The Central and Eastern Europe & Central Asia Summer Academy on Business and Human Rights (The Summer Academy) is organized by the Polish Institute for Human Rights and Business (PIHRB; Polish: Polski Instytut Praw Człowieka i Biznesu) and the Ukrainian Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University (Ukrainian: Національний юридичний університет імені Ярослава Мудрого) in partnership with the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights and in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UNDP, the CEECA Resource Hub and the CEE Business and Human Rights Association. The Summer Academy has also profited from the support and advice of the Steering Committee.

The Summer Academy is open to passionate people who want to leave a positive mark on the world by driving implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) in their sectors and organizations and helping others to understand what is needed to ensure greater respect for human rights on the part of business organisations.

The aim of the Summer Academy is:

• to raise participant awareness on the business and human rights (BHR) agenda and standards with the goal to enhance respect for human rights by business and the effective functioning of legal and non-legal remedies for human rights in cases of business caused violations;
• to provide a systematic knowledge and understanding of the impact of business on human rights, the role of the state and non-state actors in the process of the proper implementation of business and human rights standards; good practices will be provided;
• to form skills to monitor (benchmark) human rights risks in business operations;
• to raise awareness as to the process of developing National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights and other policy and legislation developments;
• to create and develop a network of BHR experts and to raise awareness of business and human rights in the region of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Pariticipants of the Summer Academy will obtain the knowledge, skills and competences that will allow them to support the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in their respective countries, which will contribute to improvement in the respect for human rights in the context of business operations across the region.

They will also gain the opportunity to become members of the CEE&CA BHR Summer Academy Alumni Network (CEECA BHR Alumni Network) and those who obtain the Diploma – subject to their consent – will be listed as BHR Contact Points for their respective country on the CEECA BHR Resource Hub.

The (Full) Summer Academy will be held online via Zoom and will consist of two parts:

• Core Summer Academy – 21-27 September 2022 (5 working days i.e. 21-23 September and 26-27 September with weekend break in between).
• Four webinars held between October and December 2022.

The first three days of the Summer Academy dedicated to BHR core knowledge and theory, will follow the polycentric governance system underpinning the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, i.e. respectively the division into (I) the State duty to protect human rights, (II) the corporate responsibility to respect human rights and (III) access to remedy pillars. Knowledge gained during those days will lay the groundwork and prepare the participants for two practice-oriented days of workshop sessions and meetings with practitioners.

Upon completion of the Core Summer Academy, participants will be issued with a Certificate of Participation. Those participants who also take part in a minimum three out of four webinars and write a short paper for the e-publication will be issued the Diploma of the Summer Academy.

Finally, a minimum of three participants who write the best papers for the e-publication will be invited to present those papers at the BHR conference in spring 2023 in Poland, with the organizers covering their full flight and accommodation costs during the conference.

The Summer Academy 2022 is part of a broader project 'Lighthouse-keepers: Business and Human Rights Cooperation Network’ led by the Polish Institute for Human Rights and Business (PIHRB) in partnership with the Ukrainian Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University (Ukrainian: Національний юридичний університет імені Ярослава Мудрого), the Icelandic Association for Sustainable Democracy – Alda (Icelandic: Alda – félag um sjálfbærni og lýðræði), the Icelandic Ombudsman for Children (Icelandic: Umboðsmaður barna).
The project benefits from a grant under the Active Citizens – Regional Fund from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, through EEA Grants. See more about the project, HERE.

The Business & Human Rights (BHR) framework has acquired particular relevance during the last decade. Business actors have a significant impact on the enjoyment of human rights by people within the field of their modus operandi, and must therefore consider the risks that their operations might create and that can violate or contribute to violating human rights. The impact that a business enterprise may have on human rights can affect various actors: its own employees but also employees of its suppliers and across their value chains, customers, migrants, vulnerable groups (children, persons with disabilities, elderly people, etc.), communities and many others.

