Quick Take

Building the Future of Business and Human Rights: Why Support Matters

September 8, 2025

Ten years ago, Professor Florian Wettstein from the Institute of Business Ethics in St. Gallen and I founded the Business and Human Rights Young Researchers Summit (YRS). This interdisciplinary event for emerging scholars attracts between 50 to 70 applicants from all over the world. We select the most promising 12 to 14 candidates for participation.

The annual event is co-organized with the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights and the Business and Human Rights Journal and alternates between New York City, St. Gallen, and Geneva.

At this year’s Summit, participants once again expressed their appreciation for the event’s comprehensive financial support. All attendees have their accommodation and meals covered upon arrival, and overseas participants receive generous travel stipends to help offset international travel costs.

Several participants shared that without this financial support, they would not have been able to attend the conference. In fact, for some, the YRS was the only academic event they could participate in over the past few years. With rising costs for conference registration and travel, opportunities for international academic exchange and networking — both critical for high-quality research and career development — are increasingly limited to a small group of early-career scholars fortunate enough to be affiliated with well-funded institutions.

Fortunately, corporate support can address these challenges, as our experience with Nestlé demonstrates. Our summit has been co-sponsored by Nestlé for the past 9 years. A few years ago, Nestlé’s human rights manager joined the event to listen in and discuss a recent human rights challenge with the students. This created a unique opportunity for students to apply their Business and Human Rights (BHR) knowledge while the company benefited from fresh insights.

More companies need to step up in support of emerging scholarship in BHR. The current backlash against sustainability efforts is real — but it should not undermine the next generation of scholars who will shape the BHR field in both theory and practice for years to come. Backing initiatives like the YRS offers companies a clear opportunity to lead: to stand for evidence-based decision-making, independent assessment, and practical implementation of BHR principles.

Concerns about conflicts of interest arising from corporate funding for the YRS are unfounded. Corporate sponsors provide unconditional support to the next global generation of BHR researchers. Sponsors may occasionally be invited to participate in parts of the event, but only when the organizers see a fit with the agenda.

The YRS alumni network now includes over 100 scholars, many of whom have gone on to build influential careers across academia, civil society, and the private sector. This global community is equipped with the skills and insight the future of BHR will demand. Investing in the continued development of this expertise is more than a contribution to academic growth — it’s a powerful way for companies to demonstrate principled leadership at a time when evidence-based approaches to sustainability and human rights are under attack and face unprecedented political opposition.