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SIDE EVENT: RIO + 20
Promoting Responsible Corporate Conduct: The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (GL)
Co-organized by CEDHA and SOMO (OECD Watch Network)
Date & Time Slot: 16 Jun 2012, 15:30 – 17:00
Venue (tentative): T-5 (Rio Centro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Contacts at CEDHA:
Victor Hugo Ricco; [email protected] tel (+54) 9 351 6122 652 or
Alejandro Vera; [email protected] tel (+54) 9 351 3116946
If you’d like to be part of this event, present, or submit a publication, contact: [email protected] or to Ale Vera [email protected]
For map and further description:
http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&type=1000&nr=127&menu=126
Introduction / Description of the Workshop
Last year the international community has advanced in developing standards for responsible corporate conduct, mainly in the field of human rights respect. Examples of these are the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises who has reviewed and approved the new version of the Guide in May 2011; other is the UN Human Rights Council who approved the Policy Framework (2008) and its Guiding Principles (June 2011) for Human Rights and Transnational Corporations. These are standards approved at an intergovernmental level promoting concrete conduct standards linking the needed implementation of due diligence concept particularly in the field of human rights. The impact to sustainable development that MNEs have is of such important that in many developing countries are practically leading the investments agenda for the country as well. Responsible conduct is required for all 3 pillars of Sustainable Development and for improving a better and green economy pattern in the developing path.
The workshop will describe the standards stated in the OECD GL, the mechanism stated for implementation (the National Contact Point to the OECD who takes specific instances for cases where allegations on breaches to the OECD GL occur against Multinational Corporations) and its possibilities for the Region since Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Mexico have NCPs and soon will also have Colombia and Costa Rica.
Tentative Agenda
15:30 – 15:40: Introduction – Presentation – Workshop Objectives. CEDHA
15:40–16:00: Richard Howitt MEP, European Parliament Rapporteur on Corporate Social Responsibility” Business and Human Rights. An agenda to be implemented. All bios can be checked below.
16:00 – 16:15: Marcos Machado Guimarães, Coordenador-Geral de Diálogo Econômico Internacional (Brazilian government, Brazilian NCP representative). Updated OECD Guidelines and the implementation of its specific instance procedure
16:15 – 16:30 Paul de Clerk (Friends of the Earth Europe)/ Victor Ricco (CEDHA). The usefulness of the NCP as an implementation mechanism. Experiences from cases.
16:30 – 17:00 Plenary debate amongst all participants.
Target Audience
Civil Society Organizations, community representatives in particular indigenous communities, Lawyers, governmental officers, corporate actors, interested or concerned stakeholders.
Host Organizations:
The Center for Human Rights and Environment (CEDHA) is a non-profit organization, created in 1999, which aims to build a more harmonious relationship between the environment and people. CEDHA, is based in Cordoba, Argentina. One of its programs, CEDHAs Human Rights, Business and Sustainable Development, promotes responsible corporate conduct by implementing in force standards, from internationally recognized human rights treaties, to particular corporate conduct standards with regards to human rights respect, such as the OECD Guidelines.CEDHA has been actively involved in the developing of the review process of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises approved last May 25th 2011, in the capacity of being part of the coordination committee at the network called OECD Watch.
The Center for research on Multinational Corporations –SOMO. Is a dutch and an independent, non-profit research and network organisation working on social, ecological and economic issues related to sustainable development. Since 1973, the organisation investigates multinational corporations and the consequences of their activities for people and the environment around the world. Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, hosts the see for the secretariat of the OECD Watch network, a network of more than 80 organizations worldwide, promoting and working fostering responsible corporate conduct.
OECD WATCH (OW). OECD Watch is an international network of civil society organizations’ from across the world promoting corporate accountability and responsibility. OECD Watch is committed to testing the Guidelines as part of the wider NGO campaign towards binding regulation of multinationals.
Panelists:
Richard Howitt. MEP European Parliament Rapporteur on Corporate Social Responsibility.
An elected Member of the European Parliament since 1994 Richard Howitt has served as Rapporteur on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) over three successive European Parliaments including the current term to 2014. He proposed the setting up of and continues to represent the European Parliament on the E.U. Multi-Stakeholder Forum on CSR. Richard’s 2007 Parliamentary report emphasised the need for the European Union to better promote and implement global CSR initiatives, specifically helping secure EU support to the strengthening of the OECD Guidelines for Multi-National Enterprises.
Richard Howitt MEP represents European interests in a number of international CSR initiatives, and serves as a Friend of the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises, a Member of the Governmental Advisory Group of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), an Ambassador for the Prince of Wales Accounting for Sustainability project and a member of the Public Policy Advisory Group of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI). In 2007 in Oslo, Professor John Ruggie, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative on Business and Human Rights asked Richard to chair his consultation on the governmental obligations in his mandate, and Richard has regularly taken part in consultations on the mandate at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
As well as preparing the formal European Parliament response to the EU’s proposed future CSR Strategy, Richard Howitt MEP is currently working directly with the European Commission toward securing greater non-financial reporting targeted at the 50,000 large companies in Europe. He has also been involved throughout the genesis of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) for which he is an Ambassador.
Alongside his work on CSR, Richard Howitt MEP is Spokesperson of the Socialist and Democrat Group in the European Parliament on Human Rights. Richard is also a leading member of the European Parliament’s Committees on Foreign Affairs, and on Employment and Social Affairs.
Marcos Machado Guimarães.
Coordenador-Geral de Diálogo Econômico Internacional. Gobierno de Brasil – Representante del PNC Brasilero con sede en Brasilia.
Paul de Clerk .
Paul de Clerck is head of the Economic Justice team at Friends of the Earth Europe and coordinates the corporate campaign work in Friends of the Earth International (the largest grassroots environmental organisation).
He has been campaigning on the accountability of the corporate sector for the last 10 years, and is board member of Finance Watch, European Coalition for Corporate Justice and OECDWatch.
Victor Hugo Ricco.
Victor Hugo Ricco is currently the Human Rights, Business and Sustainable Development Coordinator at the Center for Human Rights and the Environment (CEDHA). His responsibilities include strategic leadership, fundraising, coordination of team work programs, research, publications, advisory services on human rights and environmental affairs, advisor to relevant stakeholders in sustainability, and various advocacy activities on issues relevant to the protection of human rights and the environment.
He was member of CEDHA, Argentina during 2001 to 2006 and has conducted research on local and international human rights and environmental matters including various publications and has also worked building capacity worldwide for the protection of human rights and the environment.
In 2006, Victor became the Secretary for the Environment and Sustainable Development for the local government of Cordoba City (Secretary of State 2006-2007). Later on he was appointed as the General Coordinator for International Environmental Affairs for the Secretary of Environment and Sustainable Development at the national government in Argentina (2008). In this capacity he has negotiated many different issues regarding Environmental Negotiations for Argentina.
Victor Hugo Ricco has two Degrees in Law (Attorney and Procurator), from the School of Law, National University of Cordoba (NUC). Argentina, three Honor Diplomas from the same School of Law and currently is a 2012 master’s candidate in International Relations at the Center of Advanced Studies at NUC.
As coordinator of the Human Rights, Business and Sustainable Development Programme at CEDHA and linked to the Business and Human Rights agenda Victor has actively participated (in different capacities) in diverse Consultations, workshops, human rights training activities, advocacy activities, cases, and networking as well as several publications. He also represents CEDHA at the OECD Watch Coordination Committee.