The critical role (Assembly Hall) Forum on Business…

The world is facing a convergence of interlinked crises —commonly referred to as the polycrisis, which includes the triple planetary crises (climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution), armed conflicts, financial crisis and the unregulated development and use of new technologies including AI— which pose potential harms to both people and the planet. In this context, human rights defenders, including women, environmental, and Indigenous human rights defenders, play a critical role in addressing harmful business practices and indirect corporate impacts, protecting natural ecosystems, and advocating for climate and environmental justice. However, defenders around the world face mounting threats, including criminalization, forced-displacement, SLAPPs, harassment, physical violence, and killings, with disproportionate links to the extractive, agribusiness and renewable energy sectors. Such abuses are more frequent in regions where corporate operations intersect with weak governance and lack of accountability. 
 
One way to develop multistakeholder solutions and move forward, is for businesses to engage transparently with affected stakeholders and safely build mutual trust with human rights defenders and rights holders. As recognized in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and in emerging human rights due diligence legislation in various jurisdictions, safe and meaningful stakeholder engagement is a cornerstone of responsible business conduct, essential to prevent and mitigate human rights abuses, and to prevent attacks on human right defenders and right holders across supply and value chains. However, meaningful engagement has proven challenging and much more effort is needed by business to ensure progressive and sustainable change particularly in the current context of polycrisis as described above.  

Drawing on the experiences of civil society actors, human rights defenders and other rights holders, and business actors, this session will explore practices of safe and meaningful engagement while also identifying the challenges faced in different contexts. Panelists will identify practical challenges of stakeholder engagement, and recommendations to address and overcome them, as well as surfacing examples of good practices. 

Moderators: Fernanda Hopenhaym
Speakers: Gianluca ESPOSITO, Rémy Friedmann, Rebecka J. Gylfe, Chris Owalla