Events
MLL Breakfast | Bringing Human Rights to the Board Table
On 3 November 2026, MLL Legal hosted a breakfast-discussion with Prof. Dr. Dorothée Baumann-Pauly, Professor at the University of Geneva’s School of Economics and Management and Director of the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights (GCBHR).
Drawing on her work with companies, investors, policymakers, and civil society organizations, she shared practical insights on how boards can effectively address human rights issues as part of their governance responsibilities.
Her insights echo the last report of the UN Working Group on business and human rights “Corporate Governance, Business and Human Rights” which highlighted the importance of the role of the Boards for the effectiveness of the application of human rights in their organisation.
Our guests came from the private sector, NGOs and international organisations. Together we exchanged experiences on three questions: who is responsible for human rights at board level, how to set the right incentives for boards and management, and how to engage the relevant stakeholders to get a clear view of practices that may affect human rights.
We also discovered how The Bridge, an innovative initiative of the GCBHR, helps companies access perspectives from local human rights defenders to identify and address risks before they escalate into more significant operational, legal, or reputational challenges.
