We are living ‘the joys’ of COP27 vicariously - through the WhatsApp groups we were added to in Glasgow, through conversations and sessions, and through listservs and the news. Many of you have asked us if we will be doing our just transition round-up again, like last year. We have highlighted three COP27 reports for you this week, and we will have a special COP27 round-up next week.
Of course, we wouldn’t want you to miss the fact that the Committee on Legal Affairs (Rapporteur: Lara Wolters) has just released their report on the oCorporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive here. And the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) was adopted by the European Parliament yesterday.
Amid all these legal developments, it’s fitting to announce the launch of a new association: The Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association (BHRLA), collaborating to advance respect for human rights in commercial legal practice. This association was born out of a desire from 17 leading law firms coming together to establish a global platform that inspires and advances business and human rights leadership, learning, collaboration and practices among commercial lawyers and business lawyers around the world.
The association will be open to a much larger number of law firms across the globe, as the association scales. There will also be a role for in-house counsel and legal departments. Please do reach out if you’re interested in finding out more and joining us.
Catie Shavin, Malin Helgesen and myself - with Ana Maria Uribe - have been behind the scenes bringing this leadership together - and, with the 17 founding member firms, we invite you all to be a part of the official launch on Tuesday 29 November 2022 at 18.30 in Geneva, alongside the UN Annual Forum. See you all soon.