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1 SEPTEMBER 2018 RÉTTUR - AÐALSTEINSSON & PARTNER’S COMMUNICATION ON PROGRESS TO THE UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL COMPACT Réttur Aðalsteinsson & Partner’s fourth annual report on the implementation of the United Nations ten global compact principles and sustainable development goals. INTRODUCTION As a responsible global citizen, Réttur has long been committed to environmentally, economically and socially sustainable practices. During the last 12 months, we remained dedicated and focused in our efforts to advance on our sustainable initiatives and the implementation of United Nation’s ten global compact principles, which are deeply embedded in our culture and business operations. We are therefore pleased to contribute our fourth communication on progress, highlighting some of the most positive steps taken during the reporting period in furtherance of our sustainability goals. WHO WE ARE Réttur traces its origins back to 1969 when Ragnar Aðalsteinsson, one of Iceland’s leading attorneys started his private practice in Reykjavík. Today, Ragnar’s partners at Réttur include; Supreme Court Attorneys Sigríður Rut Júlíusdóttir, Sigurður Örn Hilmarsson as well as District Court Attorneys, Sigrún Ingibjörg Gísladóttir, Kári Hólmar Ragnarsson and Friðrik Ársælsson. Réttur is internationally recognized for professionalism and the highest quality legal services and is ranked as a top-tier firm by The Legal 500. Réttur is also ranked by Creditinfo in 2017 as one of Iceland’s leading companies in terms of its strength and stability. In addition, Réttur received during the reporting period an award for excellence from the Icelandic Financial News (Icel. Viðsiptablaðið) and Keldan. The Keldan award is granted to only 2% of Icelandic companies that fulfil the strict conditions by Icelandic Financial News and Keldan to qualify as Excellent in Iceland. WHAT WE DO AND WHO WE HELP Our attorneys have extensive experience in litigation and have worked on complex cases in numerous areas of law. The firm remains true to the philosophy Ragnar Adalsteinsson, the firm’s senior partner, started with; giving members of the public a fair chance to pursue their rights. We therefore work for companies and individuals alike. Our main areas of expertise include; human rights law, immigration and refugee law litigation, copyright law, constitutional law, property rights law, insolvency law, tort law, competition law, company law and contract law. For decades Réttur has worked in close cooperation with our highly knowledgeable counterparts in Scandinavia, the UK, Germany and the United States to provide our 2 clients with appropriate advice regarding their legal situation in the respective country or region. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Company Name Réttur- Aðalsteinsson & Partners ehf. Address Klapparstígur 25-27, 101 Reykjavík. Telephone/website +354-511-1206/ www.rettur.is Number of Employees 12 3 ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT Réttur has been a participant of the United Nations Global Compact since 2014. Réttur is reporting according to the UN Global Compact “GC Active level” and describes herein how it implements the United Nations ten global compact principles and sustainable development goals. This document furthermore includes a letter from our CEO and Senior Partner, Ragnar Aðalsteinsson, Supreme Court Attorney, reaffirming our continued support for the United Nations Global Compact ten principles and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “As a global citizen, Réttur - Aðalsteinsson & Partners firmly believes that advancing on our sustainability practices is essential to our growth and longevity. We have therefore taken various steps throughout the reporting period, 2017-2018, with the aim to further integrate the ten principles of the UN Global Compact into our business strategy, culture and operations.” Yours sincerely, Ragnar Aðalsteinsson Senior Partner, CEO Réttur - Aðalsteinsson & Partners 4 IMPLEMENTING THE TEN PRINCIPLES INTO STRATEGIES AND OPERATIONS I. HUMAN RIGHTS- PRINCIPLES 1 AND 2 - Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights - Make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuse - Measurement of Outcome As a leading law firm in the practice of human rights law in Iceland, we pride ourselves in the supporting, respecting and protecting human rights for all persons. We are honoured to play a vital role in the advancement and the respect for human rights for all, both within our own organisation and the community at large. Recognising that the very nature of our operation is guided by the respect for human rights, we continued throughout the reporting period to proudly demonstrate our support and demand for the highest human rights standards and remained non-complicit with human rights abuse by utilizing every resource at our disposal. In advancement of these objectives, we continued throughout the period to improve our efforts to integrate and disseminate the global compact principles and its sustainable goals in all areas of our operations and business strategy. In so doing, we placed significant focus on the enhancement of our best practices regarding how we contribute to the development of the best human rights standards in Iceland, regionally and internationally. Our main method of execution is through continued, respect for the relevant laws and regulations governing human rights in Iceland, advocating for legislative and policy changes affecting human rights, encouragement and support for the active participation of our employees in all initiatives aimed at maintaining and enhancing knowledge in the field. For each action, we measure the outcome, by identifying areas of success and areas for improvement. A. Highlights from our main activities during 2017-2018 i. Réttur’s efforts to improve human rights legislation and policies The Icelandic government has long been criticised, by human rights bodies, including by the European Commission Against Racism & Intolerance ECRI in its 2017 report, for not having a comprehensive non-discrimination legislation. Réttur has throughout the 5 years, including during the reporting period, advocated for and raised the attention of the Icelandic government to the importance of implementing two key pieces of legislation on non- discrimination, i.e. Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin and Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation. At Parliamentary inaugural ceremony hosted by the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association on 14 December 2017, one of our team members delivered an address to ministers of parliament emphasizing the need for the implementation of the aforementioned Directives. On 11 June 2018, the Icelandic parliament, Althing, passed legislation implementing the aforementioned directives (Act no 85/2018 and Act no 86/2018), which are aimed at improving the human rights situation of all persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin and ensure for them equal treatment in employment and occupation. Following the 28 October 2017 general elections in Iceland, the new coalition government formed by the Left-Green Movement, Independent Party and the Progressive Party. On 30 November 2017, the government introduced in its manifesto, the government’s policy and focus on human rights and equality, stating that “the government places emphasis on gender equality”. While Réttur remains fully supportive of the government’s agenda on gender equality, we also believe in equality for all. Guided by those beliefs, we use every opportunity, inside and outside the courtroom, including engaging in public discourse on non-discrimination reiterate that stance. ii. Immigrant issues and the Metoo movement During the height of the MeToo campaign, our teammates engaged in direct and indirect dialogue with the government, highlighting the need for policy reform, which entails a broader approach to addressing equality issues in Iceland, given the vulnerable position of other groups, including but not limited to women of foreign origin. During the MeToo campaign, women of foreign origin revealed extreme levels of sexual harassment and violence toward them, within their homes and workplace. Our teammates took active role in the public discourse, appearing on several news medias, including the national media, and took active part in events, including the One Billion Rising Event hosted by Un Women and delivered address alongside First Lady of Iceland, Ms Eliza Reid, with the aim of shedding light on equality situation of women 6 of foreign origin. The Prime Minister on 28 January 2018 made a public declaration that she would review the situation of immigrant women by placing it as an item on the agenda of the New Council of Ministers for Gender Equality. During the local government elections in Reykjavík in spring of 2018, one of our teammates was elected the spokeswoman for immigration issues on behalf of candidates of the Independence Party. On 6 June 2018, we were received a grant from the Immigrant Development Fund to conduct a research on the, “The Equal treatment of immigrants on the labour market: Possibilities for employment within the public sector as qualified professionals “. We anticipate the conclusion and publishing of our findings in 2019. iii. Continued cooperation with the Icelandic Bar Association During the reporting period, Réttur continued to encourage and fully support
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