Business and Human Rights - Towards a Common Agenda for Action event in Brussels

The event will take place on 2 December 2019. This multi-stakeholder conference, to be held during Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, will discuss topical issues in the field of business and human rights and means to find constructive ways to take forward this critical agenda in both the Member States and at EU level. The conference will be organised in collaboration with Shift (www.shiftproject.org).

Since the adoption of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in 2011, we have witnessed increasing attention to the role of business in acting sustainably and respecting human rights. The UN Guiding Principles set clear expectations of business and also of states to ensure that companies carry out their operations with respect for human rights and that, where impacts occur, those who are affected have access to effective remedy. While we have seen progress since 2011, the question now is how do we most effectively scale up implementation?

The keynote speaker of the event will be Professor John Ruggie, the author of the UN Guiding Principles. The event will be held on 2 December 2019 at the Sofitel Brussels Europe hotel in Brussels, Belgium. The draft programme is available here (Opens New Window). Key topics will include state financing for doing business abroad, the role of regulatory measures as part of a mix of measures, and the use of collective leverage and cooperation to enhance human rights outcomes particularly for those most vulnerable to harm, especially human rights defenders.

The event is free of cost, however it is by invitation only, as the venue can accommodate only a limited amount of guests and the aim is to ensure broad and balanced participation across all stakeholder groups. Should you not have received an invitation but are interested in participating up, please do sign up for the waiting list(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window). The event will be streamed live. 

In case of questions please turn to Ville Ikävalko, Unit for Human Rights Policy.

The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi.