Note: This course is also offered as part of the Professional Development Diploma on Sustainable Development and Human Rights.
Course Description
This certificate course offered by the Human Rights Center of the University for Peace will provide participants with a comprehensive outlook on the interface between business, development, and human rights. Business corporations have always been, some may argue even before the advent of the nation-state system, important drivers of economic growth. At the same time, businesses have also often been accused of engaging in activities which may lead to violations of human rights of different stakeholders. This has enabled strong critiques of their role in the overall development process. This e-learning course will critically examine this business-development-human rights nexus with a particular focus on case studies from around the world. Several questions such as the human rights obligations of businesses, the manner in which human rights are affected by businesses including during armed conflicts, the specific linkages with the right to environment and labour rights and the ever elusive solution for accountability will be examined. We will also look at the idea of corporate social responsibility within the right to development debate. A major part of the course will be devoted to an analysis of the successes and challenges of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which were endorsed by the Human Rights Council of UN in 2011. Participants will also learn the tools for conducting human rights and stakeholder identification and designing due diligence policies.
The course is based on a dynamic pedagogy including reading materials, video clips, case studies, and interactive webinars with the instructor.
Course Outline
- Week 1: Human rights obligations of businesses as non-state actors
- Week 2: Business, human rights, and armed conflicts
- Week 3: Business and social issues: the environment and labour standards
- Week 4: The sustainable development nexus: business, corporate social responsibility and human rights
- Week 5: The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
- Week 6: Practical tools for ensuring corporate responsibility to respect human rights
Who Should Apply
The course is intended for staff members of (inter) governmental and civil society organisations involved in investment, trade and business related social issues, corporate social responsibility practitioners, practitioners in the field of development, business leaders, trade unionists, academics and others interested in the human rights performance of companies. Candidates should have a good written command of English and have high competence and comfort with computer and Internet use.
About the Instructor
Dr Mihir Kanade is the Academic Coordinator of the University for Peace (established by the UN), the Head of its Department of International Law, and the Director of the UPEACE Human Rights Centre. He is also an adjunct faculty at Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio (Spain), Long Island University (LIU Global Centre in Costa Rica), and Universidad de Los Andes (Colombia). Dr. Kanade serves as the academic co-coordinator of the LLM programme in Transnational Crime and Justice offered at the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, Turin, Italy. He also serves on the International Advisory Board of the International Bar Association on the topic of Business and Human Rights. Dr. Kanade currently serves as an expert member of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development. Dr. Kanade co-leads an e-learning project in partnership with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and UNU-IIGH for training UN staff, diplomats of permanent missions of States, staff of NGOs and academics on operationalizing the Right to Development in Implementation of the SDGs. He also chairs the drafting group of international experts appointed by the OHCHR for preparing a legally binding instrument on the right to development. His principal area of academic research and study is the interface between globalization, governance, public international law and human rights, covering several themes including trade, business and investment, sustainable development, forced displacement of people, indigenous peoples’ rights, public health, amongst others. Dr Kanade is the founder of the two pioneering professional development online diploma programmes of the UPEACE Human Rights Centre on Sustainable Development and Human Rights, and Human Rights and Forced Displacement. Prior to academia, Dr. Kanade practiced for several years as a lawyer at the Bombay High Court (Nagpur and Bombay benches) and at the Supreme Court of India. He holds a LL.B from Nagpur University (India) and a Master degree and Doctorate from UPEACE.
How to Apply:
For applying, please fill out the following enrollment form. Candidates can also send their CV and a short Statement of Purpose to admissions@hrc.upeace.org.
