Business and Human Rights – could the UK adopt mandatory human rights due diligence?

On 28 November 2023, Baroness Young of Hornsey introduced the Commercial Organisations and Public Authorities Duty (Human Rights and Environment) Bill (the “Bill”) to the House of Lords.  If passed, the Bill would introduce mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence (“HREDD”) into UK law.

The description of “reasonable” HREDD set out in the Bill is consistent with the standards set out in the UN Guiding Principles and existing and draft legislation in other jurisdictions (including … Read the rest

Companies now have 10 business days to file changes to their corporate information

On 24 May 2023, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition published the Companies Amendment Regulations, 2023 (Amendment Regulations). The Amendment Regulations were drafted in consultation with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) to align the Companies Regulations with the General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing) Amendment Act, 2022 (General Laws Amendment Act). The General Laws Amendment Act amended four pieces of legislation, including the Companies Act, 2008 (Companies Act), in an effort to avoid or help overcome … Read the rest