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Monday, November 29 • 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Opening plenary

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A RECORDING OF THIS SESSION IS AVAILABLE HERE.
 
Interpretation in English, French and Spanish will be available 


The annual Forum on Business and Human Rights is the UN’s platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue to assess the progress made by states and business in moving the three pillars of “Protect, Respect and Remedy” of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) from paper to practice.
As the UNGPs turned 10 in June 2021, the convergence of the COVID-19 and climate crises, amid a number of other major global challenges, underlined why the need to bridge the gaps between actions of economic actors and respect for people and the planet is more pressing than ever.

Under the overall theme of “The next decade of business and human rights: increasing the pace and scale of action to implement the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights”, the opening plenary will feature high profile speakers who will offer critical, original and creative thinking to inspire effective, human rights compliant action by governments and businesses to deliver durable solutions to global challenges.
Among the objectives, the speakers will examine several of the most urgent global challenges where the issues of human rights and the role of business intersect. A key aim of the opening plenary session is to provide leadership perspectives on what is required by States and businesses to implement their respective human rights duties and responsibilities in order to achieve real change in the next decade and beyond. A key goal is to deliver a strong and timely call for action, to provide inspiration and help set the tone for constructive and solution-oriented dialogue over the three Forum days.

Key references:
  • The “Road map” for the next decade of the UNGPs developed by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (UNWG) – to be launched at the Forum

Speakers
avatar for Michelle Bachelet

Michelle Bachelet

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
On September 1, 2018 Michelle Bachelet assumed her functions as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was established in 1993 and Ms. Bachelet is the seventh Commissioner.Ms. Bachelet was elected President of Chile... Read More →
avatar for Nazhat Shameem Khan

Nazhat Shameem Khan

President of the Human Rights Council, Human Rights Council
avatar for Surya Deva

Surya Deva

member, UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights
Mr. Surya Deva is a Professor at the Macquarie Law School, University of Macquarie, Sydney. He researches in the areas of business and human rights, India-China constitutional law, international human rights law, and sustainable development. Deva has published extensively in these... Read More →
avatar for Phil Bloomer

Phil Bloomer

Executive Director, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
Phil Bloomer is Executive Director of Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, a digital action platform that empowers human rights advocates in civil society, business, and government.The website attracts 4 million visits each year; tracks the human rights performance of over 9,000... Read More →
avatar for Usha Ramanathan

Usha Ramanathan

Human Rights Activist
Usha Ramanathan works on the jurisprudence of law, poverty and rights. She researches, writes and speaks on issues that include the nature of law, Bhopal Gas Disaster, mass displacement, eminent domain, manual scavenging, civil liberties including the death penalty, beggary, criminal... Read More →
MP

Melva Patricia Gualinga Montalvo

Asesora politica, Pueblo Originario Kichwa de Sarayaku
Lider Historica del Pueblo Sarayaku, ha luchado por los derechos indigenas y de la naturaleza, traductora y testigo en la Corte InterAmericana de derechos Humanos en el caso Sarayaku versus estado de ecuador. Ha ganado varios premios por su activismo en España, EEUU, Alemania.



Monday November 29, 2021 2:00pm - 3:00pm CET
Virtual Plenary room