Human Rights Insights: Trends from the Human Rights Working Group’s Summer Meeting

Authors

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  Salah Husseini

  Director, Human Rights, BSR

  

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  Salah Husseini

  Director, Human Rights, BSR

  

  Paris

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  Salah leads BSR’s human rights practice within the Consumer Sectors industry cluster, which includes the following sub-clusters: Food, Beverage, and Agriculture; Commodities Trading; Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality; Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals; and Luxury, Apparel, and Beauty. He supports companies in implementing human rights due diligence programs and human rights strategy and governance development, as well as aligning with regulatory, investor, and other stakeholder expectations around human rights management. Additionally, Salah leads the Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality and is a regular contributor to the Human Rights Working Group.

  Prior to joining BSR, Salah worked at a major media conglomerate where he ensured compliance with labor law requirements within the company’s manufacturing supply chain. He also worked with a standard-setting organization that developed the first auditable program for labor standards enforcement in manufacturing. Additionally, he practiced as an attorney in New York City, focusing on civil rights issues.

  Salah holds a J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law, and a B.A. in Political Science, Spanish, and Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan. He speaks Arabic, English, and Spanish.  

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  Recent Insights From Salah Husseini

  • Embedding Human Rights from Boots to the Boardroom / April 26, 2023 / Blog
  • Inside BSR: Q&A with Salah Husseini / May 27, 2021 / Blog
  • To Combat Systemic Discrimination, Companies Need to Acknowledge Their Role / February 17, 2021 / Blog
  • Building toward Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence / November 17, 2020 / Blog
  • The Future of Human Rights Due Diligence: Legislation and Regulation for a Level Playing Field / October 5, 2020 / Blog

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  Jenny Vaughan

  Managing Director, Human Rights, BSR

  

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  Jenny Vaughan

  Managing Director, Human Rights, BSR

  

  San Francisco

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  Jenny leads BSR’s human rights team and portfolio across consulting and collaboration. In addition to directing BSR’s Human Rights Working Group, Jenny leads human rights assessments and partners with companies to develop human rights strategies and stakeholder engagement plans. She works across industries with a focus on energy, technology, and conflict-affected and high-risk contexts.

  Prior to joining BSR, Jenny worked at Mercy Corps for over a decade in field management and advisory roles to prevent and mitigate conflict, promote inclusive economic development, and build civil society capacity. As the organization’s first Peace and Governance Director in Myanmar and later as the Director of the Peace and Conflict technical advisory team, she designed and implemented programs to reduce violence, promote peace and development, and address critical and emerging threats like climate change, disruptive technology, and poor governance. She has experience in context analysis, stakeholder engagement, negotiation, project design and implementation, and strategic planning. Jenny has lived and worked in countries including Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Central African Republic, and Cameroon. 

  Jenny holds a MA in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a BA in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

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  Recent Insights From Jenny Vaughan

  • Top 10 Human Rights Priorities for the Automotive Sector / August 28, 2024 / Primers
  • Responsible Innovation in the Automotive Industry / August 28, 2024 / Blog
  • Making Connections Across Professions / September 27, 2023 / Blog
  • Human Rights Due Diligence of Meta’s Impacts in Israel and Palestine in May 2021 / September 22, 2022 / Blog
  • Human Rights in the Healthcare Sector: Current State of Play / June 2, 2022 / Blog

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  Cynthia Wang

  Manager, Human Rights, BSR

  

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  Cynthia Wang

  Manager, Human Rights, BSR

  

  Singapore

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  Cynthia supports BSR’s human rights and supply chain work in Asia. Her project experience spans multiple social topics and industries, including financial services, extractives, and information and communications technology. She also supports the cross-industry Human Rights Working Group.

  Prior to joining BSR, Cynthia worked as a legal trainee at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, where she conducted legal research and analysis to assist with legal complaints against transnational corporations. She also participated in a research project on corporate civil liability at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights. Additionally, Cynthia previously interned at UN Women China, where she provided support on communications and project management for work related to domestic violence and CSR development in China.

  Cynthia holds an M.A. in Human Rights from the University of Vienna and a B.A. in Law from National Taiwan University. 

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  Recent Insights From Cynthia Wang

  • Responsible Innovation in the Automotive Industry / August 28, 2024 / Blog
  • Top 10 Human Rights Priorities for the Automotive Sector / August 28, 2024 / Primers
  • Science: A Human Right for Our Times / April 20, 2021 / Blog
  • The Future of Human Rights Due Diligence: Legislation and Regulation for a Level Playing Field / October 5, 2020 / Blog
  • Human Rights in a Global Supply Chain: Challenges and Approaches / October 25, 2019 / Blog

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The second round of BSR’s Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) meetings for 2019 was held between July and September in St. Louis, Tokyo, and Stockholm. Established in 2012, HRWG is a collaborative initiative designed to help companies implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), bringing together approximately 40 companies from across sectors. In addition to providing operational-level guidance and best practices in the business and human rights field, HRWG has established a global network of business and human rights professionals. The summer meetings covered a mix of substantive and methodological topics, including:

• Human rights methodologies, continued from the Spring round of meetings
• Human rights and supply chains
• Responsible use of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Legal trends
• Human rights governance

BSR member companies interested in joining the Human Rights Working Group should connect with us to learn more.