The “Business and Human Rights Youth Seminar” is a programme aimed at creating a unique space for dialogue and learning between well-established astute personalities in society and students to equip themselves with practical knowledge on how to strive for greater heights between their business/ career, daily public and individual lives while being mindful of their rights and how those rights intertwine with that of others.

The programme is part of the POS Foundation’s United Nations (UN) Universal Periodic Review (UPR) project and a youth centered initiative in line with the UN forum on Business and Human Rights principle -“Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework”- with funding from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).

The one-day seminar dubbed “My life, My Business, My Rights” was attended by over 70 participants.

It was organised by the POS Foundation in collaboration with the Economics Students Society of the University of Ghana and the African Dream Foundation.

Mr Jonathan Osei Owusu, the Executive Director of POS Foundation, said the seminar was held to inculcate into the youth the principles and concepts of business and human rights.

He said these young people are the future leaders of the country and it is important to prepare them for the task ahead.

Mr Owusu said the seminar would be replicated in all public universities in the country to sensitise the youth business and human rights.

“Our aim is to come and share the UN guiding principles on business and human rights, so that when they graduate and find themselves working in institutions or possibly set up their own companies they would understand the need to respect the right of people who they work with and or for them,” he said.

“We have also realized that often it is not only the poor that have their rights been violated, but everyone. It is also dangerous that people who are ignorant in society are the worst offenders. Ignorance and poverty is too dangerous for any society that is why we embarking on a campaign to educate people on the needs of their rights,” he said.

Mr Owusu said young people must begin to appreciate human rights as part of life and their living; adding that “because if you don't know, those who know would have an upper hand over you and there are certain things you can't do because you don't know”.

He urged organised labour to educate their membership on their fundamental human rights and also their rights as employees.

Mr William Nyarko, the Executive Director of the Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), gave an overview of the UN Human Rights in general, international law, local law and labour laws.

He said in order for Ghanaians to be good citizens and live in a harmonious way, it is important for them to know the rights that governs them and laws that enforces these rights.

Established in 2005, the POS Foundation is a civil society organization that seeks to promote human rights, youth development and social accountability.

The POS Foundation facilitates the justice for remand prisoners (a state-driven mechanism) and functions as the Convener for the Civil Society Platform on the UN UPR.