Department of Management, Society and Communication

The BHRights Initiative: Introduction

An organically growing interdisciplinary group, The BHRights Initiative provides an academic identity to participants with a commitment to Business and Human Rights (BHR).

The BHRights Initiative was established in March 2014 in Copenhagen as a direct outcome of an Exploratory Workshop funded by the European Science Foundation (ESF).

The BHRights Initiative (or, short, ‘BHRights’) is an interdisciplinary academic network on research and teaching of business and human rights (BHR). We are specialized in human rights, sustainability or CSR and between us represent a range of social science disciplines, including law, management and organizational studies, economics, and  business ethics.

From the outset, the objective of BHRights has been to foster interdisciplinary academic work in the field of Business & Human Rights. This objective is dual: we want to promote research as well as teaching. We approach teaching and research on BHR as inherently interconnected.

Research on the interdisciplinary perspectives of human rights and business can feed into teaching to promote human rights awareness and responsible practices among companies and other economic actors and their stakeholders in relation to business related human rights impact. These practices in turn provide the basis for enhanced research on business related impact on human rights that may feed into teaching. We aim to fulfil these objectives through a range of activities and projects. While some are more related to teaching and others to research, the overall idea is mutual enrichment between research and teaching on BHR. This duality is closely related to the tradition of research-based academic teaching that is strong in Europe and elsewhere.

Through its members and activities, BHRights collaborates with several networks and organisations, including the UN Working Group on Business & Human Rights , the Teaching Business and Human Rights Forum, the PRME Working Group on Business & Human Rights, National Human Rights Institutions, and the Academic Network for the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises.

We have a broad network of contacts with business enterprises and civil society organisations with an interest in managing Business & Human Rights and promoting the understanding, respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights through the role and activities of public and private actors.

The BHRights Initiative’s members are typically scholars at higher educational institutions or research institutions. Membership is based on individual commitment, insights and willingness to make an effort for the initiative. We strive to have our membership base broadly cover the several disciplines that work with issues of Human Rights and Business.

The BHRights Initiative is led by Professor of Business & Human Rights, Karin Buhmann (Copenhagen Business School).