Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance, the Institute for Human Rights and Business and the CDC Group hosted an event on the afternoon of Thursday 9 December 2021 to celebrate Human Rights Day and to mark the launch of our "Just Transactions" White Paper exploring the relevance and implications of the just transition for the banking sector.

COP26 brings renewed focus on efforts to meet the climate challenge and limit global warming. Alongside climate pledges and action, addressing the social impacts of the transition to net zero is essential to reaching this goal. Our "Just Transactions" paper examines the role of banks in the just transition with a particular focus on their lending operations, and the challenges and opportunities that the just transition brings.

The discussions included:

• Welcome and opening remarks from Jeroen Ouwehand, Senior Partner of Clifford Chance;
• Keynote address from Mary Robinson, Patron of IHRB;
• A fireside chat on human rights outcomes from COP26 between John Morrison, CEO of IHRB and Nick Robins, Professor in Practice – Sustainable Finance of the Grantham Research Institute;
• The launch of the Just Transactions White Paper with a panel of speakers involved in its development and Q&A about its findings.