International conference “Business and Human Rights”

Businesses have enormous impact on human rights, while international and European law is rapidly developing in this field.

Join us at International Conference „Business and Human Rights“ on 14 September 2023 to explore and discuss the impact of business practices on human rights and its management, the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in the Nordic-Baltic region and other EU Member States. The Conference will serve as a platform for businesses and other stakeholders to share ideas and best practice.

The Conference will feature one of the most known experts in the field – Mr. Robert McCorquodale, Member of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights.

The Conference is organised by Mykolas Romeris University together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania and the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania.

PROGRAMME

9:00 – 9:15       Opening of the Conference

Ms. Jovita Neliupšienė, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania

Ms. Helén Nilsson, Director of the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania

Prof. dr. Regina Valutytė, Vice-Rector of Mykolas Romeris University

9:15 – 10:00     Keynote speech: Mr. Robert McCorquodale, Member of United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights

10:00 – 11:30 Implementation of UNGP on Business and Human Rights: lessons learned

Ms. Agnieszka Wielowieyska, Minister Plenipotentiary, Division for Human Rights and Democracy Promotion, Department of the United Nations and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Poland

Dr. Kent Wilska, Commercial Counsellor, Department for External Economic Relations, Trade Policy Unit, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland (tbc)

Representative of Italian NGO (tbc)

Conference session moderator: prof. dr. Lyra Jakulevičienė, Dean of Mykolas Romeris University Law School

11:30 – 12:00 Coffee/tea break

12:00 – 13:30 Business and human rights in practice: from UNGP on Business and Human Rights to OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct

Ms. Elisabeth Andvig, Senior Adviser, Norwegian OECD Contact Point for Responsible Business, Norway

Ms. Giedrė Padaigienė, ESG area manager, Large Corporate Clients Department, Swedbank, Lithuania

Mr. Arnas Liauksminas, PhD student, Mykolas Romeris University Law School

Representative of Enact Human Rights and Business Practice Group (tbc)

13:30 – 14:15 Networking