Interactive Session on Universities' Human Rights Duties

25 February 2026, 15.00-17.30

S.C.204, Stadscampus, University of Antwerp

The ongoing discussions in relation to the role and responsibilities of universities in relation to the international law violations in Palestine and the current trend toward increased armament and militarisation in European research have reopened and broadened the debate on the (human rights and international legal) duties of universities. This includes questions about their own actions and omissions, as well as their lesser-known institutional relationships with suppliers, funders, (academic or non-academic) partners, end-users and more. These institutional relationships and their relevance can range from the development of dual‑use research and tech that may feed into weapons systems or structures of oppression, to collaborations with partner institutions and corporations implicated in violations of international law. These concerns cut across issues such as genocide, the climate crisis, and other human rights problems, highlighting the need to, on the one hand (1) progressively develop the (legal) theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of universities’ duties and responsibilities, and on the other hand (2) share experiences, map practices, and strategise about the way forward for the intra- and inter-institutional practice of engaging with existing or emerging normative and regulatory mechanisms within higher education.

In this interactive session, we will have a moderated series of short but deep interventions in each part (1- Theory, and 2- Practice) from engaged academics from across universities in Belgium, The Netherlands and Switzerland; followed by a structured discussion with all participants. The gathering as a whole will bring together scholars, scholar-activists, students and members of activist and civil society circles, in an exchange of experiences regarding the ongoing contestation and emerging praxis within universities, as well as the progressive theoretical/conceptual development of the normative framework around the subject.

15.00 – 15.10 – Introduction(s)

15.10 – 16.00 – Part 1: Theory: Latest developments on the theoretical underpinnings of Universities as Duty-Bearers, directly for their own actions, and indirectly for the violations of their partners, collaborators, sponsors, end-users of their technology

16.00 – 16.10 – Break

16.10 – 17.10 – Part 2: Practice: Our praxis of normatively engaging with and within and about universities as duty-bearers – Practices across Belgian, Dutch and Swiss Universities (ethics committees, human rights policies, freedom of information requests, complaints, other engagements)

17.10 – 17.30 – The Way Forward: Concrete Next Steps