UC Davis Law and Jindal Global Law School Conference: Law and Sustainable Development WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND WHAT IS ITS RELATIONSHIP TO LAW? The most frequently used definition of sustainable development is from Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report: Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs. Law plays a critical role in the achievement of sustainable development. During this one-day conference, scholars from a variety of fields including corporate law, intellectual property, human rights and environmental law will come together to discuss the role of law - including soft law, hard law and governance structures - in achieving and implementing sustainable development. 9:15 - 9:30A.M. Introductions 9:30 - 10:30A.M. | Panel 1: Sustainability and the Transformation of Corporate Law Globally, corporate law has begun to grapple seriously with sustainability. Moving away from a voluntary corporate social responsibility model, there is a new momentum for sustainability or sustainable development where social, environmental and economic agendas play a central role in corporate decision-making. Civil society groups are scrutinizing companies more than before, and using a variety of legal tools to seek to hold companies accountable. Governments too are encouraging or even imposing sustainability requirements on companies. In response, multinationals and other large corporations are devoting significant resources and time to address sustainability issues. Despite the increased focus on sustainability, achieving a common consensus on sustainability goals and strategies continues to face significant challenges. Globally the approach of governments, companies and advocates to advance sustainability has been fragmented. This panel explores the various approaches to achieving sustainability, the role of corporate law and finance in developing a sustainability framework, and the legal mechanisms and actors needed to advance sustainability goals. UC Davis Law Moderator & Panelist: Tom Joo, Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law (Moderator) Afra Afsharipour, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor of Law and Martin Luther King Jr. Hall Research Scholar Jindal Panelist: Amit Lahiri, Chief Sustainability Officer, Jindal Global University Other Faculty: Amelia Miazad, Director and Senior Research Fellow, Business in Society Institute Lecturer, UC Berkeley School of Law