Second Annual Conference of the NOVA BHRE

The second annual conference focused on the Draft Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive: Opportunities and Challenges. The conference took place in Lisbon, in a hybrid format, on the 28th and 29th of September 2022.

This edition was organised in partnership with the Portuguese Government, the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, PLMJ and FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology). It counted with the participation of the EU Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, the Portuguese Chambers of Commerce, as well as members of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, members of the Portuguese government, scholars, civil society organisations and businesses from 5 different continents.

 

Coordinators: Claire Bright , Laura Íñigo Álvarez and Inês Crispim.

Registration: in-person participation
Registration: online participation

Wednesday 28th September

Opening speeches

Time: 
13:15  (Lisbon Time)

Panel:

  • Margarida Lima Rego, Vice-Dean – NOVA School of Law
  • Claire Bright, Director of the NOVA BHRE
  • Bernardo Ivo Cruz, Portuguese Secretary of State for Internationalization
  • Bruno Ferreira, Managing Partner at PLMJ
  • Robert McCorquodale, Member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights

Panel 1: The Implications of the Draft CSDDD for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains

Time:
14:00 (Lisbon Time)

Keynote speech:
– Representative (tbc) of the Portuguese Government

Chair: Tomislav Ivancic (FAO)

Panel:

  • Sofia del Valle, World Benchmark Alliance
  • Nasir Mansoor, NTUF Pakistan trade union
  • Isabelle Schömann, European Trade Union Confederation
  • António Serrano, Jerónimo Martins

Coffee break

Time:
15:15 (Lisbon Time)

Panel 2: The Draft CSDDD, Climate Change and the Just Transition

Time:
15:45 (Lisbon Time)

Keynote speech: Erika George, Tanner Humanities Center

Chair: Alison Holm, NOVA SBE

Panel:

  • Lucila de Almeida, NOVA School of Law/Wageningen
  • Eduardo Moura, EDP
  • Aurelie Skrobik, Global Witness
  • Max Mangold, Mercedes-Benz Group

Panel 3: The Enforcement of the Draft CSDDD (online)

Time:
17:00 (Lisbon Time)

Keynote speech: Lara Wolters, European Parliament

Chair: Lise Smit, BIICL

Panel:

  • Sarah Dadush, Rutgers University
  • Gabrielle Holly, Danish Institute for Human Rights
  • Chris Patz, ECCJ
  • Daniel Schönfelder, BHR Lawyer, Germany

End of the day

Time:
18:30 (Lisbon Time)

Thursday. 29th September

Opening speeches

Time:
09:30 (Lisbon Time)

Panel:

  • Manuela Doutel Haghighi, Microsoft
  • Marta Lima Basto, Deputy Director-General, Directorate General for Economic Activities of the Portuguese Ministry of Economy and Sea
  • Didier Reynders, EU Commissioner for Justice
  • Damiola Sunday Olawuyi, UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights

Panel 4: The interconnections between the Draft CSDDD and the Draft Treaty on BHR

Time:
10:30 (Lisbon Time)

Keynote speech: Surya Deva, Macquarie Law School

Chair: Inês Crispim, PLMJ

Panel:

  • Humberto Cantu-Rivera, Universidade de Monterray
  • Laura Iñigo Álvarez, NOVA School of Law
  • Axel Marx, KU Leuven
  • Claire Metven O’Brien, University of Dundee
  • Ben Van Peperstraete, ECCHR

Lunch Break

Time:
12:00 (Lisbon Time)

Panel 5: The Draft CSDDD and its Implications for Children’s Rights

Time:
14:00 (Lisbon Time)

Keynote speech: Ines Kaempfer, CEO, The Centre for Child Rights and Business

Chair: Teresa Anjinho

Panel:

  • Francisca Magagno – Advocacy Director, UNICEF Portugal
  • Virginie Mahin, Mondelez
  • Emilio Puccio, Secretary General of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights
  • Benjamin Smith – Senior Officer, ILO

Coffee Break

Time:
15:30 (Lisbon Time)

Panel 6: The Draft CSDDD and Business Conduct in Conflicts-Affected Areas

Time:
16:00 (Lisbon Time)

Keynote speech: Anita Ramasastry, University of Washington School of Law

Chair: Laura Iñígo Álvarez, NOVA BHRE

Panel:

  • Céline da Graça Pires, BSR
  • Olena Uvarova, Yaroslav the Wise National Law University & Wageningen University
  • Ron Popper, GBI
  • Tara Van Ho, University of Essex

Closing

Time:
17:30 (Lisbon Time)

Benedita Sequeira, NOVA School of Law