https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/events/mary-robinson-speaker-ser...
Less than two weeks to go!
Date & time: Thursday 11 September 2025, 0900 New York | 1000 São Paulo | 1400 London | 1600 Nairobi | 1830 Bangalore
The Resource Centre's annual Mary Robinson Speaker Series spotlights some of the most significant emerging issues within the business and human rights movement. It looks to advance the debate by bringing together people from business, investment, legislative and human rights communities, as well as voices speaking on behalf of those most impacted by egregious human rights abuse.
This year our focus falls on a topic that's not just a big issue for our movement, but is increasingly under the spotlight globally - accountability in Big Tech.
Tech companies occupy an increasingly dominant position in our societies, and their power, wealth and influence – from social media giants, to communications firms, to surveillance companies – are growing at pace. Widespread infringements on privacy, dissemination of hate speech and online violence, and undermining democratic processes in the face of rising authoritarianism are but a few of the failings of the sector.
A different future is possible. Tech can be deployed for public good: to enhance knowledge and democratic debate, to end drudgery at work and build shared prosperity through productivity gains. By ensuring responsiveness to the needs and lived realities of marginalised rightsholders - from frontline communities to displaced populations to workers - the sector can redeem itself. With robust regulation, good-faith compliance and adequate oversight, technology could bring people together and promote shared prosperity.
Our host, Mary Robinson, and keynote speaker, Kenyan litigator Mercy Mutemi will be joined by an expert panel of rightsholder, regulator, and private sector voices for this online event. Together, they will identify the urgent steps needed to arrest the ongoing deterioration of protections for people and democracy in the digital age, and will reflect on the opportunity to re-orientate the tech sector toward the public good. Focus will be on the role of smart regulation, spotlighting grassroots and frontline perspectives, and use of the Resource Centre evidence base to highlight both rising abuse (including of human rights defenders challenging corporate violations) and the opportunity for better practice.
Don't forget to register for this year's Mary Robinson Speaker Series event with the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre: Big Tech vs. the public good: how human rights can detoxify tech. It's online, free to attend, and we're excited to share our full panel below.
Tech companies occupy an increasingly dominant position in our societies. From social media giants to communications firms to surveillance companies, their power, wealth and influence is accelerating, often at the expense of privacy, equity and democracy.
But a different future is possible.
Tech can be made to serve the public good: to enhance knowledge and democratic debate, to end drudgery at work and build shared prosperity through productivity gains. With rights-respecting design, robust regulation, and real accountability, tech can work for everyone—not just the powerful few.
Our expert panel of rightsholder, regulator, and private sector voices will identify the urgent steps needed to arrest the ongoing deterioration of protections for people and democracy in the digital age, and will reflect on the opportunity to re-orient the tech sector toward the public good:
- Mary Robinson (Host) - Adjunct Professor for Climate Justice - Trinity College Dublin; member of The Elders; former President of Ireland (1990-1997); former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002); Co-founder - Project Dandelion
- Mercy Mutemi (Keynote Speaker) - Lawyer and human rights-in-tech architect; Managing Partner, Nzili & Sumbi Advocates; Team Co-Lead, The Oversight Lab Africa
Discussion Panel
- João Brant - Secretary of Digital Policies, Social Communication Secretariat - Presidency of Brazil
- Agnès Callamard - Secretary General, Amnesty International
- Juana Lee - Associate Director, Corporate Engagement, SHARE
- Jurgita Miseviciute - Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs, Proton
- Gayatri Khandhadai - Head of Accountable Technology, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
