On 8 April 2019, the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on AI (“HLEG AI“) published its ethics guidelines for trustworthy artificial intelligence (the “Guidelines“). The Guidelines follow an earlier first draft in December 2018 and implement more than 500 comments received through an open consultation. The Guidelines aim to provide a framework for achieving “Trustworthy AI”: artificial intelligence that is (i) lawful, (ii) ethical, and (iii) robust. In particular, the Guidelines focus on offering guidance…

Earlier this month, the Canadian government announced the appointment of Sheri Meyerhoffer as the first Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (“CORE”). The position has been lauded as being the first of its kind in the world. This blog post considers a number of the key issues which are still to be ironed out before Ombudsperson Meyerhoffer begins her work in earnest.…

The construction and further development of infrastructure is of crucial importance for society and a healthy economy. But protecting the environment and human rights has also come to the forefront of the global agenda. At times these two goals have been cast as mutually exclusive, but the financing community has recognized the imperative to harmonize developing modern infrastructure with preserving our natural habitat and upholding social standards. The majority of financing banks have for some…

On 10 April 2019, the UK Supreme Court handed down its judgment in Vedanta Resources PLC and anor. v Lungowe and others [2019] UKSC 20; a long awaited decision on parent company liability and the jurisdiction of English courts over transnational torts. This blog sets out the key findings and practical implications of the judgment, with a particular focus on what it means for human rights related claims against multinationals and the policies and…

Introduction On 27 February 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) held that International Organisations do not have absolute immunity under the International Organizations Immunities Act of 1945 (IOIA). This blog discusses the opinion of the Supreme Court.…

MPs commissioned by the UK Government to review the Modern Slavery Act have published an interim report on the Transparency in Supply Chains Provision in s.54.  This blog looks at some of the key recommendations and what they would mean for UK business. The MPs were asked: “how to ensure compliance and drive up the quality of slavery and human trafficking statements produced by eligible companies.”  The Report acknowledges that when the MSA was introduced…

Yesterday, the Regional Court (Landgericht) of Dortmund dismissed the claims in Jabir and others v. KiK Textilien und Non-Food GmbH (Case No. 7 O 95/15) based on the statute of limitations.  The case concerned claims for personal injury and death brought by four Pakistani nationals against German retailer KiK Textilien and Non-Food GmbH (“KiK”) in relation to a fire in the Karachi factory of KiK’s supplier Ali Enterprises.  The case is noteworthy, as…