Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights’ Post

The Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights just released a case study on transparency in the diamond sector because advancing human rights in business requires real-world examples that inspire leaders and educate future decision-makers. 💎 This case study highlights HB Antwerp’s bold commitment to radical transparency in the diamond sector. By cutting and polishing diamonds locally in Botswana, HB is breaking with tradition, creating jobs, and driving sustainable development. 👉 Read the full case study below. Congratulations to authors, Dorothee Baumann-Pauly & Justine Nolan

Former European University Institute President Yves Mény has just published an interesting review of two major works on European integration and transnational governance: "Politics and Social Visions" by Maurizio Ferrera (Università degli Studi di Milano) and "Constitutionalism and Transnational Governance Failures" by Ernst Ulrich Petersmann (European University Institute) and Armin Steinbach (HEC Paris). Notwithstanding their diverse methodologies, the books explain why EU social policies remain necessary and are increasingly practised in order to politically stabilise what Article 2 of the Lisbon Treaty describes as a ‘European society’ in which human rights, rule of law and democracy prevail. 👀 Read more here ⬇ https://loom.ly/m49Z0Mc  

Last Monday, I had the privilege of attending a Special Lecture by H.E. Mr. Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at the iconic National and Contemporary University of Athens. The lecture, titled ‘The Centrality of Human Rights in the Current Context’, delved into the profound challenges and responsibilities we face today in safeguarding human dignity worldwide. Here are some key takeaways: 🔑 The Historical Evolution of Human Rights Professor Sophia Papanoannou emphasised how human rights have evolved from natural law theories (e.g., Hugo Grotius) to modern frameworks like the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She highlighted the importance of understanding the linguistic, moral, and legal shifts in how we interpret rights across time. ⚖️ Human Rights Beyond the Law Professor Konstantinos Christopoulou discussed the interdisciplinary nature of human rights, underlining that they transcend legal definitions and intersect with philosophy, sociology, and economics. He called for stronger partnerships between global institutions to ensure human rights are integrated into sustainable development efforts. 🌏 The Universal Nature of Human Rights Mr. Volker Turk closed the session with a powerful reminder of the universality of human rights, especially in the face of rising authoritarianism, climate change, and geopolitical conflicts. He stressed that human rights are not a luxury but a fundamental framework for ensuring sustainable development and justice. He also debunked myths that human rights are a Western concept or an imposition on the Global South, affirming that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created through consensus by all nations. 🌱 Call to Action for Future Leaders Mr. Turk inspired the audience, especially students and legal professionals, to take action in promoting social justice and human rights. He emphasized that “all of us have a responsibility” to combat inequality and uphold the principles of human dignity. It was an eye-opening and motivating session, reminding us all of the critical role we play in upholding human rights in our societies and globally. 🌍💪 https://lnkd.in/eUj9vSFV #HumanRights #UN #VolkerTurk #GlobalJustice #Athens #Leadership #Sustainability #LegalReform #SocialJustice

🔵 Is Democracy, as a political system, being transformed through the latest technological evolutions? Are we experiencing new forms of participation and civic expression? Are mainstream politics over? 🔵 A breakthrough Summit on Democracy, Technology, and Participation is coming on Tuesday, 23/4/2024, at the University of Cyprus. 🔵 Global leaders, political analysts, civic activists, technology experts, and a group of researchers coming together, supported by the Center for Social Innovation - CSI #InnovationForAll #Democracy #NewPolitics #EmergingTechnologies

The 2025 International Conference on Human Rights: Youth in Asia (ICHR) is currently accepting abstract submissions. The 2025 ICHR is co-organized by Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP) Tokyo, East Asia Young Scholars Association (EAYSA), and the Graduate Program on Human Security (HSP) and Research Center for Sustainable Peace (RCSP), The University of Tokyo. The conference will be held in a hybrid format in Tokyo, Japan, from March 20-22, 2025. The 2025 ICHR seeks to offer an international, intergeneration, and inclusive opportunity for young scholars to engage with human rights issues in the contemporary world. The thematic structure of the 2025 International Conference on Human Rights: Youth in Asia is composed of the areas: (a) Contemporary Society, and (b) Democracy and Autocracy. This conference is free and open to the public. Presenters and participants are not required to pay for registration fees. For more on the conference and on how to submit an abstract, please click here: https://lnkd.in/gGDFiRrf

