7. Business & Human Rights Workshop – The Future of Peace Leadership

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26

April

7. Business & Human Rights Workshop

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Workshop Moderator

Dr Jonathan Kolieb
Peace and Conflict Lead
Business and Human Rights Centre, RMIT University

Speakers

Kylie Porter
Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact Network Australia

Keren Adams
Legal Director, Human Rights Law Centre

Associate Professor Shelley Marshall
Director, RMIT Business and Human Rights Centre

Phoebe Wynn-Pope
Head of Business & Human Rights, Corrs Chambers Westgarth

From the 1984 Bhopal Union Carbide chemical leak that killed thousands, to Rio Tinto’s 2020 destruction of Juukan Gorge, major abuses of human rights in the past few decades have prompted renewed attention and regulation of companies’ viz-a-vis human rights – the basic freedoms and protections that belong to all of us.

Should a company respect human rights? What should the consequences be if a company fails to uphold the human rights of their employees or the communities in which they operate?

This panel will explore the roles and responsibilities of business in the realisation of human rights, and how companies are being held accountable (or not) for their human rights record. Importantly, this session will also include discussion on what we can do to encourage greater corporate respect for human rights.

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Dr Jonathan Kolieb

Jonathan is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the Graduate School of Business and Law, RMIT University where also serves as the Peace and Conflict Lead at RMIT’s Business and Human Rights Centre. Prior to joining academia, Jonathan held positions with the Embassy of Australia-Washington DC and various NGOs focusing on human rights and international affairs – in Australia, the US and the Middle East. Jonathan has also been engaged as Legal Consultant by the United Nations’ Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

Jonathan’s research and teaching interests focus on global governance issues, including current projects on the legal protections of children in armed conflict and the human rights obligations of companies operating in conflict-affected regions of the world. Jonathan partners with the Australian Red Cross on a project focused on embedding respect for international humanitarian law into the policies and practices of Australian businesses.

Kylie Porter

Kylie Porter is the Executive Director of the Global Compact Network Australia (GCNA); the Australian Local Network of the UN Global Compact. Kylie is a sustainability expert and business leader holding particular expertise in delivering and implementing responsible business and corporate responsibility strategies and policies and guiding businesses on reputation risk management for ESG issues.

Kylie leads a team of experts across the fields of business and human rights, the transition to net zero, the SDGs and bribery prevention. During her tenure, membership of the GCNA has doubled and over A$1.5 million of funding has been secured. Previously, Kylie spent most of her career in the financial services sector in Australia, the UK and Singapore.

Kylie is a member of the Australian Government’s Modern Slavery Expert Advisory Group and is the Chair-alternate for the UN Global Compact’s Regional Network Council (Asia-Oceania). She holds a Bachelor of Business, Bachelor of Arts and Masters’ in Social Science (International Development). Kylie is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).

Keren Adams

Keren Adams leads the Human Rights Law Centre’s work on business and human rights. She has over 12 years’ experience as human rights lawyer and advocate in Australia and internationally. As a solicitor and then partner at UK human rights firm Leigh Day, she litigated a range of landmark human rights cases against the UK multinationals for abuses in their overseas operations. These included the UK’s then largest-ever group claim against oil trader Trafigura on behalf of 30,000 victims of toxic waste dumping in the Cote d’Ivoire and against sugar giant Tate & Lyle on behalf of 200 rural farmers dispossessed by landgrabs in Cambodia. She also led successful claims against the UK Government relating to the unlawful detention and abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq and for complicity in the US rendition and torture program after 9/11.

Keren has advised the HRLC on its complaint under the OECD Guidelines against G4S for abuses at the Manus Island detention centre and other business and human rights issues.

A/Prof Shelley Marshall

Shelley is the Director of the Business and Human Rights Centre at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia and Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Business and Law, RMIT University.

Shelley has undertaken empirical research on these topics in diverse countries, including Bulgaria, India, Indonesia, Australia and Cambodia, and has published widely based on her findings. Dr Marshall’s long term partnerships with the technical arm of the International Labour Organisation, Oxfam Australia and CORE UK have enabled her to produce research of a highly applied nature, which has had a strong policy influence and provided meaningful lessons for business and other relevant organisations. Likewise, Shelley’s leadership on the Steering Committee of the Australian Corporate Accountability Network has provided opportunities to influence Business and Human Rights policy in Australia.

Shelley holds a PhD from ANU and is currently a Vice Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow at RMIT University and an Australian Research Council DECRA Research Fellow.

Dr Phoebe Wynn-Pope

Phoebe has over 25 years’ experience in the humanitarian sector. She worked extensively with government, business, academia, the media and the public to promote human rights and develop excellence in humanitarian practise.

Currently, Phoebe advises organisations on assessing and mitigating the impacts of their operations on human rights. She also advises Boards and management on how to incorporate a human rights into decision making frameworks especially when assessing risks and opportunities.

Phoebe has represented organisations at the United Nations, and was a founding director of the Humanitarian Advisory Group. She was also director of International Humanitarian Law and a member of the leadership team of Australian Red Cross.

Phoebe is Director at CARE Australia, and a member of the Monash University Masters of International Relations Industry Board. She is also a member of the University of New South Wales Australian Human Rights Institute Advisory Committee and a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).