HRT No. 8: Human rights capacity-building in corporations: genuine change or empty words?

In this episode, we investigate the possibilities and challenges of building human rights capacity and conducting risk assessments within companies. Our guest is Leonel Lisboa, consultant, Head of the Löning Academy, and PhD researcher in International Law at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Together, we explore when human rights capacity-building in corporations becomes meaningful — and when it risks being merely formal, empty, or even alienating. Leonel Lisboa's work focuses on human rights training, impact assessment, and risk management in corporations and in multinational contexts. He also hosts a podcast on international law, which is available here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ULp4JhjnbzUhiN4aGb43I

 

Sources:

https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Publications/HR.PUB.12.2_En.pdf

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000383329https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/2023-03-29-1

https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/guidingprinciplesbusinesshr_en.pdfhttps://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/2023-03-29-1

https://fsi-ebcao.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf1411/files/media/freire.pdf

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/14/london-judge-rules-bhp-group-liable-for-brazil-2015-samarco-dam-collapse

https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/53/24