As the government seeks to deliver its vision for a Global Britain, and the private sector continues to play an ever-growing role in development and ODA, it is increasingly important that UK companies act with integrity and respect for the environment and human rights around the world – and are held accountable when they don’t.

Hosted in partnership with the APPG for Human Rights and in collaboration with Traidcraft Exchange, the CORE Coalition, Forest Peoples Programme and the Royal African Society, this will be the second event in the APPG Africa series exploring the issue of human rights in the supply chains of UK companies.

This webinar will discuss proposals for how UK law-makers can hold companies accountable when they fail to prevent abuses. Laws to protect human rights in supply chains are in place in France and the EU are consulting on a law to be introduced next year that would apply to UK businesses operating in the EU. The webinar will explore the case for introducing such a law in the UK and will build on the APPG’s previous event in 2019 looking at the challenges of holding UK extractive companies legally accountable for environmental disasters caused by their activities.

The webinar will be chaired by Chi Onwurah MP, Chair of the APPG for Africa.

Speakers include:

• Prof. Olga Martin-Ortega, Professor of International Law at the University of Greenwich
• Mark Dearn, Director, CORE Coalition
• James Otto, Sustainable Development Institute Liberia
• TBC, representative of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampis Nation (Peru)

Presentations from speakers will be followed by questions and discussions with the audience.

The third webinar will be held in early 2021 and will explore receptions of the proposals from private sector, unions and others. Those that have registered will be sent details closer to the time.