are most closely associated with the habitat in which they live as their economic, social and cultural way of nurturing their families and communities is dependent on their access to land, forests and other natural resources. When business interests enter the dynamics of resource utilization they bring drastic changes to women’s lives. The legal and customary safeguards, which traditionally ensure that women are not disenfranchised from decision-making and consultative processes or accountability mechanisms, are negatively impacted when corporate stakes violate the rights of indigenous women, especially in sectors like mining. The speakers will represent the Asia Regional Alliance on Women and Mining and will refer to human rights violations of women human rights defenders (WHRDs) by the state and business-related human rights abuse due to irresponsible mineral extraction and processing in the region. The presentation will also focus on state and corporate due diligence requirements and related commitments with respect to transparency, accountability, monitoring and safeguards mechanisms for the protection of WHRDs.

Presentation objectives: 
The snapshot presenters will make concise recommendations based on wide engagement with indigenous women and affected women workers and communities, and will present due diligence best practices that uphold human rights standards and promote sustainable development.
 

http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/human-rights-council/forum-on-business-and-human-rights/watch/panel-on-rights-of-lgbti-people-forum-on-business-and-human-rights-2018/5972148544001/?term=

Organized by United Nations 

Session objectives:
This session, featuring some of the most prominent activists and corporations engaged on the human rights of LGBTI people, will discuss how to build bridges between LGBTI activists and the private sector and how to create mutual trust and accountability.

Background: 
For the past twelve months, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has engaged companies and activists on the United Nations Human Rights LGBTI Standards of Conduct for Business. To date, 200 of the World largest companies have publicly expressed support for these Standards. Yet, some in the LGBTI community and human rights practitioners sometimes express mistrust in companies’ engagement concerned that their efforts could be limited to marketing strategies which stop when “doing the right thing” gets in the way of the bottom line or that companies might be too selective in their overall human rights approach. Similarly, the anti-pink washing message was central to both Paris and London Prides this year.

Hashtag: 
#Biz4LGBTI, #UNForumBHR, #bizhumanrights

Format: 
Short video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zeeVEKaDLM), panel followed by Q&A

http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/human-rights-council/forum-on-business-and-human-rights/watch/panel-i-developing-a-gender-lens-forum-on-business-and-human-rights-2018/5972170222001/?term=

Organized by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights

Brief description of the session: 
Against this background, this session – framed as a “gender roundtable” – will discuss major challenges faced by women in business-related contexts and explore potential solutions as well as good practices to address these challenges. The roundtable will focus on the following five thematic areas:

• Sexual harassment and sexual violence against women
• Gender sensitive human rights due diligence
• Economic inclusion and empowerment of women
• Impact of trade, investment and tax regimes on women
• Women’s experiences of accessing effective remedies and defending rights

To prepare for the gender roundtable, individuals and organizations who had submitted session proposals for the Forum related to gender issues and some other stakeholders have been invited to form a small group on each of the above five themes. Each group is expected to discuss internally and prepare a 2-page brief to inform discussion at the gender roundtable. The briefs will highlight the main challenges faced by women in the five specific thematic situations identified above as well as the potential solutions and good practices to overcome those challenges. All received briefs will be posted on the UN Working Group’s gender project webpage.

Session objectives:

1. Raise sensitivity amongst all stakeholders about the key challenges faced by women in business-related contexts.
2. Identify potential solutions as well as best practices concerning these challenges.
3. Inform the UN Working Group’s proposed gender guidance on how to “protect, respect and remedy” the rights of women in a business context in line with the UNGPs.

 
Background to the discussion:
Women (including girls) experience business-related human rights abuses in unique ways and are often affected disproportionately. Women also face multiple forms of discrimination and experience additional barriers in seeking access to effective remedies for business-related human rights abuses. Therefore, in order to effectively meet their respective human rights duties and responsibilities under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), States and business enterprises need to be sensitive to the unique experiences of women and the structural discrimination or barriers that they face.
In order to assist States and business enterprises in achieving this goal, the UN Working Group is developing gender guidance to the UNGPs. This guidance will provide practical recommendations for what it means to “protect, respect and remedy” the rights of women in a business context in line with the UNGPs. The gender guidance to the UNGPs, which will cover all three pillars, will be the theme of report of the Working Group to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2019. Further information about this project is available at: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Business/Pages/GenderLens.aspx

