On 21 November 2016, Andrea Shemberg, co-lead of the Investment & Human Rights Project (IHR Project), spoke at the event “Responsible Business” at Chatham House. The event brought together government representatives, civil society, business leaders and academia to discuss key questions on the responsible business agenda.
One of these questions is the emerging opposition to trade and investment agreements such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TTP). In addressing this question, Andrea argued that this opposition needs to be understood as a wider legitimacy crisis spurred by deep disappointments and frustrations about the ability of governance structures to regulate transnational private sector activities in a way that ensures that these activities deliver on their promises of improved prosperity, standards of living and improved enjoyment of human rights for all. She argued that this understanding should be the starting point for rethinking the whole architecture of practices, rules and institutions that promote, finance, support and regulate international investment. Ensuring responsible investment should be at the heart of efforts for investment policymakers worldwide.
