Are higher education institutions in Bogotá adopting the BHR framework? An Evaluation of Policies, Mitigation Measures, and Remediation Mechanisms

Abstract

This article provides an initial assessment of how the Business and Human Rights (BHR) framework has been received and incorporated by high-quality private universities in Bogotá-Colombia. Using a qualitative methodology that combines documentary analysis, a systematic review of publicly available information, and constitutional petitions for information, the study examines institutional practices across four core dimensions of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs): policy commitments, human rights due diligence, grievance mechanisms and access to remedy, and transparency. The findings reveal a widespread absence of specific human rights policies and structured due diligence processes. Instead, universities tend to rely on existing frameworks such as sustainability, University Social Responsibility (USR), ethics, inclusion, and well-being, which address important institutional concerns but do not amount to a comprehensive BHR approach. The article argues that universities, despite their educational mission and non-profit status, also operate as economic actors capable of generating or being linked to adverse human rights impacts. It therefore proposes a more structured approach to human rights governance in higher education, including the adoption of explicit human rights policies, the integration of human rights due diligence into institutional decision-making and external partnerships, the strengthening of grievance and remediation mechanisms, the allocation of clear institutional responsibilities, and greater public reporting on human rights impacts. These measures would allow universities to move beyond fragmented initiatives and toward a more coherent implementation of the UNGPs, while opening avenues for further comparative and empirical research.