Session format:
The gender roundtable will be organised as follows:
- Introductory remarks by the Surya Deva, Vice-Chair, UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (5 minutes)
- Sharing of briefs developed by five thematic groups (6 minutes for each group)
- Each group will organise a “gender café” to brainstorm further issues around the given theme with other participants (45 minutes)
- Break (20 minutes)
- Reflections from gender cafés (40 minutes)
- Open discussion facilitated by the moderator (40 minutes)

Interpretation is provided in English and Spanish

Brief description of the presentation:
When issues of resettlement or recognition of land rights are not properly managed in the context large scale infrastructure or extractives projects, this may trigger violence and abuses of individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples.
The UPR provides an international mechanism for indigenous organizations and civil society organizations to raise awareness of such impacts. They have been using UPR as a tool to raise concerns with third countries on the impact of human rights abuses caused by investments and trade, and to influence policy makers in order to improve regulatory and monitoring frameworks (with civil society participation).

Presentation objectives:
The presentation will showcase of how UPR can positively contribute to the development of national plans on business and human rights possibly leading to concrete policy and legal developments to prevent future human rights abuses. The presenters will also discuss what avenues may be taken in order to balance the legitimate right of the State to promote investment projects of national interest with the conservation of ecosystems and the respect of human rights of indigenous peoples. This includes their right to participate in the whole investment project cycle, in line with the requirement set out in the UN Guiding Principles and other international human rights instruments.

Interpretation is provided in English and Spanish

Brief description of the presentation: 
Determining whether companies cause, contribute, or are directly linked to rights violations is key to identifying their duties, as well as to shaping their response to potential or actual human rights impact. Nevertheless, this task can be challenging in scenarios where multiple sources of impact overlap, interact, and transform one another. Such is the case of the Suape Industrial Portuary Complex (Brazil): it concentrates over one hundred companies in a region inhabited by traditional communities, who report serious human rights violations stemming from the Complex’s expansion.

Presentation objectives:
The presentation will draw on the Suape case to discuss the many facets of complicity with human rights violations in complex environments.
 

Interpretation is provided in English and Spanish

Brief description of the presentation:
Areas affected by armed conflict or under occupation pose unique challenges for companies operating or wishing to operate there. In addition to international human rights law, companies must consider and respect the rules of international humanitarian law. The UN Guiding Principles make this clear by stating that companies have a responsibility to respect standards of international humanitarian law in situations of armed conflict. This includes standards designed to safeguard people living in occupied territory (the protected people under the law of occupation).  In situations of armed conflict and occupation, the risks of gross human rights abuses is heightened, and companies must be particularly careful not to exacerbate these risks. They must also be alert to the risk of contributing to or benefitting from illegal acts, such as the unlawful appropriation of land and natural resources of the occupied territory.

Presentation objectives:
The purpose of Amnesty’s snapshot presentation will be to discuss the implications of the corporate responsibility to respect human rights in situations of occupation. Examples will be used to illustrate the challenges and impact on people’s lives. Innovative ways for States and the UN to ensure both act in line with their respective international law duties and responsibilities in these situations will also be discussed.

Interpretation is provided in English and Spanish

Brief description of the presentation: 
National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) promote, protect and advance human rights for every person in every aspect of their lives. We hold Governments to account for their human rights obligations, and help to embed human rights principles into the foundations of services, organisations and institutions to create a society where no one is left behind.
 
Presentation objectives: 
Discussing the potential for better partnerships between businesses and NHRIs in order to implement rights based approaches that create change and drive inclusion of marginalised groups, including the LGBTI community.  

Interpretation is provided in English and Spanish

Brief description of the presentation:
Business impacts children everywhere. Children interact daily with the private sector – as family members of workers, employees, consumers, and community members affected by operations and supply chains. The Children’s Rights and Business Atlas is an online tool that uses a wide range of data analysis and manipulation to help transform this interaction and help businesses, investors and industry organizations understand how their actions impact children’s rights globally.

Presentation objectives: 
To discuss how the Children’s Rights and Business Atlas provides a quantitative assessment of children’s rights across 195 countries and territories to offer a comprehensive understanding of how actions impact children’s rights, and the degree to which children’s rights are respected, across the globe in the Workplace, at the Marketplace, and within the Community and Environment. The Atlas harnesses the power of data to bring pragmatic and user-friendly insight into the complex narrative of children’s’ rights, helping provide risk and impact assessment. The Atlas is designed to help business, government and industry stakeholders better understand their impact on children through the use of publicly available country data, industry analysis and practical guidance.

http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/human-rights-council/forum-on-business-and-human-rights/watch/panel-ii-developing-a-gender-lens-forum-on-business-and-human-rights-2018/5972479212001/?term=

