So, as you may have noticed, the blog took an (unwilling) break over the last two Fridays. I had hoped to have some deep introspection about WVU’s recent conference on business and human rights and what it all means, however, there is a lot to process still, two weeks later. Here’s what I will say: I was humbled and grateful for all of the participants who presented their papers and shred their thoughts. There are many things about a business and human rights framework that give me pause but, the one thing I am encouraged by is how many brilliant and dedicated minds are working to create solutions.
During the conference Dean Joyce McConnell, stated that she believed we were at a moment in history – a crossroads – where a business and human rights framework will grow and develop, hopefully in a thoughtful and sophisticated manner. I believe she is right, and that moment is here. I am happy to be a part of the work that keep things moving forward in anyway that I can.
Finally, there are many people who I need to thank for the work that was done. However, I need to publicly acknowledge the gratitude I have towards the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights who supported this project. I am awed by the work that this group is doing, especially given that there are only five members on the Working Group. Thank you so much for your support. I am particularly grateful to Working Group member Dr. Michael Addo who traveled so far to attend.
One technical note: we videotaped most of the proceedings, however, we are currently unable to stream them. Keep watching this space for information on when all of those videos will be available on-line.In the meantime, we have compiled some photos showing highlights from the conference.
Enjoy.
Day two of the conference was largely a discussion among academics. However, the morning began with a one hour re-cap of our Day 1 practicum.
We were lucky enough to have members from industry (including an executive from Proctor and Gamble pictured above), civil society, government and academia all represented at the conference. It led to a robust conversation where many different views were represented.
We had many different academic institutions represented, including Prof. Larry Backer (pictured right) from Penn State University.
Many of WVU’s professors also participated including James Friedberg (pictured left) from the College of Law.
We were incredibly fortunate to have Dr. Michael Addo, member of the UN Working Group, provide closing remarks.
