Just Transition and Modern Slavery

Authors

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  Kelly Metcalf

  Manager, Human Rights, BSR

  

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  Kelly Metcalf

  Manager, Human Rights, BSR

  

  New York

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  Kelly works with BSR member companies to develop sustainability strategies, assess human rights impacts, and engage rightsholders. Her areas of expertise include modern slavery and anti-human trafficking and the rights of workers and communities in the energy transition. Kelly works with companies across industries, including renewable energy and extractives and consumer products.

  Prior to joining BSR, Kelly worked as a consultant on various human rights projects, including issues of modern slavery and labor rights in global supply chains. Kelly has also worked extensively on women’s rights, including two years leading a women’s economic empowerment program in Surkhet, Nepal and four years working with the United Nations Foundation on international reproductive health and rights.

  Kelly holds an MA in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University.

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  Recent Insights From Kelly Metcalf

  • Three Approaches for Integrating Human Rights into Company Risk Registers / February 27, 2024 / Blog
  • Tech Against Trafficking Summit: Leveraging Technology to Eradicate Forced Labor / December 7, 2023 / Blog
  • Just Transition and Modern Slavery / November 28, 2023 / Reports
  • Nine Ways to Mitigate Risk of Child Labor Across the Supply Chain / October 4, 2023 / Blog
  • Scaling Anti-Trafficking Efforts Across Sectors Through Collaboration / July 27, 2023 / Blog

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• 

  Jenna Kowalevsky

  Manager, Energy, Extractives, Industrials, and Transport, BSR

  

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  Jenna Kowalevsky

  Manager, Energy, Extractives, Industrials, and Transport, BSR

  

  Paris

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  Jenna brings 20 years of experience working in human rights, sustainability, and stakeholder relations at global companies to her work with BSR member companies.

  She works closely with companies as an expert on human rights and just transition, including focusing on the energy sector’s transition to net zero. She previously managed BSR’s Just Transition Collaborative Initiative.

  Prior to joining BSR, Jenna held several senior roles at global organizations. She advised Suncor Energy on integrating sustainability into business processes, ensuring projects managed social and environmental impacts and risks, and led their human rights activities. While at Repsol, she developed and implemented a global community relations, Indigenous Peoples and human rights approach, and supporting management system. Jenna held multiple roles at Talisman Energy, where she led the global ethics program, implemented a supplier code of conduct and risk assessment process, analyzed company-wide safety and environmental performance, and conducted land consultation and stakeholder engagement. Jenna also held a key role at Interpol, guiding the organization on its strategic direction and was instrumental in developing its new organizational strategy.

  Jenna holds an MBA and a Graduate Diploma in Social Performance Management from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Commerce in Petroleum Land Management from the University of Calgary.

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  Recent Insights From Jenna Kowalevsky

  • Just Transition and Modern Slavery / November 28, 2023 / Reports
  • The Just Transition Planning Process for Business / September 11, 2023 / Reports
  • Seven Lessons for the Just Energy Transition / June 8, 2023 / Blog

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• 

  Ouida Chichester

  Director, Energy, Extractives, Transport, and Industrials, BSR

  

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  Ouida Chichester

  Director, Energy, Extractives, Transport, and Industrials, BSR

  

  San Francisco

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  Ouida leads BSR’s Energy and Extractives practice. She applies her experience in international development to her work at BSR, where she advises global corporations across industries, but particularly extractives companies, on human rights; sustainable communities; inclusive economy; diversity, equity and inclusion; and women’s empowerment.

  She also previously supported BSR's HERproject.

  Prior to joining BSR, Ouida worked with the United Nations Development Programme in Belize, where she developed and contributed to projects on water governance, gender equality, and disability rights. She also has worked at Community Partners International, a nonprofit dedicated to the well-being of the people of Myanmar. Ouida helped build New Global Citizens, an organization dedicated to engaging U.S. youth in global philanthropy and activism. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador, she worked closely with youth, women, and grassroots organizations. She is fluent in Spanish.

  As a Rotary World Peace Fellow, Ouida obtained an M.A. in International Relations from the Universidad del Salvador. She also holds a B.A. in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College.

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  Recent Insights From Ouida Chichester

  • Stakeholder Engagement in the Transition Context: Guidance for Practitioners / October 15, 2024 / Reports
  • Advancing a Just Transition: Lessons from Company Practices / June 12, 2024 / Blog
  • Three Approaches for Integrating Human Rights into Company Risk Registers / February 27, 2024 / Blog
  • Just Transition and Modern Slavery / November 28, 2023 / Reports
  • The Just Transition Planning Process for Business / September 11, 2023 / Reports

  Full Bio

  Close

To plan for and achieve a just, equitable, and inclusive transition, business has a responsibility to ensure its efforts to transition to net zero that does not place people at risk. To this end, BSR’s Energy for a Just Transition collaboration explored the modern slavery risks associated with the energy transition and identified ways to address these risks.  

Affected communities and impacted populations, including workers, must be engaged in dialogue and decision-making processes to ensure the impacts of the transition on their social and economic well-being are considered. It is crucial to ensure that social protections for workers and communities and the rights of workers are upheld. 

Business can proactively manage modern slavery risks by: 

• Outlining expectations on ethical business practices 

• Increasing understanding of modern slavery 

• Identifying and assessing risks 

• Engaging suppliers 

• Providing remedy and supporting survivors 

• Collaborating

The team would like to thank Andrey Pertsov and Claudio Formisano for their contribution to the report.