September Newsletter I NOVA BHRE


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NOVA BHRE Newsletter

Empowering Corporate Accountability through Knowledge and Action

September 2024

Welcome you to the latest edition of our newsletter, where we recap a vibrant month full of meaningful events, insightful blog posts, practical trainings and much more.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Save the Date!

4^th Annual Conference of the NOVA Centre on Business, Human Rights and the Environment on "Unpacking Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence"

The event will take place on the 19^th of November 2024 in-person at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon and will be live-streamed. It is organized in partnership with NOVA SBE and the NOVA Green Lab and with the support of PLMJ. Programme and details about registration available here.

Organization Committee: Claire Bright, Céline da Graça Pires, Ana Santos Duarte, Alison Holm, Laura Iñigo Álvarez, and Anaïs Tobalagba.

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On the 2^nd of October, Laura Íñigo Álvarez will participate as discussant in the SPEED seminar entitled “Access to Remedy for Victims of Transnational Business-Related Human Rights Abuses Through Private Dispute Resolution: A Human Rights-Centred Assessment” that will be presented by Gustavo Becker, PhD Candidate, University of Amsterdam and University of Luxembourg.

On 25^th of October, we will participate "The 26th General Comment of the Committee on the Rights of the Child" at the 2024 edition of ‘The Lisbon Climate Conference’ which is co-organized by Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Università di Torino, Koç Üniversitesi, and members of the Law Schools Global League.

Laura Íñigo Álvarez and Daniel Iglesias Márquez will present their paper “Unpacking the Potential of State-Based Grievance Mechanisms in Rights-Based Climate Cases Brought against Corporations: Insights from OECD National Contact Points” and Maria Miguel Oliveira da Silva and Odete Severino Soares will present "The 26^th General Comment of the Committee on the Rights of the Child".

KEY EVENTS

Training Course on Business and Human Rights at KU Leuven

On the 5^th of September, the NOVA BHRE took part in the Training Course on Business and Human Rights, co-hosted by the Geneva Human Rights Platform. Co-led by experts Anita Ramasastry and Tara Van Ho, this training focused on the critical intersection of business practices and human rights. Claire Bright delivered a training session on Human Rights Due Diligence, sharing insights on how companies can responsibly navigate their global supply chains.

Doctoral Thesis Defence by Kari Otteburn

On the 10^th of September, Claire Bright served as a jury member for the defence of Kari Otteburn’s doctoral thesis titled "To the Whetstone or the Drawing Board? Access to Remedy for Extraterritorial Business-Related Human Rights Violations". Kari’s work makes a remarkable contribution to the field, addressing the challenges of ensuring corporate accountability for human rights violations abroad.

Global Business and Human Rights Scholars Association Annual Conference

On the 12^th and 13^th of September, the NOVA BHRE actively participated in the Annual Conference hosted by the Law Group at Wageningen University. In particular, our visiting researcher, Anaïs Tobalagba presented her latest paper, co-authored with our Research Associate Ana Santos Duarte, on the gender dimensions of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). In addition, Claire Bright, together with Martijn Scheltema and Daniel Schönfelder, presented the European Model Clauses (EMCs) for global supply chains that they have developed together with the other members of the European Working Group on European Model Clauses.

Training Course on Business and Human Rights and Awareness-Raising Sessions on the Development of a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights in Tunisia

Between the 17^th and and the 20^th of September, the NOVA BHRE delivered training sessions on Business and Human Rights to Tunisian Public Companies and led awareness-raising sessions on the development of a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights in Tunisia as part of a project in collaboration with the UN Development Programme.

BLOG HIGHLIGHTS

New Blog Series: Exploring Litigation for Corporate Accountability

We announced the launch of a new blog series entitled “Explorando los caminos hacia el acceso efectivo a la justicia en materia de empresas y derechos humanos” that delves into the evolving landscape of litigation related to the negative impacts of business activities.

Coordinated by Daniel Iglesias Márquez and Estrella del Valle Calzada, and edited by Laura Íñigo Álvarez, this series brings together contributions from authors across various regions, offering both theoretical insights and case study perspectives on corporate accountability. In September, 3 blog posts were published as part of this new series:

Aintzane Márquez Tejón, "An Intersectional Feminist Strategy for Corporate Accountability", 19 September 2024.
Joan Marc Ferrando, "The Lafarge Case and Corporate Criminal Responsibility for Terrorism Financing", 24 September 2024.
Florencia S. Wegher Osci, "National Contact Points for Responsible Business Conduct: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly", 26 September 2024.

We also published:

🇵🇹 Amanda De Sales Pereira, "Conduta Empresarial Responsável na regulação mineral baseada nas Diretrizes da OCDE: Um estudo comparativo entre Brasil e Austrália", 18 September 2024.

COURSE LAUNCH

ESG Reporting and Due Diligence (Portuguese Edition)

In celebration of the Portuguese National Sustainability Day, on September the 25^th, we launched the much-anticipated ESG Reporting and Due Diligence E-Course. Coordinated by Professor Claire Bright and Professor Lucila de Almeida, this course is designed to equip executives and professionals with the knowledge to align corporate practices with the evolving ESG demands and regulations. Over the coming weeks, participants will dive deep into the challenges and opportunities of implementing sustainable practices that respect human rights and environmental standards.

WELCOMING NEW FACES

PhD Researcher Pedro Victor dos Santos Witschoreck

This September, we had the pleasure of welcoming Pedro Victor dos Santos Witschoreck, a visiting PhD researcher from Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS). Pedro’s research focuses on labour law in digital platforms - a timely and relevant subject as digitalization reshapes the global workforce.

Thank you for staying connected with us!

We look forward to continuing this journey of fostering discussions, insights, and meaningful change in Business, Human Rights, and Environmental Sustainability.

Warm regards,

NOVA BHRE

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