The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on Business and Human Rights
Welcome to the FECAP Business School Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on Business and Human Rights — a pioneering and dynamic hub dedicated to advancing the critical research field and policymaking agenda of Business and Human Rights, with the support of the European Union.
Fact Sheet
Project number: 101127361
Project name: Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on Business and Human Rights
Project acronym: BHR
Call: ERASMUS-JMO-2023-HEI-TCH-RSCH
Granting authority: European Education and Culture Executive Agency
Project duration: 36 month
Grant: 100.000 EUR
Our Vision: Envisioned as a trailblazer in the Global South, our center aspires to be a catalyst for positive change in business practices. We strive to create a future where the principles of human rights seamlessly integrate into the fabric of corporate conduct, fostering a world where businesses not only thrive economically but also contribute significantly to social and environmental well-being.
Interdisciplinary Excellence: Our unique positioning at the intersection of interdisciplinary perspectives sets us apart. By blending diverse fields of study, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between business and human rights. This interdisciplinary approach is the cornerstone of our educational programs and research initiatives.
Educational Initiatives: For aspiring individuals, including undergraduates, graduates, future researchers, and practitioners, our center offers a spectrum of educational opportunities. From traditional classroom settings to cutting-edge online courses, we are committed to imparting knowledge that goes beyond textbooks. Through a dynamic curriculum, we equip individuals with the skills and insights needed to navigate the evolving landscape of responsible business practices.
Corporate Partnerships: Our reach extends beyond academic realms to directly impact businesses operating in Brazil. In collaboration with Instituto Ethos, the largest association on Responsible Business Conduct in the country, we forge partnerships with small, medium, and large-sized enterprises. Through tailor-made capacity-building programs and instructional toolkits, we empower businesses to embrace and implement responsible practices in their operations.
Policy Advocacy: Beyond education and corporate engagement, we are driven by a deep commitment to influence public and private policies. Our initiatives are strategically designed to contribute to normative adjustments that advance fair and responsible business conduct not only within Brazil but throughout Latin America.
Global Network: Inspired by the collaborative spirit of Jean Monnet, our Centre actively seeks and nurtures international collaborations. As a hub for collaborative knowledge and policy-making, we act as a gravitational locus that connects influential Brazilian and European experts. This network is instrumental in cross-fertilizing initiatives and leveraging collective expertise to effect positive change on a global scale.
About the Jean Monnet Activities
Jean Monnet Activities refer to a set of initiatives and programs established by the European Union (EU) to promote European integration, foster knowledge and expertise in the field of European studies, and enhance cooperation among higher education institutions worldwide. These activities are named after Jean Monnet, a visionary and key architect of European integration, who played a crucial role in the formation of the European Coal and Steel Community, the precursor to the modern EU.
The Jean Monnet Activities are part of the broader Erasmus+ program, which is the EU's flagship initiative for education, training, youth, and sport. The specific aim of Jean Monnet Activities is to stimulate teaching, research, and reflection on European integration in higher education institutions around the world. These activities contribute to building a better understanding of the EU, its institutions, policies, and challenges, both within the EU member states and beyond.
Through these various components, the Jean Monnet Activities contribute to the development of a community of scholars, experts, and institutions dedicated to the study of European integration. By fostering a deeper understanding of the EU and its processes, the initiative plays a vital role in promoting European values, citizenship, and cooperation in the global context.
Link to Jean Monnet ActionsPrevious Projects and Actions
The beginning of FECAP Business School involvement and dedication to develop and provide EU specific high-level knowledge for Brazilian society dates to 2018, the year of the creation of the Brazil-EU Institute: a hub to produce and disseminate knowledge on EU and EU-related agendas and to strengthen the Strategic Partnership EU-Brazil.
By the very beginning of the Institute's activities, in 2019, FECAP won a first Jean Monnet Action: a FECAP Jean Monnet Chair entitled EUROPEAN EXTERNAL POLICIES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY: VULNERABLE GROUPS EMPOWERMENT THROUGH A NEW BUSINESS CULTURE (2019-2022). The Chair consolidated a series of compulsory, non-compulsory and extension courses on EU since FECAP, and reached approximately 4500 students. In São Paulo, the second largest city in Latin America, FECAP is the only Higher Education Institution that consistently offers courses on EU issues open to community and free of charge since then.
Since the Chair well-succeeded implementation, our perspective was to thicken EU Studies and EU public diplomacy from a Brazilian context and reality. Aiming at this, FECAP proposed a Jean Monnet Module in the 2022 Jean Monnet Call and succeeded again. All professors involved in the JM Module, entitled NEW PERSPECTIVES ON EU-BRAZIL RELATIONS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES (2022-2025), were inserted in the Institute and brought their own institutional experiences and teaching and research backgrounds to the Module.
