USCIB Moderates Session at Second UN Forum on Business and Human Rights

USCIB Vice President for Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs Gabriella Rigg Herzog joined Sophia Areias of the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights, in moderating a session on November 11 during the second  UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. According to Herzog, the session focused on the increasing number of mandatory human rights due diligence laws from around the world, and what they mean for businesses in the region, as well as offered practical insights for local businesses on how to prepare for the changing legal landscape.

Herzog spoke in her capacity as chair of the International Organization of Employers (IOE) Policy Working Group on Human Rights and Responsible Business Conduct. During the session, she emphasized that in this past year alone, Switzerland, Germany and Norway adopted mandatory due diligence legislation and that the EU Commission is poised to publish its proposal for an EU directive on mandatory due diligence this December.

“While many of the companies listening in from the region may not be directly covered by the new legislation because you are not based in the EU,” Herzog said, “nevertheless, it may affect you because the companies that are within scope of the legislation source from this region and will require stronger efforts from their suppliers with regards to responsible business practices.”

The session featured two panels – one with company presentations from Norsk Hydro and JTI discussing their firms’ responsible sourcing policies and practices, and a second including presentations from two employer federations from North Macedonia and Georgia, that spoke about their work and how they inform and support their member companies on emerging regulatory developments and best practices.

Staff Contact:   Ewa Staworzynska

Director, Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs
Tel: 212.703.5056

Ewa Staworzynska is USCIB’s Director of Corporate Responsibility and Labor Affairs. Staworzynska brings to USCIB her extensive policy experience from both public and private sectors. Prior to joining USCIB, she led DoorDash’s policy efforts in international markets and was in charge of diplomatic relations. Before her position at DoorDash, Staworzynska was an officer at the International Labor Organization (ILO), where she worked multilaterally to advance support for decent work and related policies at UN headquarters. Staworzynska began her career in New York working for a real estate start-up. Staworzynska will be based in USCIB’s New York office and will work with Jose Arroyo, USCIB policy associate on corporate responsibility and labor affairs, on a wide range of issues, including human rights and industrial policy, responsible business conduct, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She was born and raised in Norway and has a B.A. in Economics and M.A. in International Relations, with a specialty in International Business, from New York University.
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