BHR+E Academy
What is the BHR+E Academy?
The BHR+E Academy is dedicated to advancing business and human rights (BHR) and environmental justice in Cambodia, and the region where the context is relevant.
It brings together youth, rights-holders, civil society, businesses, government actors, journalists, and academic institutions to strengthen understanding, practice and accountability by fostering inclusive, cross-sectoral dialogue so that companies better understand their roles in in shaping the environment, well-being and security of Cambodians.
The Academy is the first initiative of its kind in Cambodia, combining a three-stage process combining an assessment study analysing contemporary business and human rights problems in Cambodia, mentorship through design labs and human rights due diligence training, and individual guidance sessions.
How the Academy Works
An assessment study analysing contemporary business and human rights problems in Cambodia: Assessments of specific environment and human rights impacts and environmental and human rights due diligence expectations that may be linked to the operation of companies and their affiliates within the specific context of Cambodia. The BHR+E academy’s research will be conducted under main themes, involving students, civil society organisations and universities. Assessment studies are overseen by local experts who bring together groups of researchers and students interested in the key concerns.
Design Labs and Human rights due diligence training: Trainings, design labs and consultations will be held for companies to understand how to identify, mitigate and respond to human rights abuses throughout their supply chains. Academy trainings are conducted by leading local, international experts on business and human rights specializing in human rights due diligence. Trainings will also feature guest speakers from companies with good practices on business and human rights, as well as civil society actors with constructive engagement with the private sector.
An element of the training programs will involve the co-design of a training curriculum and plans with affected CSOs based primarily on the needs of the rights-holders with priority areas in business and human rights, labour dispute resolutions, HREDD, environmental protection, and relevant fundamental freedoms and UN human rights mechanisms.
Individual guidance sessions: Closed-door, interactive sessions with CSOs, businesses, government, and national experts on how companies can manage their impacts on human and environmental rights in the countries in which they operate. These sessions aim to shape policy reform and debate.
Why the Academy Matters
Cambodia currently lacks a mandatory human rights due diligence (HRDD) framework. In this context, companies operating in the country operate solely in a voluntary manner in their roles to identify, prevent, and address their human rights and environmental impacts.
The BHR+E Academy responds to this gap by:
- Increasing awareness of human rights and environmental risks linked to business activities
- Supporting companies to adopt meaningful and robust due diligence measures aligned with international standards
- Creating space for collective discussion, learning, and policy debate while domestic frameworks continue to evolve
At the core of the Academy is the targeted fellowship programme, launched in 2025. This area of the program aims to capacitate and empower the rights-holders and young generation with legal knowledge, evidence-based documentation skills, advocacy, public debates and research. Being integral to the work of the Academy, fellows receive structured training and mentorship from BHRLG and partner experts support our work through research on pressing BHR+E issues, contribute to policy briefs, reports, and advocacy outputs, and gain practical experience in evidence-based documentation and analysis
By 2029, the fellowship network will have developed into a mini-hub of informed, engaged next-generation advocates committed to advancing business and human rights and environmental justice in Cambodia, and broader region.