Polish Institute for Human Rights and Business (PIHRB)

Polish Institute for Human Rights and Business (PIHRB) is an independent, non-profit and impartial think tank offering advanced expertise in Human Rights and Business, labour law and relations, social unrest, stakeholder engagement and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), as well as educational and awareness raising programmes.

PIHRB aim is to advance Human Rights and Business/UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) implementation in Poland by contributing through research and activities that influence the everyday practice of all market actors, policy and legislation development as well as educational activities, to improve respect for human rights and sustainable development principles in business context.

Our goals

Convinced that only enhanced and open cooperation and interaction of all actors can result in most effective and fair solutions for all, PIHRB cooperates with all stakeholder groups, to:

Raise awareness and improve business competencies in the area of human rights to help them understand what human rights are and how to respect them in everyday conduct (e.g. presentations at business-oriented events, training, research, publications).

Build capacity of NGOs and Trade Unions to enhance effectiveness of their action in the area of human rights and business (e.g. workshops, research, mailing list, publications, coordination of the CSR Watch Coalition).

Provide support to the public administration in efforts leading to introduction of legislation and policies promoting and supporting responsible business conduct (e.g. contributing to the consultations, research, member of the Group on SD & CSR).

Our activities

PIHRB also undertakes educational and awareness raising activities aimed not only at the above mentioned groups, but also at children, youth and students to ensure that the next generation is sensitized to those issues before entering the market (presentations at conferences, organization of seminars, educational events, projects, publications; cooperation with student volunteers, organization of internships).

1Since 2018 we are also engaged on pro-bono basis in improving legislative framework and developing tools aimed to help identify and prevent forced labour in Poland, as a coordinator of the Working Group on Workers operating in 2018-2022 within Committee on Sustainable Development and CSR, an auxiliary body to the Minister of Funds and Regional Policy and before that, the Minister of Innovation and Development. Currently, we are members of the Working Group on due diligence that aims to advance the implementation of the HRDD into the practice of Polish business enterprises. Before that, we contributed to the work of its predecessors with the Ministry of Economy (2014-2015).

Our representative is also one of the two CSOs members of the Advisory Board of the Polish NCP OECD (since October 2024).

Our current work is partially funded by grants from Sigrid Rausing Trust (2024, 2025), ECCJ / Laudes Sub-grant (since 2021), NIW PROO 5 (2024, 2025), as well as our pro-bono work and profits from the commercial activity that we have launched in 2024. Some of the bigger grants funding some of our work included 'Valuing Respect Project by Shift, in which PIHRB has been a regional partner, as well as EU HORIZON 2020 grant for the project SMART, in which PIHRB has been a member of the research consortium led by the University of Oslo. Additionally, from September 2025, we will also be carrying out activities concerning the prevention of forced labour funded by the EU AMIF grant for the project „EMBRACE” led by the Greek Organization ELIAMEP. Information about funding for previous periods is available in our Annual Reports published on our website.

Information about the majority of our ongoing activities is not translated into English. Therefore, we would kindly ask you to contact us and find out more about our work.

PIHRB:

co-initiated creation of the CSR Watch Coalition Poland, to create a representative partner for government in the area of human rights and business
is a member of the international NGOs platforms like European Coalition for Corporate Justice, OECD Watch, OFOP.
provides organizational support to the CEE&CA BHR Association, which was co-founded by PIHRB expert, Beata Faracik;
in 2019 joined the Electronics Watch Monitoring Partners network
cooperates with recognized academic institutions like University of Oslo, University of Warsaw, University of Bergen, Jagiellonian University, Vistula AFIB (our representative is a member of the Advisory Socio-Economic Board)
cooperates with UN Global Compact Poland providing it with advice on human rights and business. PIHRB is also a member of the UN Global Compact initiative.

MORE INFORMATION

PIHRB brings together a group of experts with advanced academic expertise and on-the-ground operational experience of working with human rights & business issues from a variety of perspectives (public sector, trade unions, CSOs & academia as well as experience of advising business), who are recognized for their expertise in Poland and abroad. While PIHRB was established only in March 2014 (formal court registration in April 2014), its key experts and co-founders – Beata Faracik & Joanna Szymonek – have over a 20-year-long track record of human rights & business-related work (e.g., first international conference on UNGPs in Central & Eastern Europe, translation of UNGPs into Polish, ca. 100 trade unionists/NGO representatives trained on OECD National Contact Point’s complaints procedure) and first-hand work experience from the public sector, trade unions, CSOs & academia as well as experience of advising business.

PIHRB does not promote any specific political agenda.

PIHRB is registered as a foundation – entry into the Court’s Register nr KRS 0000505623.

Summer Academies

Projects

Publications

Contact

For general information you can contact us at

If your inquiry concerns specific project or issue (e.g. collaboration possibility, training, etc.) please contact:

office@pihrb.org

beata.faracik@pihrb.org