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PhD student Lara Blecher organises event on stakeholder engagement.
14 January 2025
Lara Blecher, PhD candidate at UCL Laws and member of the Global Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism, organised a panel on stakeholder engagement that took place on 14 January 2025. The event, titled ‘Stakeholder Engagement: Its Importance for Rights Holders and Business’, explored legal and practice gaps in the field of business engagement with rightsholders.
Blecher spoke to her recently released UCL policy brief on why mining companies and investors should engage with rightsholders. She noted that stakeholder engagement can help to mitigate a company’s financial risks, while upholding human rights and reinforcing democratic values.
The panel was chaired by Professor Ugljesa Grusic, UCL Professor of Private International Law and legal advisor to the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights.
Dr Allison Lindner, member of the UN Special Rapporteur on Right to Development’s Academic Circle, focused on the challenges of identifying and engaging with stakeholders within the informal economy. Dr Diana Salazar from UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture discussed her work with affected rightsholders through the London Mining Network. Finally, Mr Roger Featherstone, a rightsholder affected by BHP and Rio Tinto’s Resolution Copper project in Arizona, shared his own extensive experience of direct engagement with companies and investors.