RightsCon Tunis 2019

This session will explore the roles and responsibilities of investors in ensuring corporate respect for human rights in the ICT sector with the goal of identifying opportunities for civil society to engage with and mobilize investor leverage to press ICT companies on human rights and maximize collective impact. The session will be framed around the Investor Alliance for Human Rights' (IAHR) campaign to promote respect for human rights in the ICT sector. In particular, we will explore the responsibility of investors to ensure that portfolio companies respect human rights; introduce investor tools and strategies for holding companies accountable for human rights abuses; and identify opportunity for right-holders and civil society to engage with investors on the human rights impacts of ICT companies. Through a discussion of standards, investor strategies, and practical examples of investor-CSO collaboration, including the IAHR's campaign on ICT, the panel comprised of investors and CSOs will highlight the importance of investor-civil society engagement to achieve our shared goals, and explore how the IAHR can be a platform for participants to engage investors in their efforts to promote respect for human rights in the ICT sector.