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Global Business & Human Rights

Our Global Business & Human Rights blog features nuanced discussion regarding the responsibilities of multinational companies, governments and multilateral institutions towards sustainability, with a particular focus on international human rights.

The Impacts of Forced Labor Prevention on U.S. Trade Policy: Trends for 2026
Blog March 26, 2026
The Impacts of Forced Labor Prevention on U.S. Trade Policy: Trends for 2026
…
Cuts to a Little-Known U.S. Agency Undermine the Global Fight Against Forced Labor
Blog December 01, 2025
Cuts to a Little-Known U.S. Agency Undermine the Global Fight Against Forced Labor
For several decades, the United States has strengthened its efforts to stringently enforce anti-trafficking statutes at home with practical partnerships to prevent forced labor abroad…
As Governments Push Back on Corporate Human Rights Responsibilities, Influential Stakeholders Push Forward
Blog April 28, 2025
As Governments Push Back on Corporate Human Rights Responsibilities, Influential Stakeholders Push Forward
In a blog article before the November 2024 election, our GBHR Practice discussed how the pushback on ESG will not stop the tide towards higher human rights standards for companies…
New E.U. Law Advances Global Efforts to Eradicate Forced Labor in Supply Chains
Blog June 26, 2024
New E.U. Law Advances Global Efforts to Eradicate Forced Labor in Supply Chains
On April 23, 2024, the European Parliament adopted, by an overwhelming 555-6 majority, a landmark law that will establish a sweeping and forceful regulatory regime to prohibit any products made using forced labor from being sold (including online) within, imported into, or exported from the E.U. market…
House Bill Proposes to End Funding for State Department Programs Involved with Forced Labor in China
Blog April 08, 2024
House Bill Proposes to End Funding for State Department Programs Involved with Forced Labor in China
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a new measure, H.R. 4039, which would prohibit any funding for programs within the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development that involve materials or products with linkages to forced labor abuse of Chinese minority communities in the Xinjiang region…
Australia's Two Modern Slavery Acts
Blog August 31, 2020
Australia's Two Modern Slavery Acts
The Australian Government has launched an online register that publishes companies' statements on their compliance with the country's Federal Modern Slavery Act of 2018. The website, which is searchable and available to the public, marks the first government-run website tracking companies' compliance with efforts to eradicate modern slavery. Unlike comparable legislation passed recently in other jurisdictions, including the U.K. Modern Slavery Act of 2015, Australia's Act makes reporting……
As the United States Targets China's Human Rights Abuses, Companies Should Prepare for Stricter Due Diligence on Forced Labor
Blog July 20, 2020
As the United States Targets China's Human Rights Abuses, Companies Should Prepare for Stricter Due Diligence on Forced Labor
As the United States seeks to take more forceful action punishing China for its escalating human rights abuses against Muslim ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang autonomous region and the citizens of Hong Kong, international businesses whose supply chains intersect with China should be prepared for new legislation and regulatory enforcement that could result in penalties. Companies will need to take additional steps to ensure their due diligence processes account for potential human rights……
Toward a Credible and Universal Concept of Rights: How Racial Injustice in America Affects U.S. Human Rights Practices Abroad
Blog June 26, 2020
Toward a Credible and Universal Concept of Rights: How Racial Injustice in America Affects U.S. Human Rights Practices Abroad
The Murder of George Floyd on May 25th by a white Minneapolis police officer did not happen in a vacuum. It was not an aberration in an “otherwise functioning” justice system. Countless black men and women in America have suffered similar fates at the hands of a criminal justice apparatus that often sees black people as material threats before seeing them as human. Floyd's death is just the most recent symptom implicating a justice system in the United States that many experts and……
COVID-19 and Global Human Rights: Shifting Priorities for Governments, Civil Society, and Companies
Blog April 16, 2020
COVID-19 and Global Human Rights: Shifting Priorities for Governments, Civil Society, and Companies
The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most significant global public health crises since the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-20. The spread of the Coronavirus through every continent and major metropolis has led to unprecedented policy responses from governments both large and small. As a result, the human rights community is more closely scrutinizing the impact of these responses, while many company operations are more likely to overlap with the pandemic and evolving government policy in some……
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ABOUT

Foley Hoag’s Global Business and Human Rights practice provides counsel to multinational companies, governments, and multilateral institutions regarding social, political, and environmental challenges.

Our advice to clients encompasses legal and reputational risk management with respect to human rights, including labor rights and the rights of indigenous peoples; the design and implementation of stakeholder engagement programs; and professional auditing services, ranging from due diligence desk-top analyses to on-the-ground human rights impact assessments and the monitoring of social, human rights, and environmental initiatives.

In addition, we provide clients with crisis management and mediation services with respect to disputes with impacted communities and stakeholder groups, ranging from indigenous peoples to non-governmental organizations.

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