ESG (Environmental, social and governance)
Here, you will find links to reports, guides, articles, podcasts, webinars, films and more on environment, social and governance (ESG) and related areas from across the IBA. You may wish to use the general IBA website ‘search’ function above to help you find additional ESG-related content.
This is a first step in the context of the IBA plans regarding the Environment, Social and Governance movement, which is one of the five presidential priorities for the term 2023-2024
Almudena Arpón de Mendívil Aldama
IBA President
Soundbites from the 2024 IBA ESG Conference
Short on time? Listen to soundbites from our conversations with expert panellists at the 2024 ESG Conference below.
Listen: Sarah Fitts - Seasoned transaction lawyer, with emphasis on energy and infrastructure.
Listen: Christopher Stephens - Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the World Bank Group.
Listen: John Sherman - Chair of the Advisory Committee of the Hoffman Center for Business Ethics at Bentley University
Listen: Senator Doug Jones - American attorney and former U.S. senator for Alabama, where he served from 2017 to 2021.
Digital Content
Committee Content
Podcasts
IBA Podcasts
The ESG and sustainability landscape
| 29 March 2023
Climate crisis and the law: the rise of climate litigation
| 03 November 2022
Film
LPD Showcase: Mitigating climate risks
This showcase panel focused on the growing intersection between the climate change and ESG movements.
SPPI Showcase: business and rule of law
This showcase session focused on how UN SDG #16 provides a golden thread that runs through the IBA’s activity.
ESG standards in Latin America
The Securities Law Committee has produced a video analysing the state of affairs for ESG standards in Latin America.
Reports and Resources
Report on use of ESG contractual obligations and related disputes
The IBA Arbitration Committee's ESG Subcommittee, with the assistance of the IBA Business Human Rights Committee, studied the role of arbitration in resolving contractual ESG disputes. The Subcommittee conducted desk research, surveyed in-house counsel and compliance staff, and held roundtable discussions to understand the use of ESG clauses and the appropriateness of arbitration for dispute resolution.
The report concludes that arbitration is likely to play a role in resolving ESG disputes in business-to-business contracts and investment treaties. Arbitration's consensual nature and its inclusion in many investment treaties make it a suitable forum for addressing ESG concerns. The report also discusses the types of ESG obligations found in contracts and investment treaties and how they may play a role in dispute resolution.
The IBA Law Firm Management Committee has prepared this ESG Toolkit to help members understand the scope and importance of ESG.