This page describes the activities of the BHR Lawyers and its members
as well as BHR related news and events around Japan.
February 26, 2021
Engagement and Remedy Forum for Responsible Business Conduct 2021
We will host "Engagemenr and Remedy Forum for Responsible Business Conduct 2021" with Global Compact Network Japan, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, and Sasakawa Peace Foundation. We will invite Prof. John Ruggie and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the role of the Engagment and Remedy Guidelines and the NAP for improving access to the remedy.
November 17, 2020
Activities of BHR Lawyers were highlighted in the UN Business and Human Rights Forum 2020
Activities of BHR Lawyers were highlighted as roles of lawyers in preventing business-related human rights abuses in the session “Preventing business-related human rights abuses in Asia Pacific: Actors and actions” at the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights
June 17, 2020
【June 17 19:00-20:40】Webinar "Responsible Business Conduct for Building Back Better from COVID-19 Crisis"
BHR Lawyers will host a webinar with support of UNDP Representative Office in Japan and the Global Compact Network Japan. In this webinar, we will launch our initiative “Japan COVID-19 & BHR Basic Actions - Basic Actions for Promoting Innovative and Responsible Business Conduct for Building Back Better from COVID-19 Crisis".(In Japanese)
March 31, 2020
BHR Lawyers signed a MOU with IBA (International Bar Association) for implementing IBA's BHR training programme in Japan.
BHR Lawyers signed a MOU with IBA (International Bar Association) for implementing the BHR Training Programme in Japan. In collaboration with IBA, BHR Lawyers plan to organize BHR training sessions for lawyers in Japan this year.
November 19, 2019
BHR Lawyers' leadership was highlighted in the OECD-ILO Roundtable on Responsible Business Conduct.
In the OECD-ILO Roundtable, BHR Lawyers presented our leadership of formulating the Engagement and Remedy Guidelines and of promoting multi-stakeholders initiatives. The Roundtable Summary also mentioned: "Lawyers are an important stakeholder group in progressing the implementation of RBC expectations through their engagement with public and private sector clients as well as designing and shaping normative frameworks. The new ‘Engagement’ and ‘Remedy’ guidelines prepared by the Responsible Supply Chains Committee were highlighted as a key achievement in the work carried out by the Committee."
COVID-19 & BHR Basic Actions
The pandemic of COVID-19 has had a serious negative impact on human rights. In addition to governmental measures, business are also expected to companies are expected to consider and explore ways to mitigate the negative impact on human rights (See Japan COVID-19 & BHR Research Report "COVID-19 Impacts on Human Rights and Guidance on Japanese Business Response").
BHR Lawyers has launched “Japan COVID-19 & BHR Basic Actions - Basic Actions for Promoting Innovative and Responsible Business Conduct for Building Back Better from COVID-19 Crisis" with support of institutional investors and other stakeholders. The Basic Actions list ten actions that Japanese companies are expected to take for promoting responsible business conduct in accordance with the Guiding Principles during and beyond the COVID-19 crisis.
Engagement & Remedy Guidelines
The Japan Responsible Supply Chains Committee, which is comprised of multi-stakeholder members, and which is led by the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Network Japan ("BHR Lawyers") and the Global Compact Network Japan ("GCNJ"), and supported by the Civil Society Platform for Japan’s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights ("BHR-NAP-CSP"), has formulated and announced the first edition of "Engagement" and "Remedy" Guidelines for Promotion of Responsible Business Conduct and Responsible Supply Chains.
This project has been conducted under the assistance and advice of the OECD Centre for Responsible Business Conduct and the ILO Office for Japan and accredited as the Tokyo 2020 Support Program (Sustainability).
The Guidelines also intend to contribute to the development of the legacy of Tokyo 2020, the enrichment of the content of Japan's National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, and the effective dissemination of the ESG initiatives by Japanese companies.
Guidelines Launch Event on Feb. 3, 2020
As the launch event of the "Engagement" and "Remedy" Guidelines, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Global Compact Network Japan (GCNJ), and BHR Lawyers Network Japan (BHR Lawyers) co-organized a public symposium "Towards Promotion of Responsible Business Conduct and Supply Chains: Roles of National Action Plans on Business & Human Rights and “Engagement” & “Remedy” Guidelines".