GSI Seminar Series - Natalia Szablewska 'Rethinking Business and Human Rights: A Multispecies Perspective'

Join the GSI for a guest seminar with Natalia Szablewska on business, human rights and multispecies justice.

Abstract

This talk will explore the evolving field of business and human rights through the lens of multispecies justice, examining how this perspective can inform the regulation of corporate action that impacts both human and nonhuman actors across global supply chains, labour practices and environmental governance. Drawing on legal and ethical frameworks—including the business and human rights agenda and emerging multispecies justice perspectives—I will consider practical regulatory approaches that can mitigate harm to both human communities and the more-than-human world.Particular attention will be given to the role of technology and AI in shaping corporate practices, highlighting opportunities to integrate multispecies justice into AI regulation and corporate due diligence mechanisms (see UNWGBHR submission).

BIO

Natalia Szablewska is Professor in Law and Society in the Faculty of Business and Law at The Open University (UK) and Chair of the Business and Human Rights (BHR) Committee for Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) in Australia. An expert in international human rights (law) and access to justice, her research focuses on BHR, corporate accountability and social behaviour change. She has contributed to key legal and policy developments, including drafting legislation on modern slavery and human trafficking. Her recent work explores the implications of corporate practices for multispecies justice, focusing on the development and deployment of emerging technologies in the BHR landscape. She has advised governments, international organisations and NGOs, and regularly engages with media and public discourse on these issues.