Business and the Rule of Law
Research and survey data shows the importance of the Rule of Law for businesses, for whom issues such as legality, transparency and access to justice are vital principles to reduce the cost of doing business and mitigate risks. On the other hand, some business practices can also undermine the Rule of Law.
The Bingham Centre's business and sustainable development programmes have jointly implemented a number of projects and organised several events which seek to better understand the role of business in fostering the SDGs and the Rule of Law. Below is a snapshot of our most recent activities:
- 6th World Justice Forum (April 2019), The Hague. As a co-producing partner, and with the support of Jones Day, the Bingham Centre convened two sessions entitled 1) "Building the case: why business need to be part of the movement towards global access to justice" ; and 2) "What can business do to advance access to justice and the Rule of Law? " - both links provide access to a summary of each session.
- The role of the private sector in fostering peace, justice, and strong institutions, 2 May 2018, London - Jones Day. A conference summary is available here .
- The Fifth Annual Bingham Lecture: 'The Rule of Law and the Sustainable Development Goals: The Role of Business', 10 July 2018, Jones Day. Irene Khan, Director General of the International Development Law Organization and former Secretary General of Amnesty International was the keynote speaker. Michael Stopford, Managing Director of Oxford Analytica, provided a response. The event was chaired by The Right Hon the Baroness Hale of Richmond DBE, President of The Supreme Court