This event is planned for London , January 25th 2023 – pictures, summaries and updates to follow –
Welcome – 12.55 – Inner Temple (Edwina Koroma)
1- 2pm Keynote speakers: Nicholas Griffin KC and Sian Lea, ASI Nicholas Griffin QC is a barrister and member of QEB Hollis Whiteman whose practice covers corporate and financial crime and public law matters. & Sian Lea Staff and trustees – Anti-Slavery International (antislavery.org)

Title: “Modern Slavery in Supply Chains & the MSA 2015”
1. Genesis of MSA supply chain provisions and the current regime (Nicholas Griffin KC, QEB Hollis Whiteman)
2. Concerns about current regime and looking ahead to changes that should be made (Sian Lea, Business and Human Rights Manager, Anti-Slavery International)

2.15- 3.30pm Guest speakers panel 1 –

Dr Femi Amao, Reader in Law at the Sussex Law School Femi Amao Profile | University of Sussex,
Title: Modern Slavery and Businesses: The Role of the African Union and its Member States

Geeta Koska, Barrister Geeta Koska – 1 MCB ,
Title: “Misrepresented: slavery and human trafficking in supply chains”
Using the Rajasthan sandstone industry as a case study, the presentation will look at how consumer protection law can be used to hold companies to account for “fairwashing” and deceptive slavery and human trafficking statements.

Dr Lisa Hsin, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford
Lisa Ko-En Hsin | Faculty of Law (ox.ac.uk)
Title: Empirical findings of what compliance currently look like among firms and case-study examination based on Modern Slavery PEC report.

Tea/coffee break:

4.00- 5.15pm Guest speakers panel 2 –

Dr Verity McCullagh, lecturer in law University of Lincoln Staff Directory (lincoln.ac.uk),
Title: Transparency in Supply Chains and Mandatory Due Diligence Requirements

Prof Andreas Rühmkorf (online) Prof. Dr. Andreas Rühmkorf: Westfälische Hochschule (w-hs.de)- Title: Comparative: German supply chain legislation

*Emma Crates, Group business and human rights manager, Marshalls (author of the report (while at the IASC) https://www.antislaverycommissioner.co.uk/media/1802/iasc-construction-report_april-2022.pdf
Title: IASC Report -Operation Cardinas and beyond – Addressing exploitation risk in the construction industry (*this will be delivered by Dr Okoye, on Emma’s behalf – as Emma is currently unable to attend but has kindly sent the slides).

5.20 – 5.40pm Closing remarks and future directions – Dr Adaeze Okoye Adaeze Okoye — The University of Brighton
5.40 -6.00pm Tea/Coffee

Okpabi v Royal Dutch Shell plc is a landmark Supreme Court decision, which clarifies the scope of common law duty of care when applied to corporate groups. This case follows Vedanta v Lungowe (SC) (2019) and Okpabi is a significant Supreme Court decision, post- Chandler v Cape plc (CA) (2012). Chandler was widely viewed as the case that paved the way for this type of litigation. Okpabi is also a crucial case for extraterritorial tortious litigation in the United Kingdom, for alleged human rights and environmental wrongs.
This note critically assesses the scope of duty of care set out by Supreme court, especially as it applies to corporate groups. It highlights that the reliance of factual matters to demonstrate existence of a duty of care between parents and subsidiaries including the sustainability reports and control framework may have the unintended consequence of encouraging corporate groups to decentralise such action, in order to negate assumption of responsibility.
notes on Okpabi

This was my draft paper – Empowering the business ethical tradition from African proverbs discussed in May 2018 – at the International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility

Journal of Business Ethics Manuscript Development Workshop:

ADVANCING BUSINESS ETHICS RESEARCH ON AFRICA

*This will form the basis of a proposed funded project – I am interested in perspectives on African indigenous normative and ethical traditions in the business sector.

This is a paper written a few years ago on the CSR of oil. I should revisit it. The CSR of oil-1tnsktd

1. Modern slavery – Transparency in supply chains – Post the interim review report 2019 – New directions in meta-regulation –
–Whistle-blowing implications
2. Company (Miscellaneous Reporting) regulations 2018 – Reporting on section 172 Companies act 2006 & Reflexive Governance-

Venue: Inner Temple-
The corporation and other allied business forms are now required to respect human rights, carry out due diligence on human rights issues and provide a remedy where one is required. Yet the relationship between business and human rights is a complex one. Holding corporations to account where they may directly or indirectly impact human rights is a complex terrain. This event additionally focuses on corporate vulnerability to human rights issues. The notion that the corporation as an idea is also vulnerable. Its vulnerability is often seen in financial terms as susceptible to shocks and banking crisis but it is also vulnerable to reputational issues and increasingly questions about the sustainability of the current neo-liberal conception of the corporation.
The aim is to interrogate various aspects of this complex relationship.
More details to follow

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03069400.2017.1376947

CSR ‘has become a field of legal academic study in its own right’.

This new blog will inform about the work and activities of the Critical Law and CSR network. It will give information about it’s annual conference and other research activity. It will also highlight new and relevant information that may be of interest

The blog is administered by Dr A Okoye