UNAIR NEWS – Human Rights Law Studies of Faculty of Law Universitas Airlangga (FH UNAIR) held the first National Conference of Business and Human Rights Academics. In collaboration with the Norwegian Embassy, this conference was held on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at DoubleTree Hotel Surabaya in a hybrid manner. The conference raised a theme on interpreting legal and social changes towards business practices and the realization of human rights. In the event, the Dean of FH UNAIR, Iman Prihandono, S.H., M.H., LL.M., Ph.D., and the Norwegian Ambassador to Indonesia, Ruth Krüger Giverin, gave their opening remarks.
Iman, a Business and Human Rights Expert, emphasized that this conference is crucial in mainstreaming the Business and Human Rights discourse in the Indonesian legal world. Therefore, economic growth can be regulated without neglecting human rights since not a few business activities violate them. He added that this event should trigger a more comprehensive and critical understanding of the younger generation who would later oversee the public and private sectors.
“Therefore, this conference invites academics to interpret the legal changes and accommodate the values of Business and Human Rights. Even though the role of academics may not be direct in the realization of this change, the interpretation should be accurate. Moreover, the legal basis for Business and Human Rights, UNGPs, was also initiated by John Kruger, an academic,” said the alumnus of Macquarie University.
On the other hand, Ruth Krüger Giverin, in her remarks, appreciated this conference as a crucial step to practice the values of Business and Human Rights in the laws of a country. The Norwegian parliament has just passed a legal product, the Transparency Act. The law requires companies in Norway to ensure the disclosure of public information regarding potential human rights issues that may result from their business activities. The Ambassador added that this norm is the practice of the second pillar of the UNGPs: respect for human rights by companies.
“Norway is very open to cross-border collaboration with Indonesia regarding the promotion of business and human rights. Therefore, the performance of institutions such as the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and advocacy from civil society organizations are crucial to continuously improve. Do not forget that the role of academics must be implied,” the diplomat concluded.
It should be noted that the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) are the only non-binding legal instrument at the international level that regulates business and human rights. UNGPs have three main pillars in their regulation: the government’s obligation to fulfill human rights, corporate responsibility to respect human rights, and access to justice in case of human rights violations.
Author: Pradnya Wicaksana
Editor: Nuri Hermawan
