The UN Forum on Business and Human Rights is the world’s largest annual gathering on business and human rights. Since its inception in 2012, it has brought together thousands of participants from governments, business, civil society, trade unions, international organisations, Indigenous Peoples, affected communities, academia and others from around the world. Within this broader UN dialogue, UNEP FI will bring a financial sector perspective, supporting capacity-building by demonstrating how financial institutions can prioritise responsible human-rights considerations in their work.
UNEP FI Events
24 November | 8:30 – 10:00 CET | Roundtable on Just Transition in Practice: The Role of Business and Finance | Invitation only
Location: TBC
Building on the first roundtable at London Climate Action Week, this session will bring together businesses and financial actors to explore how they can advance a fair, human rights-based transition to a green, net-zero economy. Participants will identify shared priorities, collaboration opportunities and practical next steps to shape the initiative.
Session organized by the UN Global Compact and Human Level, supported by PRI, UNEP FI, OECD, Nestlé SA and philanthropic support from Laudes Foundation. As places are limited, this is an invitation-only event. For more information, please contact Magdalena Garcia Elorrio.
24 November | 14:00 – 15:00 CET | Launch of the Guidance on Heightened Human Rights Due Diligence in Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas for Commercial Banks
Location: Room V Concordia
The Geneva Academy’s War Watch reports 112 active armed conflicts worldwide, while the OECD estimates that nearly 2.1 billion people live in contexts of high or extreme fragility, where human rights risks are heightened. These contexts raise important considerations for commercial banks and their clients, including how to understand and address potential human rights and conflict-related risks. This launch session will introduce the Guidance developed by UNEP FI, with support from the European Investment Bank, and offer an opportunity to explore practical approaches, challenges and opportunities related to heightened human rights due diligence, with a focus on project finance and corporate lending. Session organised by UNEP FI & EIB.
24 November | 15:00 – 16:20 CET | Session on Critical Energy Transition Minerals and Business and Human Rights | In-person and Online
Location: Assembly Hall
The global energy transition is a human rights imperative, but growing demand for critical minerals risks deepening harm and inequality in mining-affected communities. This session explores how human rights can be integrated across mineral value chains to prevent harm, strengthen accountability and ensure meaningful participation. It brings together practical perspectives from civil society, business, financial institutions and States.
Session co-organized with the UN Working Group on business and human rights, Rights and Accountability in Development in partnership with African Resources Watch, UNEP FI, Environmental Defenders, Earthworks, and Terre des Hommes Netherlands.
Confirmed speakers:
- Edson Krenak, Brazil/Amazon Program Manager, Cultural Survival (moderator)
- Muskan Kumari, Child Rights Defender
- Flaviano Bianchini, Director, Source International
- Damilola Olawuyi, Member, UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights
- Ifeoma Dike, Chief Sustainability and Impact Officer, CrossBoundary Energy
- Maria Simonson, Head of Client Relationship Management and Sustainability, Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK)
Find out more here.
24 November | 18:00-19:00 CET | Integrated approaches for connecting people and planet: Exploring new tools and initiatives for the financial sector
Location: Building H (Rooms 207-209)
Financial institutions are increasingly expected to understand and respond to these connections, considering both how different impacts interact and whose perspectives are needed to understand and address them. This session will explore what a more integrated approach could look like for financial institutions. It will include an overview of the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA)’s new Integrated Transition Assessment, which will assess both companies and financial institutions across social, climate and nature considerations, as well as a new PRI pilot programme exploring more integrated investor stewardship in the apparel and footwear sector and UNEP FI work on client engagement in the Data Centres and AI Services, and Agriculture sectors, where these different components are also been looked at in an integrated matter.
Other Events
26 November | 9:00- 17:00 CET | Business and Conflict CoP Annual Workshop
Location: TBC
Annual in-person workshop in Geneva, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights. Registration is available here.
Find the full Business and Human Rights Forum agenda here.
Learn more about UNEP FI’s work on human rights here.