10th Business and Human Rights Young Researchers Summit

The Business and Human Rights (BHR) Young Researchers Summit provides an international platform for young scholars in the field of BHR. It brings together 10-15 excellent Ph.D. students and early post-doc researchers (cut-off is one year after graduation) who engage in research in the business and human rights field. The objective is for participants to present their research project in an interdisciplinary, collaborative workshop setting. Scholars from all disciplines are invited to apply including ethics, law, business and global affairs. Submissions from non-law disciplines are particularly welcome.

The focus is on paper development. Therefore, papers should outline research-in-progress, be single-authored, and must not be under consideration for publication at the time of presentation. We encourage submissions from all parts of the world and we strive for gender balance in our selection.

Lodging and meals will be provided for the duration of the Summit. Some travel stipends will be offered for participants travelling from overseas and on an as needed basis.

The summit is hosted by the Institute for Business Ethics at the University of St.Gallen, the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights, the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, and the Business and Human Rights Journal (BHRJ).

This 10th edition of the YRS takes place from 4-5 September 2025 in St. Gallen.

SELECTED PARTICIPANTS

  • Ayako Hatano (University of Oxford, England, United Kingdom)
    Soft Law for the Intersection of Peace and Human Rights in Cyberspace: Addressing Online Hate Speech through the Principles on Business and Human Rights

  • Bantayehu Demlie Gezahegn (Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany)
    Business and Migration: What Obligations for Businesses when Migration is a Right?

  • Emma Baldi (University of Milan, Italy)
    Transformative Remedies for Business-Related Human Rights Abuses: A Capability-Based Approach

  • Giacomo Bruno (The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Switzerland)
    The 1977 ILO Declaration on Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy: A ‘Normative Surplus’ for Contemporary BHR Initiatives?

  • Gustavo Becker (University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg)
    The Impacts of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) on Brazilian SMEs: Legal Obligations and Economic Implications

  • Janine Allenbacher (University of Hamburg, Germany)
    Dynamic Capabilities for Implementing Substantive Human Rights Due Diligence

  • Jonas Shafondino Kamakela (University of Mauritius, Mauritius)
    Beyond the Surface: Critical Perspectives of Human Rights and Business in Global Supply Chains within Conflict Zone Regions

  • Juliana Reimberg (Cardiff University, Wales, United Kingdom) The Managerial Side of Extraterritoriality: Narratives and Disputes Surrounding the Mariana Case in the Courts of England and Wales

  • Lucas Taufer (University of Caxias do Sul, Brazil)
    Conceptual Reflections on the Normative Foundations of Human Rights for Business Activity: A Study Based on the Case of Slavery-like Labor in Southern Brazilian Wineries

  • Otgontuya Davaanyam (Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany)
    Reimagining International Law Towards Indigenous Peoples: Reframing Corporate Responsibility to Respect Indigenous Women’s Rights

  • Md. Abdur Razzak (University of South Wales Sydney, Australia)
    Regulating Corporate Human Rights Responsibility in Global Supply Chains: Implications of the Home State Human Rights Due Diligence Laws for Bangladesh’s Ready-made Garment Industry

  • Temitayo Olarewaju (University of British Columbia, Canada)
    Shared Soil: Ubuntu and the Ethics of Land Ownership

  • Yu Li (University of South Caroline, United States of America)
    Pro-LGBTQ Multinational Enterprises and Hate Crime Declines: Evidence from Brazil