AI Around the Globe: What to Know in 2024
Impact of environmental, social and governance agenda on tax
Suzanne Folsom & Christopher Burnham on Private Sector Lessons
Almost six years have passed since the introduction of the UK Sanctions and Money Laundering Act, and two years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which was a watershed moment for the UK sanctions regime. Against the...more
COP28, the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, came to an end in Dubai on December 13, 2023. The nearly 200 states reached what has been labelled a “historic” agreement...more
As we transition into an era of human rights due diligence mandated by regulation, many in the business and human rights community are nervously asking the same question. Will a company’s steps to identify and address actual...more
On September 8, 2023, the United Nations published its first Global Stocktake report on the progress made by nations in addressing climate change. The report, which represents the first comprehensive assessment of nearly 200...more
Microsoft is one of the world’s leading technology companies. Its products and technologies are in offices, classrooms, and homes. Additionally, governments use them to help conduct vital public services. Microsoft is also...more
The Norwegian Transparency Act, a broad law mandating that covered companies conduct human rights-related due diligence for their operations and supply chains, went into effect in July 2022. The ambitious law is part of a...more
The explosion of global business and human rights continued to resonate across the globe in 2022. Some of the business and human rights trends have been evident and growing for several years; others are relatively new. Many...more
As the European Union (“EU”) continues to debate whether downstream responsibilities will fall within the contours of its hefty Corporate Sustainability Mandatory Due Diligence Directive (“CSMDD”), and the EU Council just...more
Canada is considering implementing new laws regarding supply-chain due diligence and other obligations relating to forced labour and child labour. In late 2021, Canadian Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne introduced Bill S-211, An...more
The risk of businesses becoming involved with, and potentially complicit in, grave human rights abuses is naturally higher in the context of armed conflicts and other situations of widespread violence. The UN Development...more
Corporate Obligations to Address Forced Labor in Supply Chains Relevant to You? International organizations like the International Labor Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the...more
Executive Summary - During the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or "COP26," the United States' "whole-of-government" approach to climate change was on full display, with the Biden-Harris...more
As we previewed before the 26th meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26, or the “Conference”), ongoing international discussions have produced notable initiatives to...more
The UK Government’s recent announcement emphasises a more ambitious modern slavery agenda and, specifically, the use of a “smarter mix” of measures across policy, regulation, stakeholder expectations and corporate practice to...more
Report on Supply Chain Compliance 3, no. 21 (October 29, 2020) - The United States announced a “snapback” of United Nations (UN) sanctions on Iran due to Iran’s alleged noncompliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of...more
CEP Magazine (February 2020) - Virgil Griffith, an American citizen, was arrested Nov. 30 after speaking on blockchain solutions at the April 2019 Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference in North Korea....more
On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (“NDAA 2020”), which includes numerous sanctions-related provisions. The law includes the previously introduced...more
Report on Supply Chain Compliance 2, no. 23 (December 12, 2019) - Extreme and unpredictable events can have a devastating effect on supply chain management and business operations. According to two separate reports...more
Since it was established in 2014, a United Nations Inter-Governmental Working Group (“IGWG”) has met annually to develop a multilateral treaty to attempt to hold businesses legally accountable for harms that may be related to...more
Human rights issues increasingly require the assistance of experienced counsel who can help employers navigate very fluid and complex legal, business and societal considerations. ...more
It was a pleasure to speak in Geneva earlier this month at a consultation hosted by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (“OHCHR“) on the scope for making businesses strictly liable for human...more
It’s Friday and time for another overview of developments in the field of business and human rights that we’ve been monitoring. This week’s post includes: a new report from the U.N. Working Group on Business and Human...more
On December 16, 2016, the United States launched a National Action Plan (the “U.S. NAP”) on Responsible Business Conduct. The U.S. NAP seeks to operationalize the government’s role in encouraging responsible business conduct...more
Five years ago, on June 16, 2011, the way we view the human rights responsibilities of companies changed. On that day, the United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed the UN Guiding Principles on Business and...more
It’s time for another rundown of five developments in the field of business and human rights — and broader corporate social responsibility — that we’ve been monitoring....more