The seminar is aimed at lawyers, corporations and banks with a particular
view to present and discuss the UN Guiding Principles on Business and
Human Rights and their implementation. It will address a topic of increasing
interest to many stakeholders as public demand for businesses to operate
responsibly is growing and human rights are becoming directly relevant in
today’s business and legal practice.
Gathering first-rate panellists from the legal, business, academic and civil
society worlds, the seminar will address numerous aspects, including
practical situations, to answer what lawyers, corporation
1pm Registration
1:15pm Welcome (Room S150)
Christine Chappuis, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva
Grégoire Mangeat, Partner with Mangeat Avocats, Head of the Geneva Bar Association
Sandrine Giroud, Counsel with LALIVE, President of the Human Rights Commission of the Geneva Bar Association
Recorded comments from
H.E. Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, 2001 Nobel Peace Prize and
John Ruggie, Professor in Human Rights and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School,
Former United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Business and Human
Rights, Author of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights adopted
by the United Nations Human Rights Council
1:30 – 1:50pm Plenary session
The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (Room S150)
This plenary session will present the international context concerning the issue of Business and
Human Rights, in particular the essential role for states, businesses and lawyers of the UN Guiding
Principles on Business and Human Rights and their implementation.
H.E. Patricia O’Brien, Former United Nations Under Secretary-General for Legal Affairs,
Ambassador of Ireland to the United Nations and other International Organisations at Geneva
Jane Ellis, Director of the Legal Policy & Research Unit, International Bar Association
Stéphane Brabant, Partner with Herbert Smith Freehills, Co-author of the IBA's Guidance for Business
Lawyers on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
2:00 – 3:15pm Workshops session 1 (choice)
Three workshops will be conducted in parallel during session 1 and repeated in session 2.
Participants can elect to participate to two workshops (max. 50 people per workshop) during the
workshop sessions.
Worshop A
Business & human rights for lawyers and in-house counsel (Room 3020)
This workshop will address what the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights along
with their implementation mean for lawyers, business lawyers and in-house counsel in terms of legal
and due diligence obligations.
Jane Ellis, Director of the Legal Policy & Research Unit, International Bar Association
Maya Hertig, Professor of International and Comparative Human Rights, Co-director of the
Certificate of Advanced Studies in Human Rights, University of Geneva
Stéphane Brabant, Partner with Herbert Smith Freehills, Co-author of the IBA's Guidance for Business
Lawyers on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
Greg Vickery AO, Partner with Norton Rose Fulbright, Chair of the Business and Human Rights
Committee, Law Council of Australia
Workshop B
Business & human rights for corporations (Room 4020)
This workshop will address new due diligence standards for corporations in light of the UN Guiding
Principles on Business and Human Rights, in particular the supply chain.
Concrete situations will be presented and discussed.
Christine Batruch, Vice President Corporate Responsibility, Lundin Petroleum
Yann Wyss, Responsible for the Development and Implementation of Nestlé’s Human Rights Due
Diligence Programme at Corporate, Operations and Supply Chain Levels, Nestlé
Danièle Gosteli Hauser, Head of Business and Human Rights, Amnesty International Switzerland
Gilles Carbonnier, Professor of International Economics, The Graduate Institute of International
and Development Studies
Worshop C
Business & human rights for banks (Room 4050)
This workshop will examine bank’s obligations in light of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and
Human Rights, particularly compliance risks and due diligence obligations.
Simon Stuecheli, Assistant Vice President, Sustainability Affairs, Credit Suisse
Christian Leitz, Head, Corporate Responsibility Management, UBS
Sylvain Savolainen, Associate with LALIVE
3:15 – 3:30pm Coffee break
3:30 – 4:45pm Workshops session 2 (choice)
Workshop A
Business & human rights for lawyers and in-house counsel (Room 3020)
Workshop B
Business & human rights for corporations (Room 4020)
Workshop C
Business & human rights for banks (Room 4050)
5:10 – 7pm Closing of the Seminar
Restaurant du Parc des Bastions,
1 Promenade des Bastions, 1204 Geneva
Pierre Maudet, Minister of the Canton of Geneva in charge of Security and Economic Affairs
Cocktail
Christine Chappuis, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva
Grégoire Mangeat, Partner with Mangeat Avocats, Head of the Geneva Bar Association
Sandrine Giroud, Counsel with LALIVE, President of the Human Rights Commission of the Geneva Bar Association Recorded comments from
H.E. Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations, 2001 Nobel Peace Prize and
John Ruggie, Professor in Human Rights and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School,
Former United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Business and Human
Rights, Author of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council
H.E. Patricia O’Brien, Former United Nations Under Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, Ambassador of Ireland to the United Nations and other International Organisations at Geneva
Jane Ellis, Director of the Legal Policy & Research Unit, International Bar Association
Stéphane Brabant, Partner with Herbert Smith Freehills, Co-author of the IBA's Guidance for Business Lawyers on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
Maya Hertig, Professor of International and Comparative Human Rights, Co-director of the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Human Rights, University of Geneva
Greg Vickery AO, Partner with Norton Rose Fulbright, Chair of the Business and Human Rights Committee, Law Council of Australia
Christine Batruch, Vice President Corporate Responsibility, Lundin Petroleum
Yann Wyss, Responsible for the Development and Implementation of Nestlé’s Human Rights Due Diligence Programme at Corporate, Operations and Supply Chain Levels, Nestlé
Danièle Gosteli Hauser, Head of Business and Human Rights, Amnesty International Switzerland
Gilles Carbonnier, Professor of International Economics, The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
Simon Stuecheli, Assistant Vice President, Sustainability Affairs, Credit Suisse
Christian Leitz, Head, Corporate Responsibility Management, UBS
Sylvain Savolainen, Associate with LALIVE
Pierre Maudet, Minister of the Canton of Geneva in charge of Security and Economic Affairs Cocktail