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Global Business & Human Rights

Our Global Business & Human Rights blog features nuanced discussion regarding the responsibilities of multinational companies, governments and multilateral institutions towards sustainability, with a particular focus on international human rights.

Cuts to a Little-Known U.S. Agency Undermine the Global Fight Against Forced Labor
Blog December 01, 2025
For several decades, the United States has strengthened its efforts to stringently enforce anti-trafficking statutes at home with practical partnerships to prevent forced labor abroad…
As the Global Energy Transition Advances, Business Centered on Rights Remains Good Business
Blog July 28, 2025
The U.S. regulatory landscape is quickly evolving and in flux, with the Executive Branch further increasing the use of executive authority to unilaterally and rapidly transform longstanding federal practices and policies…
As Governments Push Back on Corporate Human Rights Responsibilities, Influential Stakeholders Push Forward
Blog April 28, 2025
In a blog article before the November 2024 election, our GBHR Practice discussed how the pushback on ESG will not stop the tide towards higher human rights standards for companies…
Recent Developments in E.U. and U.S. Human Rights Law Signal an End to Voluntary Corporate Standards
Blog August 11, 2024
Over the next few years, lawmakers and regulators in many jurisdictions will be deepening their implementation of new human rights laws that impose significantly higher compliance burdens for companies. Concerns over whether companies can tolerate the increasing challenges associated with compliance are fast being supplanted by the belief that companies must build ESG risk management systems into their cost of doing business…
New E.U. Law Advances Global Efforts to Eradicate Forced Labor in Supply Chains
Blog June 26, 2024
On April 23, 2024, the European Parliament adopted, by an overwhelming 555-6 majority, a landmark law that will establish a sweeping and forceful regulatory regime to prohibit any products made using forced labor from being sold (including online) within, imported into, or exported from the E.U. market…
House Bill Proposes to End Funding for State Department Programs Involved with Forced Labor in China
Blog April 08, 2024
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a new measure, H.R. 4039, which would prohibit any funding for programs within the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development that involve materials or products with linkages to forced labor abuse of Chinese minority communities in the Xinjiang region…
Australia's Two Modern Slavery Acts
Blog August 31, 2020
The Australian Government has launched an online register that publishes companies' statements on their compliance with the country's Federal Modern Slavery Act of 2018. The website, which is searchable and available to the public, marks the first government-run website tracking companies' compliance with efforts to eradicate modern slavery. Unlike comparable legislation passed recently in other jurisdictions, including the U.K. Modern Slavery Act of 2015, Australia's Act makes reporting……
As the United States Targets China's Human Rights Abuses, Companies Should Prepare for Stricter Due Diligence on Forced Labor
Blog July 20, 2020
As the United States seeks to take more forceful action punishing China for its escalating human rights abuses against Muslim ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang autonomous region and the citizens of Hong Kong, international businesses whose supply chains intersect with China should be prepared for new legislation and regulatory enforcement that could result in penalties. Companies will need to take additional steps to ensure their due diligence processes account for potential human rights……
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Blog Editors

ABOUT

Foley Hoag’s Global Business and Human Rights practice provides counsel to multinational companies, governments, and multilateral institutions regarding social, political, and environmental challenges.

Our advice to clients encompasses legal and reputational risk management with respect to human rights, including labor rights and the rights of indigenous peoples; the design and implementation of stakeholder engagement programs; and professional auditing services, ranging from due diligence desk-top analyses to on-the-ground human rights impact assessments and the monitoring of social, human rights, and environmental initiatives.

In addition, we provide clients with crisis management and mediation services with respect to disputes with impacted communities and stakeholder groups, ranging from indigenous peoples to non-governmental organizations.