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This two-day intermediate level course is designed to strengthen the JUST element of the energy transformation and provide professionals that work in the field with information and tools to understand and address human rights impacts, challenges and opportunities related to the energy transition. Through cases and exercises, the participants will discuss human rights impacts on the value chain of renewable energy projects (including sourcing of critical minerals) and learn practical ways to operationalise the corporate responsibility to respect human rights as established in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The course includes an overview of the regulatory landscape related to business and human rights, with focus on the energy transition, as well as reflects on gender dimensions of the energy transition and the and impacts on indigenous rights and environmental defenders. Finally, the participants will learn on principles and methodologies to ensure the identification and assessment of human rights risks and impacts and how to apply a human rights-based approach for a meaningful engagement with workers and vulnerable community groups during impact assessment phases and due diligence.
Level: Intermediate
Prerequisites: Some knowledge or experience in developing, commissioning, or reviewing impact assessment or due diligence of renewable energy projects value chain. Basic knowledge of human rights would be an advantage but is not required. Professionals and students with knowledge of human rights but no previous experience in energy projects can also participate.
Language: English
Duration: 2 days (22-23 April)
Min/Max: 10-25
Price: US $480
Instructor(s):
Gabriela Factor, Chief Adviser, Human Rights, Tech and Business, Danish Institute for Human Rights (Denmark)
Cathrine Bloch Veiberg, Chief Adviser, Human Rights, Tech and Business, Danish Institute for Human Rights (Denmark)
Tulika Bansal, Consultant on Business and Human Rights
Gabriela Factor
Gabriela Factor is a Chief Adviser leading the work on the energy transition and human rights at the Danish Institute for Human Rights. She has over 20 years of working experience in international projects in Latin America, South East Asia, Africa and the Arctic, with special focus on energy and extractives.
Gabriela has provided numerous training courses and developed capacity building programs on diverse areas of impact assessment and management, gender, and human rights for, among others World Bank, EIB, IADB, DANIDA, FINIDA, SIDA, ECOWAS and UNDP, as well as civil society and indigenous groups. Her training experience also includes co-development and training of in person and online courses with the University of Groningen and Strathclyde lead by the consulting company CIG. She is an active IAIA member and was trainers of the IAIA courses: “Ecosystem Services in Impact Assessment” in IAIA 2013; “Social Impact Assessment and Management in Spanish” in IAIA 2014, “Human Rights and Impact Assessment” at the 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022 IAIA conferences and “Social and Health lmpact Assessment and Management in Spanish” during the special symposium in Panama.
Gabriela has a MSc in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark and holds qualifications on gender, resettlement and health impact assessment. Before DIHR, she was a senior consultant at Community Insights Group and SWECO.
Cathrine Bloch Veiberg
Cathrine Bloch Veiberg is Chief Adviser on business and human rights at the Danish Institute for Human Rights and has been with the Institute since 2010. Cathrine leads DIHR work on responsible value chain related activities, which aims at supporting and promoting the human rights due diligence of business, investors, and state actors when engaging in economic activities (such as procurement of investments) throughout their global value chain. Cathrine has been involved in conducting impact assessments with companies and in methodology development, she has also led on the development of guidance on human rights impact assessment for the digital business activities.
Cathrine is also an experienced speaker and is regularly invited to share on her work at various conferences and events. She has also organised and executed several training sessions and workshops on various aspects of her work based on specific sector experience on energy, tech, fashion and textile, shipping and public procurement). As an example, Cathrine is currently co-facilitating the roll-out of the human rights accelerator programme of the UN Global Compact, which includes facilitating 3 full day trainings for companies on human rights due diligence.
Tulika Bansal
Tulika Bansal works as a Human Rights and Business Consultant. In this role she works with NGOs, community-based organisations, coalitions, UN agencies, government agencies, NHRIs, academia, consultancies, think tanks, private sector actors and other stakeholders to research, investigate, promote and build capacity on human rights in the context of business activities.
Tulika has led and carried out over 20 country-level and sectoral human rights impact assessments (HRIA) in Africa, Eurasia and Asia. Together with UNICEF she developed the ‘Children’s Rights in Impact Assessments’ Tool. Her geographic expertise is global, but has extensive experience conducting HRIAs in Asia (Myanmar, Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia, China, Sri Lanka) and Latin America; including Mexico and sector-wide impact assessments in Chiile and Honduras.
Tulika previously worked as a researcher on labor rights for the Dutch Trade Union Confederation (FNV Mondiaal) in the Netherlands and as a researcher and trainer for NGOs based in Thailand, India as well as for the World Food Programme in Madagascar. Tulika is a guest lecturer on Children’s Rights and Business at the Youth Law department of Leiden University, the Netherlands. She is an experienced speaker, is regularly invited to share on her work at various conferences and events, and has developed several training programs for private sector and Civil society on different aspects of human rights.