Organized by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights 

Brief description of the session: 
Against this background, this session – framed as a “gender roundtable” – will discuss major challenges faced by women in business-related contexts and explore potential solutions as well as good practices to address these challenges. The roundtable will focus on the following five thematic areas:

• Sexual harassment and sexual violence against women
• Gender sensitive human rights due diligence
• Economic inclusion and empowerment of women
• Impact of trade, investment and tax regimes on women
• Women’s experiences of accessing effective remedies and defending rights

To prepare for the gender roundtable, individuals and organizations who had submitted session proposals for the Forum related to gender issues and some other stakeholders have been invited to form a small group on each of the above five themes. Each group is expected to discuss internally and prepare a 2-page brief to inform discussion at the gender roundtable. The briefs will highlight the main challenges faced by women in the five specific thematic situations identified above as well as the potential solutions and good practices to overcome those challenges. All received briefs will be posted on the UN Working Group’s gender project webpage.

Session objectives:

1. Raise sensitivity amongst all stakeholders about the key challenges faced by women in business-related contexts.
2. Identify potential solutions as well as best practices concerning these challenges.
3. Inform the UN Working Group’s proposed gender guidance on how to “protect, respect and remedy” the rights of women in a business context in line with the UNGPs.

 
Background to the discussion:
Women (including girls) experience business-related human rights abuses in unique ways and are often affected disproportionately. Women also face multiple forms of discrimination and experience additional barriers in seeking access to effective remedies for business-related human rights abuses. Therefore, in order to effectively meet their respective human rights duties and responsibilities under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), States and business enterprises need to be sensitive to the unique experiences of women and the structural discrimination or barriers that they face.
In order to assist States and business enterprises in achieving this goal, the UN Working Group is developing gender guidance to the UNGPs. This guidance will provide practical recommendations for what it means to “protect, respect and remedy” the rights of women in a business context in line with the UNGPs. The gender guidance to the UNGPs, which will cover all three pillars, will be the theme of report of the Working Group to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2019. Further information about this project is available at: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Business/Pages/GenderLens.aspx

Session format:
The gender roundtable will be organised as follows:
- Introductory remarks by the Surya Deva, Vice-Chair, UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (5 minutes)
- Sharing of briefs developed by five thematic groups (6 minutes for each group)
- Each group will organise a “gender café” to brainstorm further issues around the given theme with other participants (45 minutes)
- Break (20 minutes)
- Reflections from gender cafés (40 minutes)
- Open discussion facilitated by the moderator (40 minutes)

Interpretation is provided in English and French.

Session organized by the  Alliance 8.7 Secretariat and its Action Group on Supply Chains.

Topic and focus of the session:
The challenge of ending child labour and forced labour remains formidable with 152 million children around the world in child labour and 25 million people in forced labour. A significant number of victims are working in supply chains.

As the leading global partnership to end child labour and forced labour, Alliance 8.7 will use its unique convening power to bring to the Forum testimonies from three countries and the OSCE. These will show how governments have joined forces with other partners (business membership and employers’ organizations, trade unions, companies, civil society organizations, UN organizations and entities) to strengthen due diligence and the coordination of their efforts.

Session objectives:

1. Share good experiences of Governments and businesses collaboration on the implementation of measures aimed at incentivizing or enabling businesses to engage in due diligence on child labour and forced labour in supply chains;
2. Exchange insights on persisting challenges to be addressed, including on closing knowledge gaps and measuring impact of efforts;
3. Provide examples on how Alliance 8.7 can accelerate the results of their efforts under the 2030 Agenda. 

Format of the session:
Introductory statements followed by interactive dialogue with the audience

Interpretation is provided in English and Spanish

Description of the presentation:
This “snapshot” presentation will outline the economic argument for why business should be concerned about the global crackdown on civic rights and civil society. In October, The B Team released The Business Case for Protecting Civic Rights, to examine the economic impact of respect for civic rights and civic space. The Business Case for Protecting Civic Rights utilises data from the Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-Dem) to augment the business case for action and explore how a better business environment is linked to greater civic rights and freedoms.

Presentation objectives: 
We plan to speak alongside a company representative that can explain why the protection of civic rights is important to their business operations and their commitment to the UN Guiding Principles

Interpretation is provided in English and Spanish

Brief description of the presentation:
The session will showcase an effective multi-stakeholder model (i.e. the “La Máquina Model”), working against child labour and offer both a government and a rights-holder perspective. The model, which has been developed and run in close collaboration with the Government of Guatemala, the ECLT Foundation, NGO partner DNI Costa Rica, local communities and private sector partners, not only focuses on schools and job skills but also provides child labour training for key local actors, like community leaders, teachers and technicians from companies that work with farmers, for a sustainable way to address child labour gaps in agricultural supply chains and promote decent youth employment.

