Program


Thursday, 17 January 2013
14:00 – Opening remarks by :

Peter Jambrek, former president of the Constitutional Court of Republic of Slovenia and former judge at the European Court of Human Rights
Matej Avbelj, Dean of the Graduate School of Government and European Studies,
Jernej Letnar Černič, Vice-Dean of the Graduate School of Government and European Studies,
Janez Fajfar, Mayor of Bled.

14:15-15:00 Keynote address :  Surya Deva (Hong Kong), Multinationals, Human Rights and International Law:  How to Deal with the Elephant in the Room

Panel 1: Privatization of Human Rights Law
15:00-15:20 – Daniel Augenstein (Tilburg), ‘Private’ Human Rights Law: With or Without the State?
15:20-15:40 – Gentian Zyberi (Oslo), Ensuring the Protection of the Environment from Serious Harm: Towards Shared Responsibility between Corporations and the State?
15:40-16:00 – Cedric Ryngaert (Leuven, Utrecht), Transnational private regulation and human rights: The limitations of stateless law and the re-entry of the state
16:00-16:15 - Discussion

short coffee break with snacks

Panel 2: Corporations, Human Rights Abuses, Right to Remedy
16:30-16:50 – Nicolas Zambrana Tavar (Pamplona), Right to Remedy under the Ruggie framework
16:50-17:10 – Karin Lukas (Vienna), Right of access to remedy for victims of corporate abuses,
17:10-17:30 - Mary Footer (Nottingham), The role of due diligence in the responsible supply of gold and other precious metals from conflict-affected and high risk areas
17:30-17:50 – Humberto Fernando Cantú Rivera (Geneva, Paris), Corporations and compliance with international human rights law: from a “responsibility to respect” to legal obligations and enforcement
17:50-18:10 - Discussion

19:00 conference dinner, vila Ajda, Bled

Friday, 18 January 2013
Panel 3: The Direct Human Rights Obligations Of Corporations In International Law
9:00-9:20 – Jernej Letnar Černič, (Kranj) The Direct Human Rights Obligations Of Corporations In International Law, From Utopia to Reality?
9:20-9:40 – Tara L. Van Ho (Essex), “Due Diligence” in “Transitional States”: An Obligation for Greater Transparency?
9:40-10:00 – Jan Wouters and Ann Sofie Cloots (Leuven), Direct Human Rights Obligations of Business Corporations under International Law
10:00-10:20 Brigit Toebes (Groningen), Human rights responsibilities of non-state actors in the health sector
10:00-10:15 - Discussion
coffee break

Panel 4: Direct obligations of companies in international investment law I
10:40-11:00 – Roos van Os (Amsterdam), Corporate Accountability, Human Rights and International Investment Agreements: Imbalances and Policy Options
11:00-11:20 – Adriana Espinosa González (Madrid): The conflict between international investment and human rights international regimes and its effects on human rights protection
11:20-11:40 – Lana Olup (Utrecht, Nova Gorica), Respecting human rights as an investment strategy
11:40-12:00 – Josh Curtis (Galway), Implications of the Obligation to Cooperate for the Renegotiation of International Investment Law
12:00-12:30 – Discussion

Parallel Panel 5: Direct obligations of companies in international investment law II
10:40-11:00 – Yannick Radi (University of Leiden), The Contribution of International Investment Law to the Horizontalization of Human Rights
11:00-11:20 – Juan Ochoa-Sanchez (Oslo), Do States Have, or Should Have, a Duty to Ensure the Observance of Internationally Recognized Human Rights by Transnational Corporations which are domiciled in Their Territory While Conducting Operations Abroad?
11:20-11:40 – Ajda Pistotnik (Ljubljana), Human right to water crisis
11:40-12:00 – Mikko Rajavuori (Åbo/Turku), State-owned Enterprises in Business and Human Rights Agenda
12:00-12:30 –Discussion

Lunch

         Panel 6 : Soft law and human rights obligations of companies
13:40-14:00 – Tineke Lambooy (Utrecht), The development of soft law human rights standards for companies towards legal obligations'
14:00-14:20 – Anna Bulzomi (Brussels), Human Rights & Investment: Opportunities and Challenges in Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas The case of the Democratic Republic of Congo
14:20-14:40 – Damiano de Felice (London), Commercial banks and human rights: Why market-based initiatives and international proto-regulations are not enough
14:40-15:00 – Sisay Alemahu Yeshanew (Åbo/Turku), Beyond Intra-African State Obligations: The utility of the African human rights system to deal with violations emanating from transnational conducts involving non-African states

15:00-15:20 –Discussion

         Parallel Panel 7, Ethics, Criminal Law and Human Rights Obligations of Companies
13:40-14:00 – Vojko Strahovnik (Ljubljana), Corporations, group agents and responsibilities
14:00-14:20 – Andrew Spalding (Richmond), Understanding international corporate bribery as a human rights violation
14:20-14:40 – Genny Ngende (Brussels) Establishing corporate liability through vicarious liability
14:40-15:00 – Marko Novak (Nova Gorica), International Human Rights obligations or human duties for multinational corporations
15:00-15:20 –Discussion

Coffee break with snacks

         Panel 8 : Human Rights Obligations of Corporations and Tort Law
15:40-16:00 – Cees van Dam (Utrecht), The role of tort law in protecting human rights
16:00-16:20 – Wei Xiaohong (Rotterdam) The Alien Tort Statute after Kobel: A Substitute for the International Criminal Court? 
16:20-16:40 – Dorothée Cambou, (Brussels), The Ogoni People vs. Shell:  towards greater accountability of multinational corporations for human rights violations
16:40-17:00 – Sara Andersen (Florence), Gendered Harms in the Fashion Industry: Lifting the Veil of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) from an American and Scandinavian Perspective
17:00-17:20 - Silvia Scarpa (Rome) Direct obligations of Multinational Corporations for the Works Form of Child Labour in Cocoa Plantations
17:20-17:40 –Discussion

19:00 conference dinner, Panorama

Saturday, 19 January 2013
Panel 9: International law, core norms, direct human rights obligations of corporations  
9:00-9:20 – Nicholas McMurry (Cork), Fulfilling Rights under Privatisation
9:20-9:40 – Charline Daelman (Leuven), The Issue of State-Owned Companies in the Case-law of the European Court of Human Rights
9:40-10:00 – Nicolás Carrillo (Madrid), Direct International Humanitarian Obligations of Corporations and Other Non-State Entities: Analysis of the lex lata and the lex ferenda
10:00-10:20 – Karin Buhmann (Copenhagen), The emergence of ‘a government case for CSR’? How and why public policy interests are coming to govern CSR through establishing human rights relevant obligations on business

10:20-10h40 - Discussion
short break

11:00-13h00 – Final Group Workshop session (all participants)

13:00 – Concluding remarks (organizers) on workshop and conference publication