BHR UNFILTERED

Rachel Cowburn-Walden, Lene Wendland, Andrea Shemberg

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Business
Semiweekly

An unfiltered take on key business and human right issues rachelcowburnwalden1.substack.com

4d ago

In conversation with Gerald Pachoud

Welcome to Season 2 of BHR Unfiltered, the podcast where Andrea Shemberg, Rachel Cowburn-Walden and Lene Wendland discuss and reflect on various aspects of Business and Human Rights. This season will feature a combination of interviews, responses to events, discussions of interesting developments and the occasional hot takes. We plan to drop an episode roughly once a month. We hope you will join us. In today’s episode are joined by Gerald Pachoud to discuss his recent essay entitled “Once Upon a Time, Multilateralism Worked. What Have We Done With It? We have invited Gerald to talk to us about the analysis and views expressed in the piece, an important part is to look critically at how the UNGPs have influenced the field over the past 15 years and some collective shortcomings from companies and BHR practitioners in how they have been implemented. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/once-upon-time-multilateralism-worked-what-have-we-done-pachoud-hih8f/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rachelcowburnwalden1.substack.com
Aug 3

Episode 10 - BHR Unfiltered

Need something light yet informative to listen to about BHR? BHR Unfiltered “Hot Takes” - Episode 10 has dropped. What are “Hot Takes”? Andrea reads your ideas, questions and critiques to Lene and Rachel and challenges us to respond in a flash (we didn’t always succeed…). You asked - we tried to answer. This is the final episode of BHR Unfiltered….Series 1. Yes, we decided to do another series! But for now, we’ve gathered your feedback and responded. We hope you have enjoyed listening to this as much as we have enjoyed making it. We will be back in a couple of months. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rachelcowburnwalden1.substack.com
Jul 23

BHR Unfiltered - Episode 9

In Episode 9 of BHR Unfiltered, Andrea, Lene and I discuss the role of the civil society sector in the BHR ecosystem. In previous episodes we have discussed the role of companies and of governments, but the UNGPs recognise the vital role that civil society plays in many different ways. But the roles and relationships and often challenging and present dilemmas both for CSOs themselves and for the companies who rely on them for input on human rights risks and stakeholder perspectives. We will be unpacking some of the dilemmas and explore how to address them. p.s - reminder to please keep ideas coming for episode 10 - our ‘hot takes’ summer episode special This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rachelcowburnwalden1.substack.com
Jul 9

BHR Unfiltered - Episode 8

Join Andrea, Lene and I as we take a step back and try to think creatively about the role of the State in the Business and Human Rights discussion. Have we been using all of our tools in the toolbox, or can we start to think more creatively about how to make a more rights respecting marketplace? Are we in danger of reducing the scope of Pillar 1 - that represents a consensus about the State's role in regulating the market regarding human rights? Join us as we try to grapple with these questions. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rachelcowburnwalden1.substack.com
Jun 26

BHR Unfiltered - Episode 7

Lene, Andrea and I try to unpack something that businesses really struggle with - responsible purchasing practices. When done right, a ‘win-win’ for supplier and buyer. But in today’s environment are we any closer to making sustained and mainstream progress on this? What does it take to move beyond engrained and cost-driven business models which not only pass on immediate risk and impact but also store it up for the future? So – responsible purchasing practices - the ‘holy grail’ of business and human rights? And whilst we have your attention, in episode 10 in a few weeks we will be responding to you! Got a burning question? an impulse? a challenge? - send it our way on Linked In and we may use it for our BHR Unfiltered- Hot Takes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rachelcowburnwalden1.substack.com
Jun 17

BHR Unfiltered - Episode 6

In episode 6 of BHR Unfiltered, Andrea, Rachel and Lene discuss what we can - or should - expect of companies and CEOs when it comes to advocacy for human rights and sustainability. Ever increasing expectation of companies and/or CEOs to take a stand on a variety of human rights related issues. Depending on the political agenda du jour, many companies have been out in front with visible and performative acts of support for or opposition against this and that– only to be caught out once the political winds change. But should we be surprised? Since the beginning of time, economic power has followed political power at any given time. Companies are important and oftentimes powerful societal actors. Instinctively it feels wrong that they just stay at the sidelines on some of the key issues facing the societies. But we have no reason assume that corporate advocacy will necessarily be on the side of human rights or broader societal interest. In the episode we unpack some of these dilemmas, and discuss how the UNGPs can provide companies (and stakeholders) with a framework to navigate taking a stand on issues linked to human rights– based on principled pragmatism and avoiding coming across as hypocritical weather wanes that bends according to the political winds of the day. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rachelcowburnwalden1.substack.com
Jun 3

BHR Unfiltered - Episode 5

Join us as Lene and Rachel try to help Andrea figure out approaches for how to have those hard conversations inside companies where there are risks of being involved in serious human rights abuses in conflict contexts. How do you get around internal blockages that are both human and structural? There is no magic formula, but the first step is to at least acknowledge that those internal blockages can exist, and building alliances internally may help identify pathways to get those human rights risks mentioned in a way that moves the company towards managing them. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rachelcowburnwalden1.substack.com
May 20

BHR Unfiltered - Episode 4

Join Andrea, Lene and Rachel as we discuss the what, the why and the how of collaboration versus competition. In this episode we air our views on whether businesses need more guidance or whether anti-trust law is just being used as an excuse. We ponder whether companies in the US have any hope of collaborating and, if what sector a business is in determines how likely they are to collaborate. We ask if how much human nature -and specifically a ‘business mind-set’ - is to blame for the reticence we sometime see. Ultimately, we ask whether this year could be the year when we see real movement towards a collaboration first mindset. And if not, what’s the real reason why and what can we do about it? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rachelcowburnwalden1.substack.com
May 6

BHR Unfiltered - Episode 3

The wait is over!! In episode 3 of BHR Unfiltered, Andrea, Rachel and Lene discuss why corporate governance in the BHR space is to often a barrier rather than an enabler to effective management of human rights risks. “Fixing the short circuit in corporate governance: What does it take?” covers the importance of States providing appropriate regulatory frameworks, having corporate human rights policies that actually reflects the company’s risk profile, how the “tone from the top” determines whether human rights is effectively embedded across relevant functions, and the challenges of getting the voices of affected stakeholders into the ears of boards and senior management. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rachelcowburnwalden1.substack.com
Apr 23

BHR UNFILTERED - Limited Edition - Episode 2

Andrea, Rachel and I have fun talking about the “smart mix” and the use of international law to regulate business and human rights issues. If you do not know us, we discuss our experience in episode one. Happy listening! The next episode on BHR and corporate governance will drop on 6 May. Let us know what you think This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rachelcowburnwalden1.substack.com

10 Episodes

An unfiltered take on key business and human right issues rachelcowburnwalden1.substack.com

Creator

Rachel Cowburn-Walden, Lene Wendland, Andrea Shemberg
Years Active

2026
Episodes

10
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Rachel Cowburn-Walden
Show Website

BHR UNFILTERED