Listen to Olena Uvarova, Associate Professor at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University and Anita Ramasastry, Professor at the University of Washington School of Law and former member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights.

Since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine, many European companies have struggled with the challenges of conducting business in the region responsibly. Frankly Speaking has invited Olena Uvarova, Associate Professor at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, and Anita Ramasastry, Professor at the University of Washington School of Law and former member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights.
The two leading experts share insights on the role of business in armed conflict, such as how the exit of international companies posed a threat to Ukrainians. They discuss whether there is any justification for business to stay in Russia and the difference human rights due diligence makes in responding to a global crisis, whether it’s a pandemic or an armed conflict.
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“We've seen in places like Myanmar and we're seeing in Ukraine, if companies haven't already developed that muscle memory of doing due diligence, it's going to be a problem when a conflict arises. Because to go from ground zero to heightened is going to be very, very challenging. We found that there were companies that didn't know who owned the property they were on, hadn't really examined whether their contracts were with people that had ties to the military. So that's step one, due diligence needs to be there as a framework.”

How is the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) playing out in practice and what lessons can be learned? Listen to Frank Bold’s own Sustainability Researcher Lorena Bisignano, and Filip Gregor, Head of Responsible Companies and member of EFRAG’s SRB.
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What do China’s new supply chain security and counter-extraterritoriality rules mean for European companies trying to conduct human rights and environmental due diligence? Listen to Katja Drinhausen, Head of Programme Politics and Society at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS).

What does meaningful implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive look like in practice? Listen to Julia Otten, Senior Policy Officer at Frank Bold, and Amandine Van Den Berghe, Senior Lawyer specialising in value chains, trade and investment at ClientEarth.