Business & Human Rights workshop for Investors & Directors
Wednesday, 10 August 2016 from 1:00PM | NZ Super Fund, Auckland

Connecting Human Rights Risks to ESG Performance: What Questions Should Investors and Directors Be Asking?

This half-day session will bring together senior leaders from New Zealand’s investor and director community to explore how human rights risks connect to financial risks and how to evaluate the robustness of a company’s human rights risk management systems.

From poor working conditions in nail salons in New York to slave labor on fishing boats off New Zealand’s coast or on “free range” egg farms in the UK, we see businesses connected to a wide range of negative human rights impacts even in highly regulated markets. We also see growing awareness of the negative impacts of “land grabbing” on local communities’ livelihoods in companies’ operations and global value chains in sectors ranging from extractives to food and beverage, consumer products and banking, as well as of the human rights risks connected with doing business in challenging markets like Iran, particularly for companies that have joint ventures or client relationships with governments. What kinds of questions should directors and investors be asking about how such risks are managed?

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are the authoritative global standard on how businesses should manage human rights (including labor rights) risks connected to their operations. Shift is the leading center of expertise on the UN Guiding Principles, having worked with diverse companies, governments and stakeholders on putting respect for human rights into practice in global business. Shift co-led the development of the UN Guiding Principles Reporting Framework, a critical tool to help companies translate the expectations of the Guiding Principles into concrete steps to manage their salient human rights risks and to guide human rights disclosure. The Framework is backed by an international investor coalition representing over US $4.8 trillion in assets under management – the largest ever on a human rights initiative.

This practical session will be led by senior staff from Shift, drawing on their work with leading companies and investors globally. Directors and investors are invited to attend for the first half, while the second half will be more tailored to investors. The agenda will cover the following topics:

First half discussion (1.30pm to 3.00pm):

• Adding it up: The growing business case for respecting human rights;
• Trends in regulation: Global trends in national regulation and stock exchange requirements on human rights disclosure;
• Red flags for investors and directors: Evaluating the rigor of companies’ human rights risk management and governance;
• Prioritizing salient human rights issues: Using severity of impact to drive prioritization efforts and ensure feasibility for companies and investors alike.

Second half discussion (3.00pm to 4.30pm):

• Integrating human rights due diligence into current ESG approaches;
• Materiality and human rights: Why typical materiality assessments fail to adequately account for human rights risks and what can be done about it;
• Using the UN Guiding Principles Reporting Framework: Experiences from early adopter companies and investors.

When:

1.00pm, Wednesday 10 August 2016

Where:

NZ Super Fund, Level 12 Zurich House, 21 Queen Street, Auckland

Who should attend:

New Zealand Investors and Directors

Programme:

1.00pm Arrival and networking

1.30pm Workshop

4.30pm Wrap up and drinks

How much does it cost:

$180 (including GST).

Registrations can be cancelled for a full refund up to five working days before the date of the event. If you unable to cancel your booking in time, you may send someone else in your place.

Further information:

Visit the Business & Human Rights Forum webpage for further information on the New Zealand Human Rights Commission’s Business and Human Rights Forum taking place 9 to 12 August.

For any event queries contact events@hrc.co.nz or 09 375 8635.

Check out our speaker profiles here.

Thank you to NZ Super Fund for hosting this event and for providing support for the Business & Human Rights Forum.