home
frankly speaking podcast

#13 Fernanda Hopenhaym: Reflections on the 11th UN Business and Human Rights Forum

Listen to Fernanda Hopenhaym, Chair of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights.

The new Chair of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, Fernanda Hopenhaym, joins Frankly Speaking to reflect on the key insights from last week’s global gathering of 1000 businesses, government and civil society representatives. A Uruguayan Mexican researcher and advocate who has been active in civil society organisations and social movements for over 20 years, Fernanda is currently the executive director of PODER, which promotes corporate transparency and accountability across Latin American countries.

Listen in to learn more about: 

  • How rights-holders were at the centre of all the discussions
  • Rebalancing of power between corporations and citizens and local communities
  • Russian invasion of Ukraine and human rights in times of conflicts
  • State of play of the negotiations of the international legally binding instrument on business and human rights 
  • Responsible lobbying vs. corporate capture
  • What's next on the UN Working Group agenda

Resources 

“A key message of this year’s UN Forum was ‘We need to listen to people firsthand’. If I'm a company, I need to sit down with rights-holders directly, not just through advisors that tell me how to engage with communities. I heard from different rights-holders that they felt they were outside in front of the UN protesting. And now they are in the room, not only as audience, but with a mike in the panel. That's a long way to go!”

Fernanda Hopenhaym in Frankly Speaking

You may also like these episodes

30:29

#119 Leena Ylä-Mononen: What the 2026 Summer Heatwaves Mean for Europe’s Sustainability Transition

What does the European Environment Agency have to say about Europe's progress on climate change so far? Listen to its Executive Director, Leena Ylä-Mononen

40:07

#118 Companies Putting the “Meaningful” into Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement: Danny Miles and Dr Wilson Odiyo

How can companies ensure meaningful engagement with their stakeholders? Listen to Danny Miles, Head of Collective Action at the Ethical Trading Initiative, and Dr Wilson Odiyo, Corporate Affairs Director for Eastern Produce Regional Services (EPRS)

36:49

#117 How Businesses Can Combat Modern Slavery: Professor John Dumay

What can businesses do to eliminate modern slavery? Listen to Johannes Dumay, Professor in Accounting at Macquarie University