Karin Buhmann, Copenhagen Business School - Responsible Investments in Arctic Mining: Implications of Chinese Policies
When: Tuesday, 30 October 2018 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm (ET)
Where: ARCUS D.C. Office - 1201 New York Avenue, NW, Fourth Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005 or online via live webinar

Abstract

A growing global market for generic minerals that are used in technical products for the ‘green’ energy transition and the electronic industry holds interesting potential for the Arctic. Developing prospects for the Arctic in general, this presentation takes Greenland as an example of an Arctic country which may offer alternative sources for minerals otherwise known as ‘conflict-minerals’. China’s electronic, solar power, and wind energy industries need certain generic minerals for production for the global market. Certain conflict-ridden countries are main sources of some of these minerals, which are known as ‘conflict minerals’ when their trade helps fuel armed conflicts. Commitment to fight conflict minerals have led the U.S. and the European Union to introduce requirements on importers and manufacturers to document efforts to avoid conflict-related supply chains. China has responded by developing guidelines for minerals supply chains and mining investment. The Chinese guidelines’ reference to the concept of risk-based due diligence is of particular relevance in this context. This concept was introduced by guidelines from the United Nations and elaborated in guidelines from the Organisation for Economic Collaboration and Development (OECD) as a company approach for identifying and managing its adverse impacts. The presentation will explain how it may complement Arctic host country policies and regulation on the prevention of adverse human rights impacts, and on stakeholder engagement in impact assessment for that purpose.

Speaker Details

Karin Buhmann is a Professor of Business & Human Rights at Copenhagen Business School (CBS), a Danish business university with a commitment to corporate sustainability. Her research and teaching focus on public regulations to connect business activity and public policy. Karin’s research has a strong focus on the interaction between public and private hard, soft, and smart-mix regulation; sources of norms; and their implementation in national and transnational contexts. Her Arctic-related research interests focus on potential beneficial as well as adverse social impacts of natural resource exploration and extraction and on citizen involvement in impact assessment processes. Since 2012 Karin has served as one of the members of the Danish National Contact Point under the Organisations for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. She is the deputy representative at the University of the Arctic (UArctic) for CBS, and the lead and a founding member of the UArctic Thematic Network (TN) on Arctic Sustainable Resources and Social Responsibility. She has published widely in international journals and edited volumes. During the fall of 2018 she is a visiting Scholar at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.