Human Rights Due Diligence for Investors
Turn complex human rights risks into informed investment, escalation, and stewardship decisions.
Interactive workshops that help financial institutions develop confident advisors, standardize client conversations, reduce knowledge gaps, and measure learning outcomes.
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Live Instructor-Led Workshop
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Practical Investor Toolkit Included
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Up to 30 Participants
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Available in English & French
Starting at $4,000
Expert-led, vetted instructors
Time-efficient 60
minute format
Customized real-world
case study
Certificates of completion available
Practical
Frameworks investment teams can apply immediately
Customized to your
portfolio and priorities
Relevant
Interactive
Built around judgment, discussion, and decisions
This session is brought to you in partnership with Bankable Zero.
The Challenge
Human Rights Issues Are Becoming Investment Decisions
Human rights risks can affect operational continuity, supply chains, regulatory exposure, reputation, access to capital, and long-term enterprise value.
Yet identifying an issue is only the beginning.
Investment professionals must determine:
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Is the information credible and sufficient?
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How severe is the impact?
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Is the issue financially or strategically material?
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Does it require further investigation?
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Should it influence portfolio analysis?
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Is company engagement appropriate?
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Does it warrant escalation to an investment committee or board?
Many teams understand the importance of human rights but lack a consistent process for answering these questions.
Complex and Incomplete Data
Inconsistent Materiality Assessments
Unclear Escalation Thresholds
Gaps Between Policy and Investment Practice
Why This Matters Now
Investor Expectations Are Evolving
Human rights due diligence is increasingly reflected in international standards, regulatory developments, responsible investment practices, and stewardship expectations.
The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights provide the internationally recognized framework for preventing and addressing adverse human rights impacts connected to business activity.
The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct reinforce expectations that companies identify, prevent, mitigate, and address adverse impacts, including those related to human rights.
In Europe, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive has introduced formal requirements for certain companies to identify and address adverse human rights and environmental impacts across their operations and value chains. Its requirements and implementation timeline continue to evolve, making practical internal capability increasingly important.
Investor guidance also emphasizes the need to systematically identify and prioritize human rights risks across countries, sectors, companies, and portfolios.
Global Standards
UN Guiding Principles
The UN Guiding Principles establish the global framework for preventing and addressing business-related human rights impacts.
Source: UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Responsible Business Conduct
OECD Guidelines
The OECD Guidelines address human rights, labour rights, disclosure, environmental impacts, technology, and other areas relevant to responsible investment analysis.
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Regulatory Evolution
Corporate Due Diligence
Human rights and environmental due diligence requirements are evolving, particularly for companies operating in or connected to European markets and global value chains.
Source: European Commission
Investor Practice
Portfolio-Level Due Diligence
Responsible investment guidance increasingly encourages investors to identify, prioritize, prevent, mitigate, and monitor human rights impacts connected to their investments.
Source: Principles for Responsible Investment
Who It's For
Built for Investment and Governance Teams
Asset Managers
Asset Owners and Pension Funds
Portfolio Managers
Investment Analysts
ESG and Responsible Investment Teams
Stewardship and Engagement Teams
Investment Committee Members
Investment Consultants
Financial Institutions
Legal, Risk, and Compliance Teams
Learning Outcomes
WHAT PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN
After completing the workshop, participants will be able to:
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Explain how human rights issues can affect investment risk and long-term value.
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Identify actual and potential human rights risks across companies, industries, and value chains.
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Distinguish risks to people from financially material risks while understanding where they may intersect.
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Evaluate the credibility, relevance, and limitations of available information.
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Navigate key public data sources and human rights research tools.
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Prioritize issues based on severity, scale, scope, likelihood, and investment relevance.
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Determine when further research, company engagement, escalation, or monitoring may be appropriate.
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Apply a structured framework to portfolio reviews and investment scenarios.
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Communicate findings more effectively to investment committees, senior leadership, or boards.
Risk Identification
Identify What Matters
Recognize potential human rights risks across sectors, geographies, operations, supply chains, products, and business relationships.
Evidence and Materiality
Evaluate the Signal
Assess information from company disclosures, controversies, civil society reports, regulatory findings, media sources, benchmarks, and specialized data providers.
Escalation and Action
Decide What Happens Next
Determine whether an issue should be monitored, investigated further, raised with management, incorporated into valuation or portfolio analysis, or escalated internally.
What Participants Will Experience
Expert Insights
Understand how human rights expectations are evolving and what they mean for investment research, portfolio oversight, and stewardship.
Interactive Decision Lab
Work through a realistic investment scenario in which new human rights information emerges about a portfolio company.
Participants assess the evidence, discuss competing considerations, and decide:
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What additional information is required?
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How significant is the issue?
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Is it relevant to the investment thesis?
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Should the company be engaged?
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Should the matter be escalated?
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What should be documented and monitored?
Practical Frameworks
Leave with a structured approach that can support:
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Company and sector research
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Portfolio reviews
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Investment committee discussions
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Stewardship planning
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Engagement preparation
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Escalation decisions
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Ongoing monitoring
What's Included
Every Participant Receives
Human Rights Risk Identification Framework
A structured guide for identifying risks across industries, geographies, companies, supply chains, and business relationships.
Evidence and Data Source Guide
A practical reference to public disclosures, controversy research, benchmarks, civil society sources, regulatory information, and specialized tools.
