Annual Meeting of the Network on Business, Conflict and Human Rights in Geneva

On 29 November, more than 50 experts participated in the seventh annual conference of the International Business, Research, Conflict and Human Rights Network (BCHR Network) which took place in Geneva. The BCHR Network is coordinated by ICIP and was formally constituted three years ago.
After the welcome address by the coordinator of the conference and Network director Maria Prandi, attorney Clara Gonzales (SHERPA) presented the LaFarge Case, which led to a reflection on the legal responsibility of companies in areas of conflict. Irene Pietropaoli, Tara Van Ho, Daniel Aguirre and Rosana Alija participated in the second session, with Mark Taylor as moderator. The panel discussion focused on furthering the connection between the fields of business and human rights in processes of transitional justice, exploring the outstanding needs and challenges from different points of view.
In the third session, Gianfranco Fattorini, Erik Hagen, Haddamin Moulud Said, Marya Farah, and Omeima Abdeslam as moderator spoke about the responsibility of companies in occupied territories, especially in relation to Western Sahara, the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and Crimea.
The objective of the final session was to discuss the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on companies and human rights in situations of conflict and post-conflict, in a consultation format led by the Intergovernmental Working Group on Business and Human Rights. In this session, Anita Ramasastry and Gérald Pachoud spurred an enriching exchange of ideas and contributions on corporate responsibility, compensation and reparations in relation to peacebuilding throughout the cycle of a conflict, in order to consolidate the project they want to present in 2020 to the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The BCHR Network General Assembly was held at the end of the conference, where Maria Prandi and Antoni Pigrau, director of the “Companies, conflicts and human rights” ICIP program, shared requests to join the group, the possibility of future conferences and the willingness to continue with the synergy between the United Nations Working Group and the Network.