Presentation objectives:
Ms. Rodriguez will speak briefly on the challenges she faces accessing education in her rural community, the importance of the model for her and her fellow participants.
Ms. Ochoa will give a short overview of the work, successes and challenges of the Ministry of Labour in the Eradication of Child Labour, specifically, the advances made as a country, including the “La Maquina Model” and the importance of building a replicable model in two departments of Guatemala. The replica aims to continue promoting education, ignite economic development and reduce migration in communities living in extreme poverty in Guatemala.

Interpretation is provided in English and Spanish

Brief description of the presentation: 
Extractive activities, such as mining projects in Honduras, have affected collective and individual rights of indigenous peoples, such as their right to prior, free and informed consent, the right to water, their access to, use and control over land, and have negatively impacted on the enjoyment of a healthy environment. In this context, the human rights impacts on indigenous communities have received little attention from the government as well as from transnational enterprises involved, while human rights defenders rasing critical voices have been facing increased risks.

Objectives of the presentation: 
Against the backdrop of these challenges, the presentation will feature a civil society perspective on what would be effective measures by government, transnational corporations, other business and investors to meet the requirements set out in the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in such a context. It will also offer the opportunity to explore existing avenues for improvement, including through meaningful participation of affected communities in decisions affecting their rights, as well as in the context of the possible development of a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.

Interpretation is provided in English and Spanish

Brief description of the presentation:
Initial experiences of a growing number of indigenous communities in jurisdictions throughout the world suggests that formalizing their own engagement rules and procedures, in the form of consultation and free prior and informed consent (FPIC) protocols, policies, templates or guidelines, can be an effective way for indigenous peoples to ensure that business activities in or near their territories only proceed in a manner that respects their rights. These living documents provide companies, financial institutions and other actors seeking to operate in or near the territories of indigenous peoples with context specific indigenous-rights-based principles, rules and frameworks within which they should operate when seeking indigenous peoples’ consent.

Presentation objectives:
The speakers will address a research project involving European Network on Indigenous Peoples members from Middlesex University London School of Law, Forest Peoples Programme and INFOE that seeks to build on these experiences and contribute to the empowerment of indigenous peoples to assert their right to self-determined development by consolidating, exploring and sharing these evolving approaches and the associated lessons and resources. The Embera Chami in the Resguardo Indigena de Canamomo y Lomoprieta in Colombia are indigenous peoples who have developed consultation and consent protocols regulating natural resource governance in their territories. A former governor of this Resguardo will address their experience and the importance of company and State adherence to their protocols to guarantee business respect for their collective land, cultural and self-governance rights.

Interpretation is provided in English and Spanish

Brief description of the presentation:
This session aims to present briefly the Sonora case and related recent decision by the Mexican Supreme Court in September 2018. On 6 August 2014, 40 million liters of copper sulphate were spilled by Buenavista del Cobre, property of Grupo Mexico, into the Bácanuchi and Sonora rivers, impacting on the access to clean water, health and livelihoods of almost 25,000 people along the río Sonora watershed. Since 2014, affected peoples and communities have been seeking justice, integral remediation and guarantees of non-repetition. In the last four years, several irregularities have been committed by both the authorities and the company, including the beginning of the expansion of the mine. In September 2018, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled in favor of the community of Bacanuchi regarding the lack of consultation before granting the permits for such expansion, thus re-affirming the constitutional right to participate in environmental matters by affected communities.

Presentation objectives:
A representative of affected communities will share her testimony, and PODER will share more information on the case and the potential this ruling has in advancing the fulfilment of the right to participation in the context of business activities in Mexico and internationally.

Organized by the Human Rights and Business Award Foundation

Short description of the session: 
At this session the first annual Human Rights and Business Award will be presented to an NGO, “for outstanding work by human rights defenders in the Global South or former Soviet Union addressing the human rights impacts of business”.  The award will be accompanied by a grant of US$50,000.  This session will not be ceremonial – instead, it will be an interactive learning and discussion opportunity, linking the particular experiences of the award recipient and the lessons learned through those experiences to the Forum’s priority issues including human rights due diligence, sector-focused challenges, and the UN Guiding Principles.