Issue Assessment Framework
A decision aid for evaluating severity, scale, scope, likelihood, credibility, and potential investment relevance.
Escalation Decision Guide
A practical framework for deciding whether an issue requires monitoring, further investigation, engagement, internal escalation, or another response.
Investment Committee Discussion Guide
Prompts to help participants communicate the issue, evidence, uncertainties, potential implications, and recommended next steps.
Every Organization Receives
Customized Case Study
The scenario can be adapted to your organization’s portfolio, asset class, industry exposure, investment philosophy, or stewardship priorities.
Facilitated Executive Discussion
The workshop creates a structured environment in which investment, ESG, stewardship, risk, and legal professionals can compare perspectives and develop a more consistent approach.
Flexible Delivery
Offer the workshop as:
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A standalone executive session
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Multiple team cohorts
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An investment committee development session
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Part of a broader responsible investment learning pathway
A customized sector or stewardship program
Customize Your Workshop
Focus on the Risks Most Relevant to Your Organization
The foundational workshop can be customized around one of the following areas.
Human Rights Risks by Industry
Apply Due Diligence in a Specific Sector
Explore the human rights risks, evidence sources, and investment implications associated with a priority industry.
Available sector themes include:
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Mining and Critical Minerals
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Fashion and Apparel
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Agriculture and Food Systems
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Manufacturing and Global Supply Chains
Participants examine a realistic company scenario, assess the available evidence, and determine the appropriate investment or stewardship response.
Human Rights and AI Governance
Evaluate the Human Impact of AI Adoption
Explore emerging human rights risks associated with the development and use of artificial intelligence, including:
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Algorithmic discrimination and bias
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Privacy and surveillance
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Impacts on workers and employment
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Human oversight and accountability
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Access to remedy
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Responsible AI governance
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Disclosure and board oversight
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Emerging investor expectations
Participants assess whether an AI-related controversy or governance gap should influence investment analysis, engagement, or escalation.
Stewardship and Investor Engagement
Move from Risk Identification to Action
Develop a practical approach for incorporating human rights into stewardship activities, including:
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Setting engagement objectives
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Preparing questions for portfolio companies
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Evaluating company responses
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Assessing management and board oversight
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Monitoring commitments and progress
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Selecting escalation strategies
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Considering proxy voting implications
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Participating in collaborative engagement
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Determining when divestment should be considered
Practical Judgment, Not Passive Compliance Training
Why Organizations Choose This Workshop
Traditional human rights training often concentrates on definitions, frameworks, and regulatory requirements.
This workshop focuses on the decisions investment professionals must make when information is incomplete, perspectives differ, and there is no automatic answer.
Participants do not simply learn what human rights due diligence is. They practice how to:
Identify a meaningful issue
Evaluate competing evidence
Determine its importance
Connect it to investment analysis
Decide whether action is warranted
Explain their reasoning to decision-makers
Each session combines expert facilitation, practical tools, and a case discussion tailored to your organization.
Instructor
Berat Senyerli
Berat Senyerli is a strategic advisor helping investors and financial institutions integrate sustainability, human rights, and non-financial risk into investment decision-making.
Previously, he led the Responsible Investments Center at DWS Group, one of Europe's largest asset managers and a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank, where he helped oversee ESG and responsible investment strategies across nearly US$1 trillion in assets spanning active, passive, and alternative investments.
Today, Berat serves as an advisor to organizations on the new economy, decarbonization systems, responsible investment, sustainability strategy, and regulatory developments. He also advises C-level executives and contributes to United Nations and World Bank Group projects across different jurisdictions. He has been named twice as an Ambassador of the European Climate Pact by the European Commission. His expertise bridges global sustainability standards with practical investment processes, helping investment professionals evaluate human rights risks, materiality, stewardship, and due diligence within portfolio management.
United Nations ITC
Advisor to international investment projects
Ambassador
Served at Risk Management Committees and Worked as Subject Matter Experts in Human Rights matters at several investment funds
DWS Group
Policy and Risk Framework Expert at Investment Funds
Risk Management
Committee
Served at Risk Management Committees and Worked as Subject Matter Experts in Human Rights matters at several investment funds
Enterprise-Ready Delivery
Our live training is typically delivered securely through Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
In-person training is also available for organizations that prefer face-to-face learning. We can also deliver the workshop through your organization’s preferred virtual learning platform to meet your internal security, technology, accessibility, and compliance requirements.
How It Works
Workshop Details
STEP
1
Discovery and Priorities
Tell us about your audience, investment activities, portfolio exposure, and learning objectives.
STEP
2
Select Your Focus
Choose the foundational workshop or customize the session around an industry, AI governance, or stewardship and engagement.
STEP
3
Customize the Case
We adapt the scenario, discussion questions, and practical resources to your organization.
STEP
4
Deliver and Apply
Your team participates in the live decision lab and receives practical tools for continued application.
Build Human Rights Due Diligence Capability
Strengthen the Decisions Behind Your Policies
Equip your investment professionals with the frameworks and practical experience required to identify significant human rights risks, evaluate uncertain evidence, support better investment decisions, and strengthen stewardship practices.
Contact us to customize a workshop for your organization.
Build Capability Beyond a Single Workshop
Create a scalable learning pathway that helps teams develop a consistent approach to human rights due diligence across investment research, portfolio analysis, stewardship, risk oversight, and governance.
Available extensions include: