Verdiana Morreale (PhD in Sustainable Development and Climate Change, IUSS Pavia) will be the speaker of the talk “Business and Human Rights: the struggle of human rights and environmental defenders for a sustainable development” that will take place on the 22nd of May 2023 at 4.00pm CET.
While multinational companies develop meta-level policies to address grand sustainability challenges and chief executive officers (CEOs) are increasingly showing their social activism, the concrete hard work of defending communities’ rights and the environment from business exploitation is often left to individuals such as human rights defenders (hereafter defenders) who lack power and whose advocacy attracts severe risks.
The seminar aims to delve into the intricate relationship between economic developments and their impact on indigenous communities, with a focus on the case of Berta Cáceres and the Agua Zarca Dam project in Honduras. Cáceres, an influential leader of the Indigenous Lenca people, tragically lost her life while opposing the construction of the dam.
The seminar will question the role of CEOs and corporations in addressing conflicts with human ad environmental defenders. The investigation will delve into the conditions that motivate CEOs to take actions that mitigate the potential harmful impacts of their companies on affected communities.
The event will take place at the University of Florence, School of Economics and Management.
Download the event flyer here.
