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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.

Recent Developments in E.U. and U.S. Human Rights Law Signal an End to Voluntary Corporate Standards
Blog August 11, 2024
Recent Developments in E.U. and U.S. Human Rights Law Signal an End to Voluntary Corporate Standards
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
New E.U. Law Advances Global Efforts to Eradicate Forced Labor in Supply Chains
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
House Bill Proposes to End Funding for State Department Programs Involved with Forced Labor in China
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
Australia's Two Modern Slavery Acts
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 Targets China's Human Rights Abuses, Companies Should Prepare for Stricter Due Diligence on Forced Labor
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……
COVID-19 and Global Human Rights: Shifting Priorities for Governments, Civil Society, and Companies
Blog April 16, 2020
COVID-19 and Global Human Rights: Shifting Priorities for Governments, Civil Society, and Companies
The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most significant global public health crises since the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-20. The spread of the Coronavirus through every continent and major metropolis has led to unprecedented policy responses from governments both large and small. As a result, the human rights community is more closely scrutinizing the impact of these responses, while many company operations are more likely to overlap with the pandemic and evolving government policy in some……
Trump Administrations Proposed Prosecution of Pipeline Opponents: Weighing Human Rights Obligations and Congressional Support
Blog July 10, 2019
Trump Administrations Proposed Prosecution of Pipeline Opponents: Weighing Human Rights Obligations and Congressional Support
The Trump Administration is using the reauthorization of a pipeline safety statute as an opening to insert new provisions that would give U.S. authorities broader latitude to thwart and criminalize the activities of protestors opposing hydrocarbon pipeline projects.  The provision would apply to both existing pipelines and those that are under construction, with at least the partial intent of targeting large-scale protests that have encircled construction of oil transport infrastructure……
Pioneering Dutch Law Raises Global Standards for Eliminating Child Labor in Supply Chains – Understanding the Dimensions of Compliance
Blog June 07, 2019
Pioneering Dutch Law Raises Global Standards for Eliminating Child Labor in Supply Chains – Understanding the Dimensions of Compliance
The Dutch Senate recently adopted the Child Labour Due Diligence Act, a new measure with far reaching implications for the sourcing, manufacturing, and consumption of products that contain inputs from the bodies of child laborers. The new law is the product of protracted negotiations that have taken place over several years in the Dutch Parliament.  The Dutch House of Representatives approved the legislation in February 2017 with 82 of the chamber's 150 Members of Parliament in favor…
Watch: Brand Management for In-House Counsel
Blog February 14, 2018
Watch: Brand Management for In-House Counsel
The Intersection of Trademarks, Advertising and Corporate Social Responsibility Protecting the value of your corporate brand is a critical mission. As companies are increasingly asked to make disclosures regarding their efforts to address social and environmental risks, these disclosures create both opportunities and challenges for those entrusted with protecting a company's intangible assets. In this webinar, we explore the interrelationship between trademarks, false advertising and……
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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.

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