Contractual Assurance and Model Clauses for Human Rights Due Diligence

Event Details

Contractual mechanisms are important tools for embedding HREDD responsibilities across complex global supply networks. Under the proposed changes to the EU CSDDD, introduced by the 'Omnibus package', companies will be required to 'seek contractual assurances' that their direct business partners will 'ensure compliance with the company's code of conduct by establishing corresponding contractual assurances from [their own] business partners.'

Model contract clauses are tools developed to support companies' HREDD processes, including on cooperation, stakeholder engagement, information sharing, responsible purchasing practices, internal grievance mechanisms, and human rights remediation. The first version of the European Model Clauses (EMCs 1.0), a set of contractual tools that align with the CSDDD and international HREDD standards, is expected to be published in the autumn 2025. The EMCs build on the foundation laid by the 2021 Model Contract Clauses (MCCs 2.0), developed primarily for US-based companies within the US legal framework.

The HRDD Forum has, over the years (in 2021 and 2023), explored the evolving role of contractual provisions in human rights due diligence. This HRDD Forum roundtable will focus on the legal requirements and practical application of contractual assurance under the CSDDD and explore how model contract clauses can be effectively used to implement HREDD across supply chains.

Chair

Dr. Irene Pietropaoli, Director of HRDD Forum, BIICL

Speakers

• Daniel Schönfelder, Responsible Contracting Project
• Martijn Scheltema, Pels Rijcken

  
Registration

This is a closed event, open only to members of the BIICL HRDD Forum.