Engaging with Big Business: Seeking Accountability for the Human Rights Impacts of Corporate Activities

This is a course organized by Dejusticia to explore the use of tools ranging from international treaties to direct negotiations, campaigns, and advocacy  to advance human rights protections and promote corporate accountability for human rights. The course, in a distance learning format, combines theory, practice, and strategies for implementing human rights protections in the context of business activities. It seeks to bring together participants from different sectors, including business, academia, civil society, public officials, and the media.

The course offers an introduction to key concepts and emerging jurisprudence in the field of Business and Human Rights (BHR). It will address topics such as the international normative and legal framework for BHR and will provide an overview of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, their impact nearly a decade after their adoption,and  institutional mechanisms for their implementation. Building on the foundations of business and human rights, the course also allows participants to  conduct case study simulations and negotiations,  as well as to explore the broader spectrum of tools to implement human rights protections in the context of business activities.

Furthermore, the course takes place in an unprecedented context where the business and human rights framework becomes critical for the  recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants will have the opportunity to propose innovative responses to meet the challenges of the global crisis and demand that companies and States comply with human rights standards. Likewise, the course will  emphasize the legal and social impacts of data collection and analysis in crises, such as the global COVID-19 pandemic, allowing participants to discover  and apply practical tools in technology, privacy, and digital security.

Throughout the course, participants will  develop an understanding of the main international instruments which outline the protection of, respect for, and remediation of human rights. Participants will also be exposed to the range of practical tools available to governments and companies to ensure respect for human rights. The course is also designed to contribute to the development and implementation of skills such as effective negotiation, international advocacy, and networking.

Global South and Global North practitioners will interact with participants and present them with  theoretical and practical tools, as well as with skills they can use to protect human rights in the business context and to remedy any human rights violations that may occur. 

Keynote speakers

Rodrigo Uprimny Yepes (Colombia. Dejusticia; UN Committee on ESCR)

Soledad García Muñoz (Spain. IACHR; Special Rapporteur on ESCR)

Dante Pesce (Chile,Centro Vincular- United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights)

Fernanda Hopenhaym ( Uruguay/México. PODER; Co-Executive Director)

Camilo Sanchez*( Colombia, Dejusticia-Transitional Justice)

Charity Ryerson*(EE.UU, Corporate Accountability Lab) 

Instructors

Joanne Bauer ((Rights CoLab)

Brenna Powell (Stanford)

Agustina Pérez (UNLPam) 

Vivian Newman (Dejusticia- Director)

Diana Guzman (Dejusticia – Assistant Director)

Diana Guarnizo (Dejusticia – Economic Justice)

Johnattan Garcia (Dejusticia – Economic Justice)

Sebastián Rubiano (Dejusticia – Environmental Justice)

Juan Carlos Upegui (Dejusticia – Technology, Transparency and Human Rights)

Daniel Ospina (Dejusticia – Technology, Transparency, and Human Rights)

Celso Bessa (Dejusticia- Technology, Transparency, and Human Rights)

Victor Práxedes (Dejusticia- Technology, Transparency, and Human Rights)

Pablo Gómez Pinilla (Dejusticia-Transitional Justice) 

Aaron Acosta (Dejusticia-Transitional Justice)

This course is open to social activists and leaders with experience or interest in business and human rights as well as to  law students, graduate students in areas related to human rights, and public servants, judges, and other professionals interested in business and human rights.

Prior knowledge about business and human rights is helpful but not required. Experience in human rights, international advocacy or activism in related contexts, such as environmental activism, anti-corruption, etc., is welcomed.

To apply, those interested should send a completed application form and résumé (2 pages maximum) in PDF format to [email protected].

The deadline for submitting applications for this course is October 7th, 2020.

The tuition fee for this course is US$ 520 per participant. The fee covers registration and materials. A limited number of scholarships are available for tuition.

Scholarships are available to cover the cost of tuition. Scholarship applicants should submit an essay explaining their  need for financial assistance. The scholarships will be directed primarily to individuals from the Global South (Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, or the Middle East) with experience in social activism or community work.

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