Join us for an important discussion on understanding and implementing Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidance across the industry.
Many companies will be familiar with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and its comprehensive standards for responsible business conduct in a global context covering employment and industrial relations, human rights, environment, information disclosure, bribery, consumer interests, competition, science and technology and taxation. Fewer may be aware of the more recent guidance being developed at the OECD to identify and manage risks in the following areas:
- Mineral Supply Chains
- Agricultural Supply Chains
- Textile & Garment Supply Chains
- Financial Sector – Institutional Investment; & Corporate Lending (in development)
- Extractive Sector Stakeholder Engagement
- General Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct (in development)
Developed in consultation with industry, civil society, and governments, these guidance documents provide concrete approaches for companies to identify, prevent, mitigate and remediate actual and potential adverse impacts arising from their operations, supply chains, and other business relationships. They are meant to complement and clarify existing standards and guidance.
Global Affairs Canada and Canada’s National Contact Point for the OECD MNE Guidelines are interested in collaborating with GCNC and its members to create greater awareness of the guidance documents as practical tools to strengthen the work undertaken by Canadian firms to address environmental, human rights, and governance risks. A GCNC working group to identify ways to make one or more of these guidance documents more accessible to its targeted industry audience has been suggested.
As a first step, the OECD’s Responsible Business Conduct Unit will deliver a webinar to GCNC on the OECD Multinational Guidelines, due diligence processes, and the sector focused guidance that has been completed or is in progress. She will also speak to the role and value of these documents for companies and their stakeholders.
Speakers
Helle Bank Jorgensen
Mrs. Bank Jorgensen is a Business Lawyer and a State Authorized Public Accountant by training. She brings over 25 years of experience providing strategic and operational guidance to all functions within an organization, including advising at the C-suite and board level. 11 of those years as a partner with PwC in Europe and in the U.S. leading the sustainability and climate change practices.
- She was the creator of the world’s first Integrated Report, first Green Account and the first Responsible Supply Chain programs.
- She has assisted companies such as Unilever, Shell, Ikea, Novo Nordisk, Novozymes, Dong Energy, Monsanto, Danske Bank, Vestas etc with their Sustainability- or Integrated reports.
- She is the principal organizer for the CEO/Investor-network for Business Ethics and Non-Financial Reporting.
- She has led the CDP-report of the S&P 500 and Improvement of DJSI ranking and investor communication for global and US companies.
- She was the first in North America to receive Certificate of Achievement for passing the GRI G4 Exam.
- She has served as the Chair of the European Sustainability Reporting Awards,
- She assisted the EU in the development of the CSR reporting directive.
- She serves at the Expert Panel for HRH Prince of Wales Accounting for Sustainability (A4S).
- She serves at the Release Council for the Future-Fit Business Benchmark,
- She is a Global Board Facilitator for the world’s largest network of responsible businesses.
- She serves as the Chair of eRevalue; at Cornerstone Capital Global Advisory Council; and is a renowned speaker at leading conferences in North America and Europe, and the author of many thought-leading articles and books about sustainability, climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the roles and responsibilities of Board members.
Barbara Bijelic
Legal Expert, Responsible Business Conduct Unit Investment Division, Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs at OECD Bell Canada’s EMSBarbara Bijelic is a legal expert on responsible business conduct at the OECD. She is currently providing substantive and organizational support to the OECD’s work on responsible business conduct (RBC) particularly in the context of the extractives and financial sectors.
Pascale Collas
Canadian National Contact Point on the OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct, Global Affairs Canada
Pascale joined the Secretariat of Canada’s National Contact Point on the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises in early 2016. She had previously been the representative of Environment Canada on the National Contact Point committee for nearly 5 years. Pascale has 20 years of experience in global environmental policy and sustainable development issues at Environment and Climate Change Canada. Her roles in this department included climate change negotiator at UN Climate Conferences, Chief of the land-use change and forestry unit for Canada’s greenhouse gas inventory, and coordinator for the G7 and OECD files. Her work on carbon accounting also led her to join UN review teams on greenhouse gas inventories and to work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
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