Promoting Innovation in Business and Human Rights Education

Teaching Business and Human Rights Workshop
Wednesday, June 7, 2017

The Teaching Business and Human Rights Forum held its annual workshop at Columbia University May 22 - 23, 2017.

Contributors shared the many innovative ways they are teaching business and human rights, from experiential learning to scenario-based courses. Employers described the business and human rights (BHR) mix of hard and soft skills their organizations need. Experts from civil society, business consulting and the media addressed the need for a business and human rights reset in the era of Trump. Three professors described how they are tackling the human rights implications of “big data” in their teaching and research. Participants examined strategies for teaching future advocates as well as the products of new initiatives – the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark and other corporate responsibility ranking projects and the reports of the OECD Working Party for Responsible Business Conduct – as teaching resources. Workshop materials, presentations and handouts can be accessed via this link.

The Teaching BHR Forum is a growing community of teachers shaping the study and practice of business and human rights. As of 2016, the Forum consists of over 280 professors or trainers in more than 180 institutions, in 32 countries. The Forum, supported jointly by the Institute for the Study of Human Rights and Columbia Law School's Human Rights Institute, seeks to promote and strengthen business and human rights education by fostering collaboration among its members. 

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