The responsibilities of financial institutions: From human rights to climate change and conflicts

The B&HR Access to Justice Lab invites you to join our seminar on “The responsibilities of financial institutions: From human rights to climate change and conflicts”.  The speaker will be Professor Robert McCorquodale, Member, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. This in-person seminar will take place in Sydney, the week prior to the inaugural UN Business and Human Rights Regional Forum – Australia and New Zealand in Melbourne.  

There has been increasing publicity about the financial sector’s responsibilities in relation to the impacts of their investments, especially concerning impacts on people and the planet. With the considerable leverage which financial institutions generally have to influence companies to implement their responsibility to respect human rights, as well as the increasing promotion of ESG (environmental, social and governance) investments by financial institutions, there is a need to understand financial institution's own roles and responsibilities to respect human rights, including in relation to climate change and on corporate engagement in conflicts.   

This seminar will examine these issues, based on the report on Investors, ESG and Human Rights published by the independent experts who comprise the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. The seminar theme is very topical given the theme of the upcoming Regional Forum, “Strengthening responsible business practices in turbulent times” as well as the recent climate change advisory opinions of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice.

Format:

• 4:30pm–5:30pm: Talk and exchange with Prof. McCorquodale  

• 5:30pm–6pm: Networking reception with light refreshments 

This seminar is exclusively in-person, no virtual or hybrid participation and no recordings will be available. Registration is essential. If you have any questions, please let us know.

Robert McCorquodale Bio: 

Robert McCorquodale is a member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, a five-member group of independent experts, where his nationality is Australian. He is Emeritus Professor of International Law and Human Rights at the University of Nottingham, UK, and is a former barrister and mediator at Brick Court Chambers, London. He also practised at law firms in Australia and the UK.    

He has a BEc and an LLB from the University of Sydney, and an LLM and PhD from the University of Cambridge.  

Robert has 30 years of experience working in business and human rights. He published widely in this area, including by empirical research, and his most recent book is Business and Human Rights (OUP, 2024). He has advised business of all sizes and assisted governments around the world, and has been involved with civil society, industry sectors and other organisations in drafting legal changes and in litigation. His work has included capacity building, legislative proposals and training, as well as interviewing and qualitative research. He has appeared before the International Court of Justice, the United Kingdom Supreme Court and the Australian High Court.