[Spring academy] Due diligence as master key to responsible business conduct

The second pillar of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), popularised the concept of human rights due diligence as the central process that businesses need to introduce in order to abide by their responsibility to respect human rights. From thereon, the concept was transplanted into a variety of regulatory instruments, such as the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises or the French law on the devoir de vigilance. Thus, it became the touchstone of the debates related to responsible business conduct and a primary demand by civil society organisations pushing for stricter regulations of transnational corporations.

The 2022 edition of the Doing Business Right Spring Academy will dive deeper into the idea and reality of due diligence. We will retrace the genealogy of the concept, investigate its theoretical underpinnings, and provide the participants with a comprehensive understanding of its practical operation through specific case studies conducted by experienced practitioners. Through a blending of theory and practice, this Spring Academy will equip our participants with the necessary theoretical and practical skills to navigate and actively engage with the growing practice of due diligence, be it as a lawyer, activist, corporate adviser, government official or researcher.

The programme includes an opening dinner, lunches, and closing reception ideal for getting to know your fellow participants and speakers, building your network, and a welcome social element in our first in-person event of the year.

Programme
Please find the latest version of the programme here.

Key topics

• Business and human rights
• Responsible business conduct
• Human rights due diligence
• OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises
• U.N. guiding principles on business and human rights

Target audience

• Early- to mid-career professionals
• Civil servants
• Corporate legal advisers
• Civil society representatives
• Social auditors
• Advanced students

Scholarships
Five fee waivers are available to outstanding master students and PhD candidates to attend the upcoming Doing Business Right spring academy. The application deadline has been extended to 23rd March 2022. For more information on the scholarships and how to apply click here. 

Coordinator

The Spring Academy is coordinated by Dr Antoine Duval, a senior researcher at the Asser Institute, and the coordinator for the research strand on transnational public interests: constituting public interest beyond and below the state. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of the ASSER International Sports Law Blog, founder and editor of the Yearbook of International Sports Arbitration, and a member of the editorial board of the International Sports Law Journal and International Sports Law book Series of Asser Press.

List of confirmed speakers:

• Antoine Duval (Asser Institute) 
• Marian Ingrams (OECD Watch)
• Charlotte Michon (Entreprises pour les droits de l'homme)
• Caroline Omari Lichuma (University of Göttingen)
• Juliette Renaud (Les Amis de la Terre)
• Jaap Rijnsdorp (Schijvens)
• Charlotte Scheltus (SER)
• Shamistha Selvaratnam (Pillar Two)
• John F. Sherman III (former Senior legal advisor to Prof. John Ruggie on the UNGPs)
• Lara Strangways (Global Rights Compliance)
• Talya Swissa (World Benchmarking Alliance)

Registration & questions
To register for this spring academy, click here or on the ‘register’ button at the top of the page and fill out the form.

After successful completion of this spring academy, you will receive a professional certificate from the T.M.C. Asser Instituut.

Please contact educationtraining@asser.nl with any inquiries.