July 2012 Forum Melbourne

Assessing and integrating human rights impacts - Melbourne

Indigenous engagement in Australia and overseas

Kindly hosted by UNGCNA Member, KPMG

Date: Thursday 26 July 2012 - 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., with registration from 12.30 p.m.

Venue: KPMG, Level 5, 147 Collins Street, Melbourne

Cost: UNGCNA Members free of charge.  Non-members including Signatories to the UN Global Compact who are not also members of the Australian Network $220 (total including GST)

RSVP: Please register on this site

Agenda and Overview:  

Commencing with a thematic discussion around indigenous engagement in Australia and overseas, this meeting will then focus on the first two elements of human rights due diligence as set out in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to help business know and show that they are respecting human rights: assessing human rights impacts and integrating the findings of those assessments in order to prevent and/or address them. Case studies from Australian business will also be presented which demonstrate human rights due diligence in action.

Human rights due diligence is based on risk management though with the distinction that a business is expected to look not only at the risks that involvement in adverse human rights impacts will pose to the business but also to rights-holders. Assessment and integration entail assessing a company’s involvement in actual or potential adverse human rights impacts and then integrating the findings of those assessments throughout company operations.

Issues to be considered include: 

1. The business case for assessment and integration.
2. When human rights impact assessment should occur and the pros and cons of integrating it into existing processes such as social and environmental impact assessment.
3. Levels of internal and external engagement, including consultation, when assessing and integrating human rights impacts.
4. Different methodologies for addressing common challenges in impact assessment including prioritisation of issues and assessing impacts through business relationships. 

• 12.30 - 1.00 p.m.     Registration including light lunch on arrival
• 1.00 - 1.05 p.m.       Welcome to Country from our host UNGCNA Founding Member, KPMG
• 1.05 - 2.00 p.m.       Session 1 Human Rights Theme in Focus: taking a human rights based approach to indigenous engagement in Australia and overseas. Discussion panel speakers include:
• Mick Gooda, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission
• Catherine Hunter, Head of Corporate Citizenship, KPMG
• Penny Jaski, Senior Advisor Indigenous Employment, Rio Tinto
• Graham Paterson, Senior Manager Indigenous Engagement, Group Sustainability & Community, Westpac
• Moderator: Matthew Tukaki, CEO, The Sustain Group and Australian Representative, United Nations Global Compact.
• 2.00 - 2.10 p.m.       Break
• 2.10 - 2.40 p.m.       Session 2 Unpacking Human Rights Due Diligence: introducing human rights impact assessment and integration according to international standards and current business practice. Presenter: Vanessa Zimmerman, UNGCNA Human Rights Leadership Group Expert Advisor.
• 2.40 - 3.40 p.m.       Session 3: Sharing Common Challenges: experiences on the ground in assessing and integrating human rights impacts. Speakers include Richard Boele, Managing Director, Banarra and other business representatives to be confirmed.
• 3.40 - 3.50 p.m.       Break
• 3.50 - 4.50 p.m.       Session 4: Hypothetical scenario group exercise: putting assessment and integration into practice. Facilitator: Sara Bice, Senior Consultant, Australian Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility.
• 4.50 - 5.00 p.m.       Recent Human Rights Leadership Group developments and upcoming initiatives including a short briefing on UNGCNA involvement in human rights sessions at Rio+20. Speakers include Sarah Davidson, Secretariat, United Nations Global Compact Network Australia and Vanessa Zimmerman, UNGCNA Human Rights Leadership Group Expert Advisor.
• 5.00 p.m.                 Close

Who should attend:

The UNGCNA recognises that managing human rights impacts requires an integrated approach. Thus businesses are invited to send a representative from any area of their organisation that may deal with human rights impacts, including sustainability, procurement, legal, risk, government relations, external affairs, stakeholder relations or human resources. You need not have attended any of the previous leadership group meetings.

United Nations Global Compact Human Rights Principles:

Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and

Principle 2: Make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.