Event information

23 September 2021, 13:00-15:00

Expert Consultation on the Role of Business in Transitional Justice Contexts

Event

SRSG Martin Kobler addresses a ceremony in Goma, North Kivu province, to mark the destruction of weapons and ammunitions on 20 November 2013. SRSG Martin Kobler addresses a ceremony in Goma, North Kivu province, to mark the destruction of weapons and ammunitions on 20 November 2013.
SP Logo blue english   10 UNGP logo colour 002

As part of its ongoing work focused on business and human rights in conflict-affected areas, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Business and Human Rights is developing a guidance note that will include practical recommendations for those engaged in the design and implementation of remediation processes in transitional justice contexts.

To help inform the forthcoming guidance, the UN Working Group invites relevant experts (including academics, business, civil society, government, and UN representatives) to participate in an online consultation hosted by the Geneva Academy.

The discussion will address questions such as the relationship between reparations, development, and peacebuilding; how to incentivize business participation in transitional justice; understanding business responsibility; practical implications for non-judicial grievance mechanisms; broader reflections and lessons learned.

Besides this online consultation, the UN Working Group has also issued a call for written inputs (deadline: 18 October 2021).

Background

The Working Group has recognized that improving access to remedy (pillar III of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights) in situations of post-conflict transitional justice is complex but necessary. As the Working Group explained in its report on business, human rights and conflict presented to the 2020 UN General Assembly, in situations of transitional justice ‘businesses have a responsibility to remedy their past behaviour’ and “should engage with relevant transitional justice processes and contribute to truth, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence where appropriate.” How this should occur is sometimes unclear for states, businesses, and civil society, however.

 

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

MENA Training GHRP News

Strengthening MENA Engagement with UN Human Rights Mechanisms: Second Edition of our Tailored Training

24 July 2025

Participants from six countries across the Middle East and North Africa region joined our customized training on the Geneva-based United Nations human rights mechanisms

Read more

neurotech image News

Research Brief Evaluates the Human Rights Implications of Neurotechnology in Therapeutic and Commercial Applications

27 March 2025

Our research brief, Neurotechnology and Human Rights: An Audit of Risks, Regulatory Challenges, and Opportunities, examines the human rights implications of neurotechnology in both therapeutic and commercial applications.

Read more

Warzone Event

Advanced IHL Seminar for Academics and Policymakers

25-29 August 2025, 09:00-17:30

Co-hosted with the ICRC, this event aims to enhance the capacity of academics to teach and research international humanitarian law, while also equipping policymakers with an in-depth understanding of ongoing legal debates.

Read more

Digital Globe Event

AI and Human RIghts: Risks and Promises - Panel at the 2025 LATSIS Symposium

10 September 2025, 16:30-17:45

This Human Rights Conversation will explore how AI is being used by human rights institutions to enhance the efficiency, scope, and impact of monitoring and implementation frameworks.

Read more

Training

Human Rights and the Environment: Introducing Legal Regimes and Key Issues

1-8 September 2025

Participants in this training course will be introduced to the major international and regional instruments for the promotion of human rights, as well as international environmental law and its implementation and enforcement mechanisms.

Read more

Town Hall Meeting Training

Localizing International Human Rights

8-10 October 2025

This training course, specifically designed for staff of city and regional governments, will explore the means and mechanisms through which local and regional governments can interact with and integrate the recommendations of international human rights bodies in their concrete work at the local level.

Read more

surveillance image of people Project

Human Rights in a Digitalized World: Mapping Risk, Strengthening Regulation and Promoting the Development of International Human Rights Law

Started in August 2023

To unpack the challenges raised by artificial intelligence, this project will target two emerging and under-researched areas: digital military technologies and neurotechnology.

Read more

Online folders Project

Digital Human Rights Tracking Tools and Databases

Started in March 2023

This initiative wishes to contribute to better and more coordinated implementation, reporting and follow-up of international human rights recommendations through a global study on digital human rights tracking tools and databases.

Read more

Cover of the 2023 Geneva Academy Annual Report Publication

Annual Report 2024

published on July 2025

Read more