Having distinguished himself in his endeavour in Nigeria and abroad, the deputy vice-chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Ekiti State, Prof. Damilola Olawuyi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has been appointed by the president of the United Nations Human Rights Council to serve on the UN working group on business and human rights as an independent expert.
The consumate energy lawyer begins a six-year mandate as Africa’s representative on this prestigious body, a position that was recently occupied by the former attorney-general of Kenya, Mr. Githu Muigai.
The appointment was made at the just-concluded 50th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, established in 2011 through UN Resolution 17/4.
The working group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, which is also referred to as the working group on Business and Human Rights, comprises five accomplished independent experts drawn from different regions of the world. The body has the mandate to promote the effective and comprehensive dissemination and implementation of the UN guiding principles on business and human rights through country visits, capacity-building and dialogue with governments and all relevant actors, especially business enterprises.
Olawuyi, a scholar with expertise in petroleum, mining, energy, environment, business, human rights and public international law, has published over 150 articles, book chapters and books on all aspects of sustainable development in the extractive industries.
He has served as a consultant to the UN, the World Bank, and the UK’s Department for International Development, among others. He is global vice-chair of the International Law Association (ILA), vice-president of the Nigerian branch of the ILA, and a member of the International Bar Association’s academic advisory group on energy, environment, and natural resources.
Olawuyi has delivered lectures on energy law in over 40 countries in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
In 2019, he received the Herbert Smith Freehills visiting professorship at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Also, he holds the UNESCO chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar.
On his appointment, Olawuyi said: “It is a privilege and an honour to have been appointed to serve on this important working group.
“The obligations of business enterprises in all sectors to respect, protect, and fulfill fundamental human rights across their entire business operations and value chain have become well entrenched in international law.
“Our group has the key mandate of assisting business enterprises in implementing this obligation, while also working with national authorities to develop national legislation, action plans, and safeguards to hold defaulting entities to account.
“I look forward to contributing my best to this important task. I thank the president of the UN Human Rights Council for having confidence in me and I look forward to working with other members of the group to advance the important work of deepening a culture of human rights in business activities and investments worldwide.”
For over 11 years, the group has played an active role in informing the UN Human Rights Council on the possible liability of transnational corporations and other business enterprises for human and people’s rights violations in key sectors, especially oil and gas, and solid minerals development.
Culled from The Sun
