October 2025      

BACK TO SCHOOL, BACK TO BASICS

Dear friends of the GCBHR,

We hope you’ve had a restful summer and start to the fall season.

In a time marked by a growing backlash against human rights and multilateralism, companies are uniquely positioned to lead. At the GCBHR, we remain focused on helping businesses navigate these complexities—not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because research continues to show that respecting human rights makes good business sense.

Our latest report for the Council of Europe, Human Rights and Competitiveness: Reframing the Business Case for Human Rights, reinforces this message. It challenges the idea of human rights as a “nice to have” and argues that companies grounded in human rights are better positioned for long-term success.

We’re proud to support this shift—through rigorous research on transformative business models such as Harvesting the Future, direct engagement with companies, and by training the next generation of corporate leaders. In October we launched our fifth BHR clinic. Our select group of nine students from our Master of Responsible Management program at the University of Geneva will be intensively engaged in analysis and problem solving in partnership with the commodity trading firm Mercuria.

This month we welcome Sarah Creedon to our team. Sarah brings over two decades of experience from the U.S. State Department and National Security Council, where she shaped human rights policy at the UN and supported civil society. She will lead our work with human rights defenders and expand our operational capabilities.

Let’s Work Together

At the GCBHR, we help companies respond to real human rights challenges in real time. Whether you need strategic guidance, sector-specific research, or practical training, our door is open.

Want to book a BHR clinic or discuss a custom project?

Read more about our efforts and reach out here → gcbhr.org/engage/company-representative

Follow us: linkedin.com/company/gcbhr

We look forward to continuing our work together in the months ahead.

Warm regards,
The GCBHR Team
www.gcbhr.org

Highlights

PUBLICATIONS

Human Rights and Competitiveness: Reframing the Business Case for Human Rights

The conventional narrative around the business case for human rights often frames it as a win-win scenario for both companies and society. We advocate for a more nuanced perspective on the risks and opportunities businesses face when addressing human rights. Through conversations with corporate professionals and reviewing empirical evidence, we explore legal and reputational considerations, operational questions, and the role of investors and stakeholder relations.

We argue that companies are better positioned for long-term success when their business models are grounded in respect for human rights. In such cases, human rights are not merely an ethical add-on, but an integral part of how the business operates – making the business case for human rights inherent rather than instrumental.

In a time where businesses’ sustainability initiatives are coming increasingly under scrutiny, amid a complex geopolitical situation, highlighting how human rights matter for companies is crucial. Key activities include:

• Capacitating current and future managers through the integration of human rights in business education.
• Offering safe spaces for companies to discuss shared challenges.

🔗 Read the report 

🔗 Linked in

Fair Labor Association: Protecting Migrant Workers in Agriculture 

In collaboration with the Fair Labor Association, we released a new report Assessing Harvesting the Future (HTF).  Our new study, commissioned by the Fair Labor Association, assesses HTF’s unique model to address industry challenges and effectively support human rights due diligence in upstream supply chains. The report highlights both HTF’s positive impact and areas for growth.  

We hope this report helps to foster this model of shared responsibility between brands, local governments, civil society and workers to address systemic human rights risks for a nomadic migrant workforce in agriculture supply chains.

Key Takeaways:

• Structured Collaboration: HTF provides a scalable model for collective action and shared responsibility on labor rights risks in agriculture.
• Evidence of Impact: Partners report improved capacity among suppliers and labor intermediaries, with visible benefits for seasonal workers and their families.
• Challenges Remain: Critical next steps include sustaining momentum, strengthening local ownership, and capturing consistent impact data.
• Path Forward: Multinational brands can amplify HTF’s impact by aligning internal systems with the HTF framework and promoting responsible sourcing practices anchored in FLA standards.

🔗 Read the report

🔗 Linked In

TRAINING

HUMAN RIGHTS FOR PROCUREMENT PROFESSIONALS - UN GLOBAL COMPACT NETWORK 

The GCBHR leads interactive skill-building workshops for procurement professionals to enhance their organization’s risk management and supply chain resilience. 

In September, we colloborated with the UN Global Compact Network Switzerland and Liechtenstein, to provide workshops for  procurement professionals from 40 companies based in Geneva and Zurich to improve their procurement processes to address human rights impacts. 

We discussed pertinent procurement challenges such as establishing traceability, accessing remote or informal parts of the supply chain, setting up meaningful engagements with stakeholders in the supply chains, and scaling promising solutions and pilot projects.  

Throughout these workshops one message resonates - companies need function specific training - not only awareness raising on business and human rights. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

GBSN 9th Annual Meeting

Monday 24 November 2025 at 09:00

PAST EVENTS

On October 9th we held a BHR get-together, an informal networking event for professionals passionate about BHR issues. If you are in Geneva, please join us for our next get-together on February 5.

ONGOING EFFORTS

International Gender Champion 

Prof. Dorothée Baumann-Pauly, a International Gender Champion, continues to promote research and institutionalize gender equity at the University of Geneva, such as:

- Establishing gender-balanced research clusters within the framework of the Global Business School Network for Business and Human Rights Impact Community, including one dedicated to gender and human rights.

- Initiating significant reforms to advance gender equity across all equality commissions at the University of Geneva, through her role as a member of the Equality Commission at the Geneva School of Economics and Management.

Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights
Uni Mail, 40, Boulevard du Pont-d’Arve
1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland