This 12th edition of the Global Classroom, the Global Campus’ flagship student-centred research initiative, brings together students, academics, and experts from all eight regional Master’s programmes and the hosting hub to collaborate on pressing global issues. Over the past four months, the participants — divided into five groups — have taken part in a series of academic and advocacy online workshops addressing human rights concerns in various industries, including extractives, food, technology, value/supply chains, and defence.
The workshops, led by Global Campus faculty and guest speakers, covered both theoretical and practical dimensions of business and human rights. Students explored new frameworks such as green criminology, political ecology, and the power of exclusion in land-based social relations. Advocacy-focused sessions, with a special emphasis on the Asia-Pacific context, examined campaign planning, messaging and media, documentation, and reporting. Invited speakers included representatives from Amnesty International Thailand, the Human Rights Team of the FIFA World Cup 2026, and the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, who also discussed how environmental rights can sometimes be misused to displace or criminalise vulnerable communities.
During the week-long event in Bangkok, to kick off on Monday 27 October, students will refine their research papers and advocacy projects with the support of international and regional experts, including representatives from the Manushya Foundation, Human Rights Myanmar, ILO Thailand, Labour Rights Foundation, Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma, and UNDP Thailand. Their collective advocacy work will also be showcased at the 2025 International Civil Society Week (ICSW) under the theme “Celebrating citizen action: reimagining democracy, rights, and inclusion for today’s world.” The Global Campus session aims to highlight how graduates can strengthen advocacy on emerging global issues at the intersection of business, environment, and human rights.
As part of the programme, students and faculty will join a field visit in Samut Sakhon Province, meeting representative of the Labour Protection Office and the Department of Marine Resources Preservation. They will learn about Bang Khun Tien’s receding shorelines, and the roles of state agencies and civil society in addressing the human rights dimensions of climate change, concluding with a visit to the coastal and mangrove forest areas to engage with local communities.
As the Global Classroom 2025 is about to begin in Bangkok, the Global Campus community looks forward to a week of collaboration, learning, and critical reflection on how human rights can be strengthened in the context of business and the environment. The initiative continues to demonstrate the power of academic partnerships and student-led research in addressing global challenges.