Businesses can no longer ignore human rights issues and a major symposium being held in September will take an in-depth look at the implications of this global trend.

The Symposium on Business and Human Rights on Friday 17 September and Saturday 18 September is being jointly organised by the Law Society of England and Wales in partnership with the Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex.

The event is being held at the University of Essex’s Colchester Campus and is aimed at practicing lawyers, business executives, policy makers, Non-Governmental Organisations and academics.

Experts from a wide range of activities and disciplines will be brought together for the Symposium to explore the ways in which human rights standards have an increasing role in the regulation of business activity, law making and policy making across the world.

Those taking part in panel discussions, working sessions and presentations will include lawyers, judges, civil servants, policy-makers and other practitioners, alongside representatives from business, International Governmental Organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations and academia.

Topics covered will include: Access to Information; Employee and Enterprise Interests and Human Rights; Commercial Litigation and Human Rights; Investment Decisions; Health and Commercial Interests; Alternatives to Litigation; Corporate Governance; the Public/Private Sector Divide; the Financial Crisis; and Corporate Complicity in Human Rights Violations.

The keynote speaker is personal injury and human rights lawyer Martyn Day, of Leigh Day & Co, who has extensive experience of representing claimants in cases against corporate or governmental bodies across the world.

Professor John Packer, Human Rights Centre director, said: ‘Failing to recognise the growing importance of human rights within national and international law and policy will increasingly hurt the reputation, operational effectiveness and ultimately the profitability of companies.

‘This Symposium will provide a forum for business leaders, lawyers, policy makers, officials and NGO representatives to discuss the impact of human rights on the regulation of business activity and provide guidance on how to adapt to this challenging new environment.’

The two-day event will also provide a great opportunity for networking with the programme also including a drinks reception, art exhibition, theatre performance and live music.

To register for the symposium or for more information click here:
http://international.lawsociety.org.uk/node/7915

To see the full programme click here:
http://international.lawsociety.org.uk/files/Symposium%20Programme%202010.pdf

For the report of the 2009 Symposium, click here:
http://international.lawsociety.org.uk/files/Symposium%20Report%2011419.pdf