The activities were jointly organized by the Institute for Human Rights Studies (Institute for Contemporary Rule of Law) of the China University of Political Science and Law, and the Research Center for Human Rights and Rule of Law at the Guangdong University of Technology.
Lectures and training on business and human rights (BHR)
40 academics from universities across China participated in this two-day training workshop in Guangzhou. The workshop focused on some cutting-edge issues of business and human rights, and explored ways to promote the development of theory and practice for teaching in this field in China.
The lectures covered multiple thematic areas, covering core topics such as the basic framework of international human rights law and international soft law, global trends and impacts of business and human rights legislation, and human rights compliance practices in global supply chains. In the last session, three experts engaged in extensive exchanges with participants, sharing their teaching experiences and research progress. The focused on topics such as human rights risk identification and governance of global supply chains, institutional design for corporate human rights responsibility, the connection between soft and hard law, and curriculum development and case teaching in higher educational institutions.
Forum on the Business and Human Rights
Right after the training workshop, about 60 participants - including 20 graduate students from 17 universities - attended the Forum. The Forum aims at providing a platform for dialogue and mutual learning among participants, and enabling academics and enterprises to more effectively practice the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The Forum focused on topics including: curriculum design and teaching methodology; a multidimensional perspective on enterprise risk prevention and human rights protection; global supply chains; governance of digital trade; intellectual property; and corporate governance in relation to human rights.
It brought together academic and practitioners to promote academic dialogue and collaborative cooperation on business and human rights education and research. This contributed to further consolidation of relevant consensus between academics and practitioners under the new circumstances. The Forum also helped build a network among academics and the business sector, where the dialogue on business and human issues in China can continue.
These two activities have expanded the mutual verification and reinforcement of theoretical and practical methods, providing reference paths and intellectual support for subsequent curriculum development, corporate compliance, and policy improvement.