The past decade has been marked by an exponential increase in business-led corporate social responsibility and multistakeholder initiatives. Although these efforts claim to advance private sector accountability, they are not always designed in consultation with impacted individuals and communities. Additionally, these initiatives often replicate deep power imbalances between corporations and communities, and lack avenues for enforcement, rendering them toothless and ineffective. 

HRI partners with grassroots advocates and organizations to develop innovative, community-led approaches to investigate and remedy the economic, environmental, and physical harms that occur as a result of business operations, with the ultimate aim of ensuring that the violations are not repeated in the future.  

Supporting the Teaching Business and Human Rights Forum

Today, law firms, corporations, governments, and civil society actors all need to understand the intersection of human rights and business. To meet the growing global demand for college-level courses in this area, the Teaching Business and Human Rights Forum was created in 2011. 

HRI collaborates with additional Columbia University Institutes and Centers, as well as other academic institutions, to develop and share teaching tools for this growing field and foster global collaboration. We host and continually update a syllabi bank for faculty participants. Members have access to the syllabi bank and meet periodically to share teaching tools and identify common challenges and opportunities in the field.