Business, Rights, Action, Values, Ethics - BRAVE 2025
First Council of Europe Business and Human Rights Forum
21 October 2025 
Strasbourg
The Council of Europe Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law has been increasingly active in the area of business and human rights with a view to highlighting the relevant Council of Europe standards and expertise to support corporate human rights compliance, as well as safeguarding the corporate rights enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights and other Council of Europe benchmarking instruments.
To this end, on 21 October 2025, the Council of Europe First Business and Human Rights Forum – BRAVE 2025 brought together policy makers and corporate world to explore avenues for further cooperation in this area.
BRAVE 2025: takeaways from business representatives.
BRAVE 2025: The way forward.
Agenda
09:30 - 10:00
Registration and coffee
10:00 - 10:15
Opening remarks
- Remarks by Mr Alain Berset, Secretary General, Council of Europe
- Remarks by Ms Srbuhi Galyan, Minister of Justice of Armenia
- Remarks by Ms Lyra Jakulevičienė, member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights
Moderator: Mr Gianluca Esposito, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe
10:15 - 10:30
Presentation of the Report on Human Rights and Business
- Speaker: Mr Nicola Bonucci, International Legal Expert
Moderator: Mr Gianluca Esposito, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe
10:30 - 11:00
Council of Europe Initiatives
- AI and Human Rights: Digital Partnerships
Speaker: Ms Hanne Juncher, Director, Directorate of Security, Integrity and Rule of Law, Council of Europe - Rule of Law and Business Compliance (Execution, HELP, CEPEJ etc.)
Speaker: Ms Clare Ovey, Director, Directorate of Human Rights, Council of Europe - Social Rights Compliance and Environmental Compliance
Speaker: Mr Henrik Kristensen, Head of Department / Executive Secretary of the European Committee of Social Rights, Council of Europe
Moderator: Mr Tigran Karapetyan, Head of Division, Transversal Challenges and Multilateral Projects Task Force, Department for the Implementation of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation Standards, Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe
11:00 - 11:30
Business Perspectives on Human Rights Compliance
- Integrating Human Rights into Business Practices
Speaker: Ms Iris Van der Veken, Executive Director & Secretary General, Watch and Jewellery Initiative 2030 - Corporate HRDD as an asset to businesses
Speaker: Mr Jeffery McMillan, Managing Director of Brand, Marketing & Communications, PwC Central and Eastern Europe - Integrating HRDD into practice: the Google example
Speaker: Mr Bahaa El-Taweal, Global Policy Lead, Google’s Human Rights Team - Corporate Responsibility and Economic Performance
Speaker: Ms Tanja Faller, Director Technical Assessment & Monitoring, Council of Europe Development Bank
Moderator: Ms Katarina Nedeljkovic, Advisor to the Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe
11:30 - 12:00
Panel Discussion: Fostering Partnerships
- Panelists: Speakers from the previous sessions
- Audience Q&A
Moderator: Mr Gianluca Esposito, Director General, Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe
12:00 - 14:30
Networking Buffet Lunch
Hosted by the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe
Further reading
21 October 2025
Human Rights and Competitiveness – Reframing the business case for human rights
The conventional narrative around the business case for human rights often frames it as a win–win scenario for both companies and society. However, this expert report – prepared at the request of the Council of Europe – offers a more nuanced perspective. It explores the risks and opportunities businesses face when engaging with human rights, particularly in light of emerging human rights due diligence legislation and international and domestic case law.
Nicola Bonucci presents the report "Human Rights and Competitiveness – Reframing the business case for human rights" during the First Council of Europe Business and Human Rights Forum (BRAVE) on 21 October 2025.
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