News

On October 28, Tracktwo and partners organised a one-day workshop in Beijing to support sharing of good practices, tools and lessons learned regarding corporate responsibility in the era of the UN Guiding Principles. Chinese state-owned and private enterprises attended the workshop, as well as multinational companies operating in China but headquartered outside the country. Representatives of Global Compact Network China, Peking University International Law Institute, Guanghua School of Management, Global Business Initiative on Human Rights, Institute for Human Rights and Business and Tracktwo gave opening remarks and presentations. Speakers also included representatives from China Minmetals Corporation, CITIC Construction, CPI Yunnan, General Electric Company (GE), Hitachi, H&M, Huawei, Motorola Mobility, Nestlé and Sinosteel Corporation, who shared experiences from diverse industry sectors and geographies. The workshop comprised a welcome and orientation session, a morning session on social license and the evolution of business and human rights principles, and an afternoon session focused on approaches to assessing and managing diverse human rights impacts related to workplace, supply chain, community and customers.

Oct 8-10, Tracktwo delivered a series of interactive training sessions on corporate social responsibility to a group of senior representatives of Chinese state-owned enterprises in Beijing. The sessions were part of the Sino-Swedish Training Programme on Corporate Social Responsibility for Central State-owned Enterprises jointly organised by the CSR Centre of the Embassy of Sweden and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC). The training programme consists of two modules; with the first module in Beijing and the second module in Sweden on 13–21 October. The focus of the programme is to learn how leading Swedish companies are integrating sustainable strategies into their daily business operations. In Beijing, Tracktwo delivered training sessions on CSR, stakeholder engagement, environment and human rights. This week in Stockholm, we will focus on materiality analysis, anti-corruption and management related challenges. 17 Chinese companies participate in the training programme, including China North Industries Group Corporation, China Southern Power Grid, China Power Investment Corporation, China Telecommunications Corporation, China Electronics Corporation, Baosteel Group, China National Building Materials Group and Sinosteel. Read more about the programme here and on the Swedish Embassy’s website.

The report on our project supporting learning and dialogue with Chinese firms and
TNCs on Business and Human Rights is finally out! Download the report and read more about the project here and visit the website of our partner the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights for more information and downloading options.

Tracktwo’s Managing Director appointed Senior Adviser at The Institute for Human Rights and Business.

Welcoming her and two other new colleagues, IHRB Executive Director John Morrison said:

”We are thrilled to have these three outstanding individuals with long experience in the fields of development, human rights and responsible business joining the IHRB team. Their expertise will be vital in taking our work in key regions to the next level by delivering programmes that can contribute to real change on the ground. They will play critical roles in advancing IHRB’s work to improve the performance of all actors working to foster smart government policies and responsible business practices around the world.”

Visit the IHRB website here.

Almedalen Week in Sweden

During the first week of July, Tracktwo was in Almedalen for the annual, Swedish week-long politics festival. This was the second year Tracktwo participated in the “China Day” in Almedalen and – like last year – it was a big success with interesting discussions and a crowded room all day. Malin Oud moderated several panels in this full day event on China and China’s impact on Sweden. Read about Almedalen here: http://www.almedalsveckan.info/6910 and about the China Day here (in Swedish): http://www.kinadagen.se/

Europe China Research and Advice Network (ECRAN) Event in Brussels

Tracktwo’s Managing Director Malin Oud gave a presentation on human rights, rule of law and the new reform agenda at the ECRAN Annual Conference on China’s Sustainable Growth & its Relationship with the EU on 18 June. The event convened 16 China experts from across Europe to discuss EU-China related matters to an audience of over 100 participants. Check out all the presentations at the event here: http://www.euecran.eu/_blog/ECRAN_-_Past_Events/post/chinas-sustainable-growth-its-relationship-with-the-eu/

Seminar on Socially Responsible Public Procurement

On 24-25 March, Tracktwo and Delphi law firm held a seminar on human rights and socially responsible public procurement for The Swedish Association of Public Purchasers. Public procurement represents more than 80% of global exports and nearly 20% of European GDP, and totals around 650 billion/year in Sweden – an important leverage to stimulate and award responsible and sustainable business practices.

Stockholm China Forum in Shanghai

On February 21-22 Malin Oud participated in the Stockholm China Forum in Shanghai. Read about the Stockholm China Forum here: http://www.gmfus.org/programs/asia/stockholm-china-forum/

Panel on Sustainable Business and Human Rights at Mannheimer Swartling

On 5 March 2014, Malin Oud participated in a panel on Business & Human Rights at Mannheimer Swartling law firm, together with Sandra Atler (independent consultant), Marie Baumgarts (Tele2), Sara Nordbrand (Church of Sweden) and Thomas Lagerqvist (Mannheimer Swartling).