The CEE&CA Summer Academy aims at providing participants with the core Business & Human Rights knowledge as well as the skills and tools essential to operate in this field. Examples from different areas of the world and on different themes will allow the identification of cross-regional and cross-cutting issues and enable a global and multidimensional understanding of the topic and ability to follow and understand the relevant developments at a national, regional and international level. Additionally, by being based on a participatory approach, the Summer Academy also aims at developing and reinforcing personal critical reflection and peer-to-peer learning, as well as writing skills.

Upon completion of the CEE&CA, Summer Academy participants will have gained:

• An understanding of human rights in a business context
• Knowledge about key BHR standards, documents and approaches as well as key new trends
• A capacity to discuss specific areas and cases of concern
• Insights into how to kick-start implementation of the UNGPs in the company/organization and how to operationalise the UNGPs in business day-to-day practice
• The ability to identify multi-faceted aspects of BHR issues
• Understanding of the progress and obstacles to ensuring greater respect for human rights by business and a recognition of the more viable forms of cooperation, and hear from the point of view of companies, states and affected rights-holders.

A full list of the lecturers of the CEE&CA Summer Academy on BHR complete with their bios is provided in the downloadable booklet.

The CEECA Summer Academy was designed to address the needs of professionals such as final year students, CSR/RBC/ESG specialists, business executives, government officers, lawyers and policy makers, human rights defenders, civil society representatives, researchers, as well as other public- and private-sector practitioners from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia countries (see section on Recruitment criteria for the list of eligible countries), who are interested and are/want to be actively engaged in business and human rights work and wish to gain a multidimensional understanding of current developments, key issues and possibilities for change to the established models.

We aim at individuals caring for the social good and committed to driving change in their organizations and beyond.

When you attend the CEE&CA Summer Academy on Business & Human Rights, you will be part of a cohort of max. 25 outstanding participants from different countries and sectors.

Additionally, up to 5 reserve list participants will be allowed to participate in the three first days of the CORE part of the Summer Academy. They will not be required to pay the deposit. A statement confirming participation in the theory section of the Core Summer Academy will be issued upon request.

The selection will be based on the evaluation of the application, as well as taking into account regional representation, and ensuring a gender and professional balance.

Anyone who is uncertain about whether the Summer Academy is suitable for their needs or their background should contact the Summer Academy team for advice: ceeca-academy@pihrb.org

In order to be eligible for the Summer Academy, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Be a national / citizen of one of the following countries: Countries belonging to the Eastern European States Regional Group in the United Nations and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
• Have a good working knowledge of English (proved by certificates but self-certification is also admissible. The organizers reserve the right to organize an online interview to test the English skills of the applicants).
• Submit an online application form (here).
• Send your CV/Resume (in ENGLISH, PDF only) and letter of motivation (in English, PDF only) explaining why you want to attend the course and how you will use the knowledge obtained in the future.
• Have at least a basic knowledge of human rights confirmed by either attendance of a university course (add a scan of grades obtained to your email), or completing a non-academic course on Human Rights (please add certificate(s) or any other evidence of attendance).

Note: It is possible for an applicant to be accepted conditionally. In such a situation s/he will be requested to complete, prior to the Summer Academy, an online course on Human rights organized by the Council of Europe, Amnesty International or the United for Human Rights Platform (Basic Human Rights course is available in several languages incl. English and Russian).

All applicants who submit their completed applications on time will be informed about the outcome of their applications via email by August 21, 2022.

a.     Certificate of Participation

At the end of the Summer Academy, participants who have participated to a minimum of 90% of the classes scheduled between 21-27 September and who have completed all the discussions and quizzes will receive a free certificate confirming their participation.

All participants who receive the Certificate of Participation will have the opportunity to become members of the CEE&CA Summer Academy Alumni BHR Network. Membership of the network will be free of charge to Alumni.

b.     Diploma of the CEE&CA Summer Academy

The Diploma of the CEE&CA Summer Academy Participants will be granted to those participants, who:

• meet the criteria for receiving the Certificate of Participation, and
• take an active part in a minimum of 3 out of the 4 webinars organized between October and December 2022, and
• write a short, three to five page long paper on a BHR topic under the supervision of the SA faculty member for inclusion in the post-SA e-publication.