Session objectives: 

• Identification of human rights abuses that need to be addressed by civil society, business and governments – and steps that need to be taken to avoid recurrence of those abuses
• Identification of good practices by human rights defenders, business and governments
• Identification of “due diligence” good practice and opportunities
• Identification of opportunities for increased constructive direct engagement between companies and NGOs and between governments and NGOs
• Identification of opportunities for more effective implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

Key discussion questions 

• What have been your organization’s greatest challenges, and greatest successes, in addressing the human rights impacts of business in your country?  What have you learned from the experience that could be useful to other NGOs, and to businesses and governments?
• A central theme of this UN Forum is human rights due diligence by companies.  What practical advice would you give to an international company coming into your country and wanting to respect human rights, implement the UN Guiding Principles and assess the risks?
• Do you have any practical suggestions for increasing constructive direct engagement between companies and NGOs in your country?
• Your NGO has been addressing specific human rights impacts by business.  When you step back and look at the broader landscape in your country, what steps can civil society, companies and government take in the future to promote good human rights practices by business?

Discussants who will help activate the broader discussion with brief contributions include:

• Justiça nos Trilhos has just been named the recipient of the first annual Human Rights and Business Award, which will be presented at this session.
  Justiça nos Trilhos is a human rights NGO working with more than 100 communities in rural regions of Brazil to address widespread abuses by mining companies, and to defend the rights of local people including indigenous communities. The abuses include damage to health and livelihoods, displacement of communities, violence, and decimation of the cultures and lives of indigenous peoples. The human rights defenders of Justiça nos Trilhos, and the local communities they work with, have suffered persecution, surveillance and retaliatory lawsuits.
  
• Lea Rankinen of S Group, a Finnish network of companies operating in the retail and service sectors. When human rights defender Andy Hall documented forced labor by one of S Group’s suppliers in Thailand, and when that supplier filed a court case against Andy Hall, S Group first tried to convince their supplier company to have an open dialogue with stakeholders and to cooperate with external auditors, and when the supplier refused S Group stopped working with them.  But S Group went further – it considered what was the necessary level of due diligence to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, then decided to travel to Thailand to testify in support of human rights defender Andy Hall, and after he was convicted, raised his case at the European Parliament and at the United Nations.  Lea said: “Human rights defenders are the ones doing this work on the ground level...if they can’t raise questions, then how can anyone in the society?”  For further information, see “In-depth interview with Lea Rankinen of S Group: ‘If suppliers think they can sue human rights defenders who will audit or investigate them, this will jeopardize our responsible sourcing’", Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, Jan 2017.
• Anita Ramasastry, Member of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, will highlight the Working Group’s new guidance document on human rights defenders being launched soon: guidance for governments and business on action to safeguard and support human rights defenders in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Organized by the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation and Participant Media

Short description of the session:
Join us for a special screening of THE PRICE OF FREE.
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, THE PRICE OF FREE is a suspenseful yet intimate look at one man’s groundbreaking struggle to liberate every child possible from slavery. From director Derek Doneen and Oscar winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth,” “He Named Me Malala”), the film follows Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and his team of leaders around the world through gripping secret raids and quests for missing children in the hopes of ending the cycle of poverty that forces them and their families into dreadful circumstances. Refusing to be daunted by the impossible, they have succeeded in rescuing over 87,000 children and created a global movement which has resulted in legislation which helps protect young children. The film was co-produced by Concordia Studio and Participant Media, and will be released by YouTube Originals.

Session objectives:

• Illuminate the persistence of child labor, hidden in supply chains
• Discuss the role of business in child labor and slavery in supply chains
• Describe the film’s social impact campaign and how companies in the room can screen this film for their employees, leaders and partners.

Key discussion questions:

• What can the private sector do to help solve this problem?

Background to the discussion:
The film will be launched globally on November 27th by YouTube Originals.
The Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation and Participant Media (in partnership with YouTube and Concordia Studio) will empower students, policymakers, and business leaders to take action toward a future that is child-labor free. The campaign will provide audiences across the U.S. and around the world with an opportunity to understand and reflect on how many of the products we use in our daily lives — from our coffee, to our clothes, to our mobile devices — could include the work of children. The campaign will provide pathways for audiences to invest, advocate and lead change.
Recognizing the key role that business plays in eliminating forced and child labor, Participant Media is offering the film to companies with global supply chains, so that they might screen for their employees, leadership, customers or shareholders. Companies may choose a date between October 2018 and April 2019 to screen all or a portion of the film and use the event as an opportunity to spark a conversation about improving supply chain practices. Participant Media will provide tools for hosting a successful screening event.