Students Tackle “Wicked Problems” in Human Rights
A major youth hackathon in Bangkok saw students from 20 business schools propose answers to human rights challenges in fields as diverse as palm oil, platform labor and indigenous justice.
- The hackathon illustrates how business schools can shape the next generation of rights-focused leaders.
- Students tackled five “wicked problems” at the intersection of business and human rights.
- Mentorship from UNDP, academics, and impact entrepreneurs gave students real-world feedback.
Youth Take on ‘Wicked Problems’
Challenges featuring interdependent factors many deem impossible to solve are characterized as “wicked problems”. The inaugural BHR Youth Hackathon put students to the test in rethinking entrenched issues: sustainable palm oil, worker’s voice beyond social audits, plastic reduction, algorithmic management in the gig economy, and indigenous peoples’ consent in business projects.
Students designed elaborate and innovate ideas in their respective categories. Harit Luangkrajang and his fellow students from Thammasat Business School (Thailand) suggested that beverage companies introduce circularity by activating reverse-vending networks (RVMs) and gradually phasing out virgin plastic packaging.
At the same time, a group of three students from Mongolia showed that discarded plastic bottles could be transformed into insulation material. With such an initiative, recycling would directly participate in addressing another critical challenge in Mongolia: thermic performance in yurts during the country’s rough winter season.
A New Pedagogy for Global Business Schools
The students hailed from universities of the five continents. These included the Sasin School of Management, the Business School Network of Thailand, and HEC Paris. The latter has been actively involved in such global debates for several years now, and groundbreaking programs such as SASI have become one of the pillars of the school’s sustainability Master degree.
It was in this context that HEC lecturer Charles Autheman reached out to the United Nations Development Program to organize a two-day activity on the sidelines of the 2025 edition of the Asia-Pacific UN Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum. In partnership with different institutions and networks – the Global Business School Network, the PRME ASEAN+ Chapter, and the behavioural sciences organization BIAS – the organizers designed an enticing framework to generate interest amongst business school students and faculty. The wicked problems were aligned with some of the thematic priorities of the forum and students could attend Forum sessions outside of their “hacking” hours.Unlike a standard competition, the hackathon in Bangkok emphasized collaboration and learning. Participants role-played as sustainability officers or startup founders, and received feedback from leading figures like UNSW’s Justin Nolan and impact entrepreneur Archana Kotecha.
The hackathon seemed to indicate that traditional solutions are failing to keep up with business and human rights dilemmas. By involving students in global dialogue, business schools help inject creativity, urgency, and critical thinking into the search for alternatives.
Looking Ahead
During the final session of the hackathon, the organizers congratulated all the participants for their achievements and celebrated the performances of those receiving the best feedback from juries in each category. In the days that followed, many students shared their experience on social media, reflecting on the lessons learnt during these two days. Ankit Singh’s message was particularly moving as he connected his positive learning experience at the hackathon with some of his childhood memories as an eight-year-old child laborer at a brick kiln in his native India. Organizers plan to replicate the hackathon model in other regions. If successful, it could become a reference point for how business schools worldwide engage with pressing human rights issues and propose solutions which could have an impact .