Thanks to collaboration with the CEE&CA Resource Hub, participants, who  receive the Diploma, will be listed – subject to their prior consent – on the CEE&CA Resource Hub as BHR contact points for their respective countries.

In addition, the authors of a minimum of the 3 best papers will be invited to present them at the conference organized in the spring 2023 in Poland. Organizers of the Summer Academy will undertake to secure funds to cover the full costs of their flights and accommodation for the duration of the conference.

To apply you need to:

• complete an online application form, specifying:
  • Surname, name, date of birth, citizenship
  • Address and contact details for any communication
  • Level of proficiency in English
  • Education and professional history

AND

• send by email to ceeca-academy@pihrb.org:
  • Obligatory:
    • A CV or Resume (PDF only, in English)
    • A motivation Letter (max. 2 page single spaced – PDF only, in English)
  • Facultative:
    • a copy of the documentation confirming a basic knowledge of human rights and a working knowledge of English (certificates, copy of the student grade book with the grade/mark for any Human Rights Course; a certificate of completion of a course in Human Rights provided by another organization, etc.).

The deadline for submitting applications is August 8, 2022, 23:59 CEST.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, so we encourage early submissions.

Successful candidates will be requested:

• to pay by a specified date a 25 Euro deposit, which will be returned to them at the end of the Core Summer Academy held in September, subject to participation in a minimum of 90% of the sessions held. [Note: Participants can apply to have the deposit fee waived (i.e. not to have to pay the deposit), in the case of personal financial limitations or other circumstances making such payment impossible.]

Organizers foresee also a short reserve list. Applicants who find themselves on the reserve list, will be allowed to participate in the first 3 days of the Summer Academy.

Should you have any questions or would require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

CEE&CA Summer Academy Secretariat email: ceeca-academy@pihrb.org

We look forward to welcoming you at the CEE&CA Summer Academy!

We are pleased to announce that the following people have completed the first edition of CEE&CA Summer Academy on Human Rights and Business and have received certificate of attendence:

• Nodira Abdulloeva (Tajikistan),
• Gulnaz Baiturova (Kyrgyz Republic),
• Zarina Bakenova (Kazakhstan),
• Nurlan Bakirov (Kyrgyz Republic),
• Ana Dangova Hug (North Macedonia),
• Krystyna Danikowska (Poland),
• Sandra Dziel-Latanowicz (Poland),
• Iryna Fedorovych (Ukraine),
• Ruhiyya Isayeva (Azerbaijan),
• Murat Karypov (Kyrgyz Republic),
• Katarzyna Katana (Poland),
• Zsuzsanna Kerber (Hungary),
• Nanuli Khechikashvili (Georgia),
• Mariusz Kośla (Poland),
• Akaki Kukhaleishvili (Georgia),
• Maryna Kupchuk (Ukraine),
• Dina Massanova (Kazakhstan),
• Oleksandr Misiats (Ukraine),
• Gunel Mughanlinskaya (Azerbaijan),
• Franciszek Nowak (Poland),
• Nikol Olya (Bulgaria),
• Valeriia Poiedynok (Ukraine),
• Snizhana Shevchenko (Ukraine),
• Małgorzata Szlendak (Poland),
• Kaja Thiele (Poland),
• Dilbar Turakhanova (Tajikistan),
• Ahmad Tural (Azerbaijan).

The Summer Academy GDPR Information Clause can be accessed HERE. 

CEE&CA SUMMER ACADEMY CO-DIRECTORS:

• Beata Faracik, LL.M., PIHRB
• Dr Olena Uvarova, YMNLU

LIGHTHOUSE-KEEPERS’ PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR:

• Aleksandra Wardak