Please share in your network of relevant experts this very interesting opportunity for a team of consultants to conduct the end evaluation of the FAIR for ALL programme. The programme aims at an end evaluation approach that is inclusive, following feminist and decolonial principles. Deadline for submitting proposals is Sunday 19 January 2025. The maximum budget for the evaluation is set on € 210,000 Euro (exclusive of VAT). Final End Evaluation report should be ready for approval by January 2026.  The full ToR for this assignment -with all necessary details- is attached to this post. Background: FAIR for ALL’s strategic objective is “A strengthened civil society which is capable of creating space and mobilizing people across geographies to demand and contribute to more inclusive and sustainable trade and value chains that respect human rights, protect the environment and promote women’s economic empowerment”. The programme is implemented in 17 countries/regions by a consortium of 4 organisations: Oxfam Novib, Huairou Commission, Third World Network Africa and SOMO. FAIR for ALL has a budget of over 70 million euro, runs from January 2021 until December 2025, and is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Any questions, remarks or requests for clarification can be sent to Valérie Bey, Commissioning Manager for the final evaluation, valerie.bey@oxfamnovib.nl, before Sunday 12 January 2025, 23:59 hours CET. Please read the full ToR before sending any question, and note that any question submitted between 23 December 2024 and 6 January 2025 will only be answered from 7 January 2025.

I am glad to share our latest publication in APRI - Africa Policy Research Institute as part of their BRICS thought leadership series in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg: “BRICS and the Human Rights conundrum”, co-authored with Apostle J. Kourbeles. This piece analyses the current BRICS members’ standing on human rights. While BRICS has enormous potential as an international organisation with great appeal to rising nations, our analysis of the commitments of the current and new members to human rights helps to explore whether BRICS could help in achieving inclusive and peaceful international cooperation. https://lnkd.in/g6gK6aqX

International Political Science Association (IPSA) has extended the CFP deadline until November 12. Don't second guess yourself any more! Just submit your closed panel or paper proposals today. What do you need? At your end, you need an idea you are working on and maybe 1-2 paragraphs telling us what your paper will do. (Remember RC07 is the Women and Politics in the Global South committee, look at the topics listed in the graphic, see if yours fits and submit to us!) Once you have that written, go to wc2025.ipsa.org, make an account (free) and follow the very clear 'Submit' instructions. Mark our track if you work on gender and politics (including development, law, human rights, peace and security). If you are a little more senior, or have a great network of fellow graduate students, form a closed panel and submit that. Also easy to follow those instructions, I promise! Finally, IPSA does offer travel grants but they are competitive. Let that not deter you at this stage. Especially if you are based in Asia, you should take this opportunity to submit a proposal to the Congress in Seoul. The next Congress may be quite far away and expensive to reach.

On 2 Oct 14:30-16:00 at the Transforming Knowledge for Africa’s Future UNESCO Forum at the AU headquarters; our session “Decolonising the training of the next generation of African researchers” took place. #actionresearch #communitybasedresearch

📬 ITUC December Newsletter! The outcomes of the General Council will shape the ITUC's work in 2025. Under the campaign “#ForDemocracy that Delivers”, we’ll focus on: 🔶 #FairTaxation 🔶 Climate change & #JustTransition 🔶 #Peace & common security 🔶 Fair rules for #InternationalTrade ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle will bring these priorities to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, highlighting the need for: 🔷 #Democracy, equality, and workers' rights 🔷 Economic growth that uplifts people 🔷 Investments that strengthen society Thank you for standing with the global labour movement in 2024. Let’s build a stronger, fairer future together in 2025! 🗞️ Read our newsletter: EN: https://lnkd.in/dHG2-yEz FR: https://lnkd.in/dD7XbyP6 ES: https://lnkd.in/d4giZ9-n