Center for Business and Human Rights

The NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights is beginning a new research project to promote human rights in the supply chain for construction labor that runs from South Asia to the Arabian Gulf.

The first open dialogue on a White House plan to promote responsible business conduct abroad will take place on December 15, 2014 and will be co-hosted by the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights and the United States Council for International Business.

In every major movement for greater democracy and the protection of human rights, university students have played a central role. From Tiananmen in China to Tahrir in Egypt, student movements have elevated public discourse on human rights. On some human-rights issues that affect universities themselves, such as in addressing global sweatshop practices, student groups have served as catalysts, prompting colleges and universities to assume a leadership role in our society.

In his blog last week, Alan Roberts, executive director international operations at the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, outlined the progress made by the Accord so far.

In an address at the University of Michigan on Friday, Michael Posner, co-director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, called for American colleges and universities to adopt uniform human rights standards relating to three aspects of their business operations – product licensing, procurement of goods and services and with respect to their investments.

The directors of the Center for Business and Human Rights at the New York University Stern School of Business, Michael Posner and Sarah Labowitz responded to the Obama administration’s announcement that it would begin the process of writing a national action plan to examine the impact of business on global human rights in a letter to President Obama.

In recent weeks, Samsung suspended its operations with a key supplier in China because of allegations of child labour in its production facilities. Major oil companies faced environmental challenges in the fields where they operate, from the Amazon to West Africa, and internet providers continued to respond to intense public pressures to enhance privacy protections for their users in the aftermath of the Snowden/NSA disclosures. These are but a few current examples of the challenges business leaders face as they seek to build sustainable business models.