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Herbert Smith Freehills' lawyer, Sylvia Schenk, has been appointed member of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association's (FIFA) newly created Human Rights Advisory Board.

Sylvia has been appointed to the Board as a representative of Transparency International, the global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption, where she is Chair of the Working Group Sport in Germany.

The role of the Human Rights Advisory Board is to provide FIFA with independent advice on the implementation of its human rights-related responsibilities according to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, including its policy commitments, due diligence processes, and processes for remediation.

The Board has been set up for an initial period of two years. It comprises eight experts on human and labour rights to support FIFA in its statutory commitment to respect all internationally recognised human rights. The members represent different stakeholder groups, including international organisations, trade unions, civil society organisations, and FIFA sponsors.

Commenting on her appointment, Sylvia says:

"To implement the UN Guiding Principles in the world of sport is a great initiative and I look forward to advising FIFA on all aspects of this work. I am also aware of the importance of this role and the challenges we face."

Having Sylvia as a member of FIFA's Human Rights Advisory Board, underlines Herbert Smith Freehills' commitment to respect internationally recognised human rights. In November 2016, Herbert Smith Freehills became a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest global corporate sustainability initiative. This commits the firm to support and implement the ten principles of the Global Compact on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.

For more information, please visit our Business and Human Rights hub.