"Webinar: Safeguarding Human Rights Defenders", 23 Jul 2020

The Investor Alliance for Human Rights [hosted] a webinar to inform how institutional investors can be connected to harmful impacts on human rights defenders [HRDs] through their investments. Since 2015, the Business & Human Rights Resource Center has tracked more than 2,200 killings, beatings, threats, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), and other attacks intended to silence or intimidate defenders focused on business-related activities. The goal of [the] webinar [was] to increase the understanding of the scale and nature of attacks faced by [HRDs]; inform investors of their responsibility to respect the work of [HRDs] and to support and protect [HRDs]; understand the business case for protecting [HRDs] and provide practical guidance for company and investor due diligence processes and other actions that investors can take. [The] speakers - Sutharee Wannasiri, Thai researcher, HRD and Advocate for vulnerable communities in Thailand & Southeast Asia; Christen Dobson, Senior Project Lead & Researcher at the... Resource Centre; Ali Hines, Senior Campaigner in the Land & Environmental Defenders team at Global Witness; Sarah Brooks, Brussels Liaison and Asia Advocate at the International Service for Human Rights, Corey Klemmer, Director of Engagement at Domini Impact Investments [and] David Schilling, Senior Program Director of Human Rights at the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility and the Investor Alliance - [discussed] the vital work of  [HRDs] to ensure responsible and rights-respecting business...