BSR Members Only
Date and Time
June 24, 2024
9:30 am-10:30 am
PDT
Location
Webinar
As a part of the National Action Plan for Responsible Business Conduct, the U.S. Government committed to developing a guide for investors on human rights due diligence when considering investments in technologies that could cause, contribute to, or be linked to human rights abuses. The purpose of the guide is to encourage investors to consider how they might be able to influence the tech sector to drive democracy-enhancing technologies that protect national security and human rights, and to influence businesses to mitigate the risks to people and human rights of technologies, including when they are misused.
As part of the process of drafting this guide, the U.S. Department of State is seeking input from investors and technology companies to understand how investors can use their leverage throughout the tech investment life cycle to encourage a human rights-oriented business culture. This will be an exploratory, interactive discussion. To share insights and expertise please join our members-only webinar: Consultation with the U.S. DoS: Guidance on Human Rights Due Diligence for Tech Investments. We seek your input on the following themes:
- Human rights risks in tech: We will explore technologies that can create heightened risks, either inherently or when misused. Examples may include AI and machine learning, data-driven technologies, and surveillance technologies such as facial recognition, biometric collection, and commercial spyware.
- The evolving landscape: We will briefly describe the changing policy environment that encourages, and in some jurisdictions mandates, human rights due diligence. The focus will be on the U.S. policy environment to encourage the development and deployment of rights-respecting technologies. We would also like to highlight the voluntary initiatives among investors and approaches of other stakeholders to drive responsible business conduct and welcome your views on the impact of these efforts.
- Influence in the investment lifecycle: We will explore concrete actions investors can take at different stages of the investment lifecycle to influence business culture, operations, and technology design. Recommendations will reflect the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
We will facilitate an exploratory, interactive discussion and Q&A. All attendees are encouraged to participate.
Scheduled Speakers
- Lynn Sicade, Director of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor’s Office of Multilateral and Global Affairs, U.S. Department of State
- Valerie Santos, Technology and Human Rights Officer, U.S. Department of State
- Hannah Darnton, Director, Technology and Human Rights, BSR
- Kindra Mohr, Associate Director, Financial Services and Human Rights, BSR
