Kyiv, 25 August 2022 – A contest for academic papers entitled “Business and human rights in Ukraine: challenges and solutions during the war and post-war recovery” has been officially launched. It is devoted to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the institution of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.

The contest was initiated by the V. Mamutov Institute of Economic and Legal Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the Coordination Centre for Raising Legal Awareness, and the Office of Analytics and Consultations on Sustainable Development. It is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and the Government of Japan.

During the contest’s opening round table, Siniša Milatović, Business and Human Rights Specialist at UNDP; stressed that United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights should be a cornerstone of the social and economic recovery of Ukraine.

“Business has a major opportunity to play a key role to sustain economic resilience of the country during the war and in the post-war setting,” said Siniša Milatović.

“It is crucial to start laying the foundations for early recovery now, by ensuring that human rights, gender equality and non-discrimination are at the centre of all recovery plans. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights provide a clear framework for economic recovery that leaves no one behind,” added he.

The contest is open for:

• students in higher education (junior bachelors, bachelors, masters, graduate students and others);
• young scholars (scholars under the age of 35, who have at least a master’s degree, including doctorates), and
• academics under the age of 40, who have degrees of Doctor of Sciences or are studying in doctoral programmes.

Those wishing to participate in the contest should send completed application forms, contest papers, and scanned copies of supervisor’s references by 15 October 2022, to contest.bhr.ua@gmail.com.

Olena Kolobrodova, the representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights on social and economic rights stressed that socially responsible business has a key role to play for inclusive economic recovery in the country.

“For effective protection of social and economic rights in Ukraine, especially given today’s extraordinary circumstances,, it is vitally important to raise awareness among the business community about the benefits of implementing the United Nations Guiding Principles. This is why academic research on this topic is feasible and timely, as it presents the importance of observing human rights and provides solutions for socially responsible business,” she said.

During the roundtable, Volodymyr Ustymenko, the Head of the V. Mamutov Institute of Economic and Legal Research under the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine stressed that recovery and economic development in Ukraine during and after the war can only be successful if it is based on the universal values and norms, prominent among which are the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

“They provide a holistic framework for the state, business and society to achieve the people-centred targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. The contest for academic papers will enable its participants to contribute to the success and prosperity of Ukraine by approaching its European perspective,” he stressed.

Information about the terms and conditions of the contest, the priority topics for academic papers, and updates on the status of the contest can be found on the websites of the Institute and the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.

Background information:

The contest has been organized with the support of the Human Rights Due Diligence in Global Supply Chains: Leveraging the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights for a Just Recovery project, which is being implemented by UNDP and financed by the Government of Japan.

This is already the second contest supported by UNDP Ukraine on the topic of business and human rights. Last year, the contest organizers received 153 academic papers on issues relating to socially responsible business and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights from more than 60 universities around Ukraine.

Also, in 2021, UNDP conducted comprehensive research on business and human rights, released with the title: “Business and Human rights in Ukraine: Accelerating sustainable and equitable development through implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human rights”. The research analyses overall trends, needs and barriers with respect to duty bearers and rights holders, sectors and markets.

Media enquiries: Yuliia Samus, Communications Team Leader, UNDP in Ukraine, yuliia.samus@undp.org