4th UN Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights in Europe and Central Asia
"The EU Policy and Regulatory Impact on Business and Human Rights "
11- 12 November 2024 | Budva, Montenegro and Online
09:00 - 17:30 Central European Time (CET) | 11:00 - 19:30 Istanbul Time
Business and Human Rights
in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
The 4th UN Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights in Europe and Central Asia will take place on the 11th & 12th of November 2024 in Budva, Montenegro and online. The event is organized by UNDP and the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. This is the annual UN meeting which follows the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Regional Forums on Business and Human Rights held in 2020, 2021 and 2022. It seeks to serve as the ECIS BHR regional platform that allows exchanges among the ECIS countries about their experiences and challenges in advancing the business and human rights agenda. The platform gathers EU and UN representatives, governments, businesses, CSOs, trade unions, NHRIs, environmental and human rights defenders, media, academia, and international institutions with expertise and existing programming on B+HR.
The event will explore the impact of UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and EU policy and regulatory innovations on business and human rights practices in Europe and Central Asia (ECA). To enable an evidence-based and focused discussion, UNDP will present the results of the regional survey to assess businesses’ readiness for the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Discussions will cover legal frameworks and institutional capacities, challenges and opportunities, trends, best practices, strategies for capacity building, and the roles of the UN and EU in facilitating compliance and enhancing corporate human rights due diligence.
Programme
The Forum will be held in English with simultaneous translations into BCMS, Albanian, Macedonian, and Russian.
Day 1: 11 November 2024
All Times in Central European Time (CET)
08:30 – 09:00
Registration and Introduction of the Forum Platform
09:00 - 10:00
High-Level Opening Plenary
The opening plenary will set out the key global and regional business and human rights trends to be discussed in the 4th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The plenary will be kickstarted by an opening welcome from the host country, followed by a panel that will set out the challenges facing countries and businesses in the region both in implementing the UNGPs and the demands – and opportunities - created by the EU’s reform agenda.
Moderator: Robert Bernardo, Team Leader, Governance and Peacebuilding, UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub
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Nik Gjeloshaj, Deputy Prime Minister of Economic Policy and Minister of Economic Development, Montenegro
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Ekaterina Paniklova, UNDP Resident Representative in Montenegro
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Olof Skoog, EU Special Representative for Human Rights, European Commission (video message)
Keynote speaker:
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Lyra Jakulevičienė, Vice Chairperson, United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights
10:00 - 10:30
Coffee Break/Group Photo
10:30 - 12:00
Session I – Business and Human Rights in Europe and Central Asia: the impact of the EU’s reform agenda
The adoption of the CSDDD, CSRD, and other initiatives creates significant demands and opportunities for governments, businesses, and rights-holders in the region. This session will feature an opening one-on-one conversation with an EU official to unpack the most important changes ushered in by recent laws. It will be followed by a panel discussion to explore the principal implications of this trend for governments, businesses, workers, and other regional stakeholders including in the digital space.
Moderator: Siniša Milatović, Global Business and Human Rights Specialist, UNDP HQ
Interviewee: Alexandra Kuxova, Team Leader, Corporate sustainability and responsibility, DG for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission
Discussants:
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Bojan Vujović, Director General/Deputy NIPAC, Directorate for Coordination of EU Financial Assistance, Ministry of European Affairs, Montenegro
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Suat Dede, Deputy Director General of Department of Labour Policies, Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, Türkiye
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Sonja Tošković, Executive Director, Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, Serbia
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Nevena Dičić Kostić, Sustineri Partners, Western Balkans
12:00 - 13:00
Lunch
13:00 - 14:30
Session II - Legislative developments in the EU: The implications for businesses (and other stakeholders) in the ECA region
To frame the discussion on implications of legislative developments in the EU on the ECA region, this session will feature a presentation of the findings of UNDP’s Survey on the preparedness of businesses in the ECA region to implement the CSDDD and other EU legislation. This will be followed by a discussion with businesses, government representatives and other stakeholders on the subject.
Moderator: Ainura Bekkoenova, Policy Specialist, Rule of Law, Human Rights and Security, UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub
Presenter of the survey: Olena Uvarova, UNDP expert, Associate Professor, Head of International Lab on Business and Human Rights, Yaroslav Mudryi University
Discussants:
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Tanja Lindell, BHR Helpdesk, Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Serbia
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Ciğdem Cimrin, Co-Founder, Minerva Foundation, Türkiye
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Vladyslava Kaplina, Eastern Europe/Central Asia Research Assistant, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
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Goga Kvaratskhelia, CEO / Founder, GMT Holding llc (Digital Village), Georgia
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Tijana Janković, UN Global Compact, Serbia
14:30 - 15:00
Coffee Break
15:00 - 16:30
Session III - Breakout session - what support do you need to implement the UNGPs and the EU's reform agenda
This session will be an interactive, sense-making exercise, that will draw on inputs from the participants of the Forum to formulate actionable ideas on how the UNGPs and the EU reform agenda can be promoted and implemented further in the ECA region.
Moderator: Mindia Vashakmadze, Program Specialist on Human Rights, UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub
16:30 - 17:30
Multistakeholder Consultation: The Use of Artificial Intelligence and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
The consultation is convened by the Working Group on Business and Human Rights in the context of the preparations for its report to the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council in June 2025 outlining what is required by States and non-tech businesses to prevent and address human rights abuses in the acquisition and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) systems by States and non-tech businesses, in line with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs).
Moderator: Lyra Jakulevičienė, Vice Chairperson, United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights
17:30 - 17:45
Closure of the Forum
Day 2: 12 November 2024
All Times in Central European Time (CET)
09:00 - 13:00
Session for UN agencies and partners on business and human rights (online and offline)
This session will provide an opportunity for UN agencies and their partners active in business and human rights to strategize on possible joint programming, build their capacities on chosen topics, such as human rights due diligence, and engage in peer learning.
Everyone has the right to unhindered access to and communication with international bodies, including the Working Group on Business and Human Rights and the regional forums on business and human rights, and the right to participate safely in these events. Any act of intimidation or reprisals for cooperation with the UN, and participation in the regional Forums, should be promptly reported to OHCHR reprisals team at: ohchrreprisals@un.org
See also additional info on the Special Procedures framework for action on reprisals, applicable to the Forum: here
Organized by
4th UN Regional Forum is organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights and with the financial support of the Government of Türkiye and SIDA
CONTACT US
Please direct your queries related to the programme and agenda to Ainura Bekkoenova ainura.bekkoenova@undp.org and Sinisa Milatovic sinisa.milatovic@undp.org; related to logistics to Umut Dere umut.dere@undp.org and Mindia Vashakmadze mindia.vashakmadze@undp.org; related to reprisals to Federica Morvay federica.morvay@un.org.