Human Rights in Business

Course Description

The course offers an overview and introduction to newly emerging regulations that regulate businesses and human rights in a globalized world. Based on concrete and relevant cases, the students will have opportunity to critically analyze and discuss the impact of human rights in the corporate sector. More particularly, the course will first focus on the general international human rights framework on the relation between business and human rights, examining legal (hard and soft-law) standards, (normative and remedial) mechanisms, challenges and developments including corporate social responsibility (CSR) within the United Nations and other regional institutions. It will then zoom in on specific themes of global pressing relevance such as corporate responsibility to protect and respect human rights, access to remedy, human rights due diligence and international soft-law standards. Finally, the course will discuss some emerging issues on BHR including climate change and BHR, gender perspectives and BHR, the role of NGOs in BHR and BHR in post-conflict processes.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will (be able to):

• Understand the historical, philosophical, and conceptual foundations of business specific human rights standards;

• Develop insights into the links between business practices and human rights, including corporate social responsibility (CSR) as defined by the UN and other international organizations;

• Identify and analyze the international framework of human rights in the CSR debate and understand how these extend to transnational and small-scale businesses;

• Gain a better understanding of the role that human rights play in the conduct of business in different societal and political contexts;

• Acquire an in-depth theoretical knowledge of a normative human rights framework in the corporate sector;

• Foster awareness of some of the contemporary challenges to human rights coming from business sector;

• Benefit from this course in their future career in State ministries, international nongovernmental organizations, international tribunals/courts and other similar institutions