USCIB, NYU Host Dialogue About U.S. Plan on Responsible Business Conduct

Published on December 22, 2014
Ambassador Elizabeth Cousens, U.S. Representative to the UN Economic and Social Council, speaking at the NAP dialogue on December 15 at NYU Stern’s campus.
Ambassador Elizabeth Cousens, U.S. Representative to the UN Economic and Social Council, speaking at the NAP dialogue on December 15 at NYU Stern’s campus.

In September, President Obama said the administration would develop a U.S. National Action Plan (NAP) to promote responsible business conduct abroad consistent with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

As part of the consultative process leading up to the development of the action plan, U.S. officials will attend a series of open dialogues hosted by independent organizations where stakeholders can provide input on the NAP process and content.

USCIB and New York University’s Stern School of Business hosted the first event in this series on December 15 on the NYU campus.

Ambassador Elizabeth Cousens, U.S. Representative to the UN Economic and Social Council, speaking at the NAP dialogue on December 15 at NYU Stern’s campus.

U.S. government representatives from the Department of Labor, Department of State and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations came together at the open dialogue to gather input from the private sector and other stakeholders that promote respect for human rights internationally.

“There is in fact a huge new appreciation for the role of the private sector and business generally,” said Ambassador Elizabeth Cousens, U.S. Representative to the UN Economic and Social Council. “And what business can do, together with communities and civil society, to contribute to development and human rights.”

The dialogue began with a plenary session, where Ariel Meyerstein, USCIB’s vice president for labor affairs, corporate responsibility and corporate governance, moderated a panel with representatives from the State and Labor Departments on the development of the U.S. National Action Plan. The plenary was followed by small workshop discussions on a range of topics related to responsible business conduct.

The NAP will aim to unify government efforts in promoting best practices in the areas of human rights, labor rights, corruption and transparency abroad, with clear and predictable guidelines.

More about the National Action Plan can be found in the White House’s fact sheet and on the Business and Human Rights Resource Center website.

 

This entry was posted in Business In Society, News Stories and tagged .

Published on December 22, 2014

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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