"Human Rights – Good for Business?", 3 Feb 2016

Are human rights good for business? In a word, yes! That was the conclusion of the panellists discussing this question at our inaugural Business and Human Rights Practice event…The…panellists…included Jon Snow…; Sir Mark Moody-Stuart and Christine Batruch…Julianne Hughes-Jennett and Charles Brasted from Hogan Lovells…A number of key conclusions emerged from the discussion. First, human rights compliance is now firmly on the agenda for businesses…Second, human rights protections are an integral part of the rule of law framework…Third, while the demands of human rights compliance bring certain risks, they also bring opportunities…Fourth, embedding human rights into the culture of a business and its operations and targets can (in the medium to long term) make it more profitable…Fifth, corporates have significant power and influence and are increasingly being recognised…as having an important role to play in protecting human rights…Therefore, the challenge for businesses is to embrace human rights compliance and its potential benefits…[Refers to Hermes, Lundin Petroleum, Unilever]