Governments around the world are demanding more corporate governance in line with obligations and commitments to protect and promote human rights in all their activities and operations. It is the so-called mandatory human rights due diligence, provided for in legislation of countries such as Germany, France and the United States, which require companies to identify, prevent, mitigate, and be accountable for damages they cause or to which they contribute.
It is still not clear how Brazil fits into this scenario. As a major exporter and producer of commodities, can the country benefit from these foreign laws to demand greater respect for human rights from transnational companies in activities and operations that take place in Brazilian territory? Does Brazil also need more legal frameworks to combat common problems in its supply chains?
The event “Supply Chain Laws: Advancing Towards Due Diligence?” will discuss these and other issues related to due diligence and transparency in supply chains. It will be held on August 17, 24 and 31, always from 9 am to 11 am, and will be broadcast on YouTube and Zoom.
The seminar aims to engage society with the topic in Brazil. It is organized by the Business and Human Rights Resource Center (BHRRC), Conectas Human Rights, Christliche Initiative Romero (CIR), and Repórter Brasil, with support from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It will analyse the current international scenario of international laws on due diligence and discuss how Brazilian society can benefit from them.
Link to the live stream on YouTube
The first day of the event (August 17) will focus on international legislation and the mobilization that resulted in it. Participants will review how current foreign legislation on the subject was approved, analysing its strengths and weaknesses. The discussion will be conducted by Christian Wimberger (Christliche Initiative Romero), Johannes Blankenbach (Information Centre on Business and Human Rights, BHRRC) and Manoela Roland (Homa – Human Rights and Business Centre) and mediated by Repórter Brasil. There will be Portuguese-to-English simultaneous translation.
The second day (August 24) will discuss the current fight against violations in supply chains that is already taking place in Brazil, with those who are at the frontline. Mediated by Conectas Human Rights, the discussion will include Labour Judge Marcus Barberino, Labour Prosecutor Ilan Fonseca, and Labour Inspector Thiago Laporte to debate successful cases in which accountability was enforced in Brazil and what is still lacking – or if something is lacking – to advance further.
On the last day (August 31), civil society and workers’ organizations will discuss how we can mobilize people on the subject and whether specific legislation on the topic is needed in Brazil. Mediated by the Information Centre on Business and Human Rights, BHRRC), the debate will include Mercia Silvia (Inpacto) and representatives of Conectas Human Rights, CONTAR (Brazil’s National Confederation of Rural Workers and Family Farmers), and OXFAM Brasil
Each day, there will be space for debate with the guests at the end of the event.
