9 Nov 2017 - by A4ID

India: A4ID to hold Symposium on Business and Human Rights

On Friday 10 November 2017, The Claridges Hotel in New Delhi, India, A4ID will convene business, legal and academic leaders for discussion on developments in business and human rights in India and abroad with a focus on company leadership in operationalising Pillar II (respect for human rights) and Pillar III (access to remedy) of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

On Friday 10 November 2017, The Claridges Hotel in New Delhi, India, A4ID will convene business, legal and academic leaders for discussion on developments in business and human rights in India and abroad with a focus on company leadership in operationalising Pillar II (respect for human rights) and Pillar III (access to remedy) of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

“This Symposium offers an exciting opportunity to showcase examples of leadership in business and human rights and share insights on the progressive action taken by the Government of India and Indian companies in implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

India’s Responsible Business Index has shone a valuable spotlight on corporate action required to give effect to companies’ business and human rights responsibilities. We are delighted to assemble leading voices in this discussion and, further, to include specialist training so as to support these positive developments in India.”

Yasmin Batliwala, A4ID’s Chief Executive.

During morning panel sessions, speakers will address the critical business and human rights issues facing companies and their legal counsel, including promoting human rights in the work place and providing effective grievance mechanisms. Joining as panellists, will be among others:

  • Avik Biswas, Partner, IndusLaw
  • Avimukt Dar, Partner, IndusLaw
  • Harpreet Kaur, Director of the Genpact Centre for Women’s Leadership, Ashoka University
  • Nidhish Mehrotra, Partner, ANM Global Inc
  • Roger Leese, Partner, Clifford Chance LLP
  • Sanjay Singh, Principal Resident Representative, Tata Sons Ltd
  • Sunila Awasthi, Senior Partner, AZB & Partners
  • Shankh Sengupta, Partner, Trilegal
  • Vikas Goswami, Head of Sustainability – Good and Green, Godrej Group

For speaker profiles, follow this link: http://www.a4id.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/A4ID-Symposium-Speaker-biographies_for-website-publication.pdf

Following the panel discussion, Pavini Emiko Singh (Clifford Chance LLP) and Vaneesha Jain (Saikrishna & Associates) will present A4ID’s Research Paper which analyses human rights developments in the international and India-specific context and Indian corporate sector.

Research inputs and case study contributions for the Research Paper have been provided by Cividep India, Clifford Chance LLP, Human Rights Law Network, Mazars, Oxfam India, Saikrishna & Associates and Weil, Gotshal and Manges LLP. To read an executive summary, follow this link.

During the afternoon session, legal practitioners will have the opportunity to attend technical training on relevant Indian and international law. The training will work through the medium of practical case studies to address company concerns on access to remedy, stakeholder consultations, and human rights reporting.

For more information, please contact A4ID’s Project Lead, India, Trishna Mohan Kripalani [email protected].