AI Around the Globe: What to Know in 2024
Impact of environmental, social and governance agenda on tax
Suzanne Folsom & Christopher Burnham on Private Sector Lessons
On 12 December 2024, the Regulation (EU) 2024/3015 on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 (the Regulation) was published in the European Union (EU) Official...more
Badged as “The Finance COP”, the UN Climate Change Conference in Baku (COP29) has drawn mixed reactions to its climate finance deal. However, the recognition of the role for both the private sector and multilateral agencies...more
Even for the unpredictable world of business and human rights, 2024 was particularly volatile, including for sustainability more generally. The European Union’s (EU) Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)...more
The 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) ended at 2:40 am local time in Baku, Azerbaijan on Saturday, with the nations involved finally reaching agreement to provide...more
During his 2024 presidential campaign, President-elect Donald Trump promised to impose a variety of new tariffs, even without congressional approval, including a 25%-75% tariff rate on Mexican imports, a 60% tariff rate on...more
We are pleased to share the November 2024 issue of Wilson Sonsini's Sustainability and ESG Advisory Practice Update. Each issue combines news, key legal developments, and resources related to sustainability and environmental,...more
Designed for busy in-house counsel, compliance professionals, and anti-corruption lawyers, this newsletter summarizes some of the most important international anti-corruption law and enforcement developments from the past...more
The imminent decision by the European Union to postpone for a year its complex and multi‑faceted sustainability law, the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), is something of a surprise. The EUDR requires, among other things, due...more
The 29th Conference of the Parties (“COP29”) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (“UNFCC”) is set to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024. This is the first in a series of posts BCLP’s...more
U.S. Fintech and Crypto Companies Continue Crypto Product Launches - According to recent reports, a major U.S. fintech and payments company has launched support for USDC payments, enabling U.S. businesses to accept USDC on...more
On August 7, 2024, after three years of negotiation, the United Nation’s Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal...more
In the quest for a sustainable future, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent goalposts, albeit lofty ones, that countries can aim for. These 17 interconnected goals address pressing global...more
The executive order signed by United States President Joseph Biden in February 2024 states that the violence being committed by Israeli settlers has reached intolerable levels; poses a serious threat to peace, security, and...more
The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has commenced this week in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and will run through December 12, 2023. The UAE is...more
Microsoft is one of the world’s leading technology companies. Its products and technologies are in offices, classrooms, and homes. Additionally, governments use them to help conduct vital public services. Microsoft is also...more
ESG is understood to be an acronym for “environmental, social and governance,” but the term can be challenging because it’s used to describe similar but distinct communities of practice, including corporate social...more
After 25 years of negotiations, 196 parties adopted the “Paris Agreement” at the UN Climate Change Conference in December 2015. Since then, all (but one) signatories have ratified the treaty and committed to work towards the...more
The explosion of global business and human rights continued to resonate across the globe in 2022. Some of the business and human rights trends have been evident and growing for several years; others are relatively new. Many...more
On Friday, April 22, the United States and the rest of the world will recognize Earth Day 2022. With “Invest in Our Planet” as its theme, Earth Day 2022 focuses additional attention on Environmental, Social, and Governance...more
Crypto Payment Initiatives Announced in Stablecoins, Lightning Network, Mining - Late last week, the issuer of USD Coin (USDC) announced that it had selected a major U.S. bank as a primary custodian for USDC reserves....more
As an industry that accounts for approximately 38% of all emissions globally, the construction community will continue to focus its efforts on reducing emissions, such as by building with less waste, reusing materials,...more
In our previous post, we highlighted a number of global goals and campaigns aimed at addressing climate change. In this post, we examine climate change-oriented policies and initiatives that are being adopted by many...more
The Russian Federation has taken its first steps towards implementing global sustainable development principles by adopting the Decree of the Russian Government No. 1587 dated 21 September 2021 "On approving criteria for...more
Key Takeaways: •The recently released IPCC Report shows irreversible harm to the global ecosystem. •Fund managers focused on ESG criteria will have an increased focus on environmentally conscious companies and substantial...more
In order to provide an overview for busy in-house counsel and compliance professionals, we summarize below some of the most important international anti-corruption developments from the past month, with links to primary...more