Ulrich Hagel and Sabrina Kohn: Luxembourg: Voluntary National Pact on Business and Human Rights

An event in corporation with Max Planck Law.

About the Speakers:
As a partner at the law firm HWCL, Dr Ulrich Hagel advises companies, associations and public clients on all compliance issues and in the area of dispute resolution. He supports and advises on the establishment and further development of compliance and risk management systems, whistleblower systems and internal investigations. Ulrich acts as a neutral commercial mediator, conciliator and arbitrator in conflict resolution. He worked for over 25 years as a corporate lawyer and commercial project manager for a global market leader in the rail industry, for example as Chief Compliance & Security Officer, Head of Litigation, General Counsel Office (Legal Operations) and Contracts & Commercial Management Procurement. Ulrich is Chairman of the Board of the European Institute for Conflict Management (EUCON), and a member of the Human Rights and Export Control Working Groups of the German Institute for Compliance (DICO), Academic Co-Director of the certificate course ‘Human Rights Officer’ at ESCP Business School Berlin, and topic sponsor for ‘ESG’ of the trade journal ‘comply’ published by Bundesanzeiger Verlag.

Sabrina Kohn is a Senior Sustainability Advisor at the House of Sustainability of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, where she supports Luxembourg-based companies in their sustainable transition and promotes responsible business practices. Her areas of expertise include corporate sustainability, ESG strategy, sustainability reporting, decarbonisation, circular economy, and, in particular, business and human rights as well as a responsible value chain.

Since 2023, Sabrina has been coordinating the National Business and Human Rights Pact, in close collaboration with the Ambassador for Human Rights at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. She participates in dedicated working groups, led by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, as well as by the Ministry of the Economy. To support companies translating commitments into practice, Sabrina organises regular peer-learning sessions for Pact signatories, bringing together experts and company representatives to share experiences and good practices. She also contributes to the development of training programmes, guidance materials, and awareness-raising initiatives. Through her engagement with Luxembourg’s business community, Sabrina contributes to strengthening awareness of responsible business conduct and human rights due diligence as key elements of a sound risk management, stakeholder trust and long-term business resilience.

About the Topic:
While German and European companies express dissatisfaction, enterprises in Luxembourg engage voluntarily with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights across their value chain. Their initiative is organised under the Business and Human Rights Pact. Today, the Pact is jointly managed by the Chamber of Commerce through its House of Sustainability and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Cooperation, and Foreign Trade. It is part of Luxembourg’s National Action Plan on implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (NAP2). The Pact currently counts 114 organisations covering 146 entities.

This talk dives into the Business and Human Rights Pact in Luxembourg as a case study for legal mechanisms on corporate supply chain due diligence. It does so from the perspective of two practitioners involved in its implementation.

Companies are committed under the Business and Human Rights Pact to:

• raise awareness among their staff and stakeholders about the protection of human rights in business;
• appoint a person responsible for human rights within their organization;
• train relevant employees on business and human rights;
• develop governance tools to identify risks and prevent human rights violations;
• implement one or more grievance mechanisms to address reported cases of human rights violations; and
• publish a standardized report every two years on the measures implemented.

By signing the Pact, companies benefit from the following advantages:

• visibility as a signatory;
• support from the House of Sustainability of the Chamber of Commerce;
• sharing best practices with peers;
• training in business and human rights; and
• confidential feedback on their report from an external expert, which will allow them to commit to continuous improvement in terms of respecting human rights.

The virtual lecture will be held as a video conference via Zoom. Please register no later than Monday, 5 October 2026 using this LINK.

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