Ombudsman’s Office participates in international meetings on corporate due diligence in sustainability matters
The Ombudsman’s Office was represented by Elsa Dias, Coordinator of the Economic Rights and Taxation Unit, from 7 to 9 April in Vienna, at two initiatives dedicated to the implementation of the new directive on corporate due diligence in sustainability matters (CSDDD), which recently entered into force in the European Union.
On 7 and 8 April, the Symposium on Access to Justice in the context of the CSDDD took place, co-organised by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the German Institute for Human Rights and the French National Advisory Commission on Human Rights, in collaboration with the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI).
This meeting brought together around 50 experts, academics, representatives of civil society organisations and national human rights institutions (NHRIs), with the aim of debating the challenges and opportunities that the CSDD presents in guaranteeing corporate accountability mechanisms and effective access to justice for rights holders, both inside and outside the European Union. The consequences of the so-called Omnibus I proposal, approved last February by the European Commission with the aim of introducing changes to the CSDD Directive, were also debated.
On 9 April, Elsa Dias also took part in the workshop for NHRIs on the transposition and implementation of the CSDDD, promoted by the Danish Institute for Human Rights and held at the FRA’s premises. This meeting was dedicated to the specific role of NHRIs in adapting the directive to the national legislation of the member states, as well as identifying the impact of the European Commission’s Omnibus I proposal on this process. The workshop allowed for the exchange of experiences on good practices, the strengthening of institutional competences and the definition of common action strategies.
Participation in these initiatives is part of the Ombudsman’s work in the field of human rights and business, an area in which relevant normative developments have been taking place, within the framework of its mission as an ‘A’ status NHRI.
