The series features keynote speakers from the ESG: the Brussels Effect at a crossroads conference
The International Bar Association’s Legal Policy & Research Unit has debuted a podcast series featuring keynote speakers from the ESG: the Brussels Effect at a crossroads conference held in June.
The series currently has conversations held with Willem van de Voorde, special envoy for climate and environment, ministry for foreign affairs, foreign trade and development cooperation, Belgium; Pascal Durand, former elected member of the European Parliament/rapporteur on the European Union Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive; and Damilola S Olawuyi, professor and UNESCO chair on environmental law and sustainable development, Hamad Bin Khalifa University/independent expert, United Nations working group on business and human rights.
van de Voorde touched on the confluence of the rising impact of climate change with the current challenges faced by politicians in the EU and beyond, per the IBA.
“We as diplomats or politicians are sometimes a little bit aloof and far away from the working ground where decisions are discussed in boardrooms, where the investment decisions have to be taken, where the contracts have to be prepared and concluded. That is the area where the lawyers operate, and I think that awareness of the broader political context in which these everyday decisions are being taken is key for lawyers,” van de Voorde said in a statement.
Durand stressed the need for “reasonable discussions” on environmental, social, and human rights regulation.
“It’s a bad time for the environment and human rights in the political sector, because we have no debate: it's ideological, and it's not easy. I hope that for the market, for the lawyers, for undertakings in general, it will not be the same. We need reasonable discussion. We need interaction between all stakeholders,” Durand said.
Olawuyi outlined the role lawyers played in mainstreaming sustainable finance and clean technology practices.
“One key question for many businesses is the issue of financing: ‘we know what ESG means, but how do we even get the resources?’ So perhaps there’s a need to think of innovative blended financing that will enable clients to gain access to international facilities that can help them to increase their investments in ESG,” Olawuyi said. “Lawyers can also clarify the role of clean technology entrepreneurship: how can countries develop supportive laws and incentives that can enhance homegrown technology development, rather than relying on technology imports from other parts of the world?”
Upcoming podcast episodes will feature the following:
- Naa Atswei Koney, ESG lawyer and strategist, Ernst & Young West Africa
- Paola Fonseca, senior corporate counsel, Sphera
- Steven Richman, chair, IBA Bar Issues Commission and Clark Hill member
- Mariana Herrero, senior vice chair, IBA Water Law Committee and Galicia Abogados partner
- Lauren Boccardi, senior attorney for Impact Investing, The Nature Conservancy
“Despite political headwinds and regulatory divergence across jurisdictions, our discussions in Paris revealed a shared yet tempered optimism across the globe and a continued resolve to shape meaningful ESG frameworks,” said John Vellone, 2025 ESG Conference planning committee chair, in a statement.
