Dr Thomas Bundschuh

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Dr Thomas Bundschuh PhD, LLM, PGCert LTHE, FHEA

Senior Lecturer in Human Rights


Summary

As a human rights teacher and researcher, I am concerned with and work on the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable groups, the protection of socioeconomic rights in contexts of transitions from conflict to peace and environmental peacebuilding.

I was awarded my PhD from the Transitional Justice Institute, University of Ulster, Belfast, for my research on transitional justice and socioeconomic rights in South Africa and Northern Ireland. I hold an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex, UK. I am teaching and researching human rights with a focus on climate change justice and climate change litigation at the intersection of law and science.

About

I am passionate about climate change justice and sustainability education. The climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our time. Climate change litigation has gained considerable momentum, challenging the boundaries of human rights at the intersection of law and science. I have introduced climate change litigation in my teaching as courts have become critical spaces where the evolution of law and human rights becomes manifest. As emerging human rights advocates, students need to be enabled to respond to the challenges of the climate change crisis.

Prior to my interest in climate change justice and sustainability education, I followed my research interest in transitional justice and human rights. I pursued my doctoral research at the Transitional Justice Institute, University of Ulster, where I was awarded my PhD in International Law (Transitional Justice and Human Rights).

I also hold an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex. Prior to that, I received my legal education at the Universities of Geneva (Switzerland) and Freiburg (Germany) and through professional practice in the justice administration (Berlin). After qualifying as a lawyer, I practised law as an attorney in a private law firm for several years.

In addition, I have been engaged in human rights and humanitarian work with a range of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including work for the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Uganda, for Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l´Homme (FIDH) in Rwanda and for the FoodFirst Information and Action Network (FIAN) in Germany.

Prior to working as a Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, I have been teaching human rights and global justice related courses at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Leiden University College, and the University of Ulster, Belfast.

As a human rights teacher and researcher, I am concerned with and work on the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable groups, the protection of socioeconomic rights in contexts of transitions from conflict to peace and environmental peacebuilding.

I enjoy the collaboration with colleagues from across the university as we develop an interdisciplinary module on the Global Climate Emergency.

As I work at the intersection of human rights law and science in the context of climate change and sustainability education, my work revolves around two principal questions: How can law and human rights be used and developed to address climate change and related global environmental crises? How can students become climate competent lawyers and human rights advocates?

Climate change is a global crisis. It is vital to be in dialogue with colleagues and students across the globe. I am a mentor in the ASAP Fellowship scheme of Yale University’s Global Justice Program and a member of the Executive Board of the Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI).

My teaching interests are concerned with human rights and transitional justice, inequality and social justice. My teaching also includes the right to health and the political economy of crime.

My primary research interests are centred around the question on how socio-economic rights and social justice frameworks, such as the capability approach (Sen, Nussbaum), can address social inequalities, with a particular focus on societies confronted with the demands of transitional justice.

Teaching

Sheffield Institute of Law and Justice

College of Social Sciences and Arts

I work at the intersection of human rights law and science in the context of climate change and sustainability education. Considering scientific evidence, my research examines how human rights can be used to effectuate change and to address the climate change crisis. I use comparative legal analysis and interdisciplinary methods.

I am particularly interested in exploring the emerging paradigm of earth system law. Earth system law is defined "as an innovative legal imaginary that is rooted in the Anthropocene’s planetary context and its perceived socio-ecological crisis. Earth system law is aligned with, and responsive to, the Earth system’s functional, spatial and temporal complexities; and the multiple earth system science and social science-based governance challenges arising from a no-analogue state in which the Earth system currently operates." (Kotze and Kim, 2020, 464).

Furthermore, "Earth system law therefore offers: (i) an interdisciplinary analytical framework to better understand and respond to the legal dimensions of earth system governance; (ii) the normative foundations to govern the full spectrum of Earth system relationships in a way that promotes planetary integrity and justice in their fullest sense; and (iii) the legal means to facilitate transformative earth system governance for long-term sustainability." (ibid.)

Subject area

Human Rights and Social Justice

Courses

LLM/MA Applied Human Rights

Modules

  • Applied Human Rights Dissertation (LLM/MA)
  • Exclusion, Rights and Justice (BA)
  • Human Rights and Legal Scholarship: Climatizing Human Rights (LLM)
  • Human Rights in Times of Global Crises: Protecting the Most Vulnerable (LLM/MA)

Research

Bundschuh, T. (in preparation). Book chapter on the Climate Crisis, Pregnancy and the Right to a Healthy Environment. (Editor: Madhumita Pandey. Publisher: Springer).

Bundschuh, T. (in preparation). Book chapter on corporate climate human rights due diligence for the European Yearbook on Human Rights 2025 (Editors: Philip Czech, Lisa Heschl, Gerd Oberleitner, Karin Lukas, Manfred Nowak and Hannes Tretter. Publisher: Brill).

Publications

Journal articles

Bundschuh, T. (2017). Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in Armed Conflict. Nordic Journal of Human Rights, 35 (1), 74-79. http://doi.org/10.1080/18918131.2017.1262593

Bundschuh, T. (2015). Enabling transitional justice, restoring capabilities : the imperative of participation and normative integrity. International Journal of Transitional Justice, 9 (1), 10-32. http://doi.org/10.1093/ijtj/iju030

Bundschuh, T. (2007). Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Action. Just News, 2007 (July/August), 6. https://caj.org.uk/2007/08/22/just-news-julyaugust-2007/

Conference papers

Sands, M., Bundschuh, T., & Peroni, M. (2019). Written contribution to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women for its half-day general discussion on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration (22 February 2019). In CEDAW General Discussion on the elaboration of the General recommendation on Trafficking in the Context of Global Migration. OHCHR: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CEDAW/GRTrafficking/HelenaKennedy.docx

Book chapters

Bundschuh, T., & Bartoli, A. (2009). Working Together for Sustainable Peace: Conflict Resolvers and Human Rights Advocates in Sierra Leone. In Babbitt, E.F., & Lutz, E.L. (Eds.) Human Rights and Conflict Resolution in Context : Colombia, Sierra Leone, and Northern Ireland. Syracuse University Press: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/shu/detail.action?docID=4649198

Books

Bundschuh, T. (Ed.). (2014). Criminal Law. The Hague: The Hague University of Applied Sciences.

Bundschuh, T., & Sprakel, J. (Eds.). (2014). Human Rights Law. The Hague: The Hague University of Applied Sciences.

Bundschuh, T. (Ed.). (2014). International Criminal Court and Other Tribunals. The Hague: The Hague University of Applied Sciences.

Bundschuh, T. (Ed.). (2013). International Criminal Court and Other Tribunals. The Hague: Bynkershoek Publishing.

Bundschuh, T., & Den Dunnen, D. (Eds.). (2013). International Crisis Negotiation. The Hague: Bynkershoek Publishing.

Reports

Bundschuh, T., Peroni, L., & Sands, M. (2020). Written contribution to draft General Recommendation No. 38 of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration. https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2019/call-contributions-draft-general-recommendation-trafficking-women-and-girls

Bundschuh, T. (2004). Field research contribution based on interviews and archival research. To: Des Forges, A. (2004). Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/rwanda/

Bundschuh, T. (2004). Field research contribution based on interviews and archival research. To: Des Forges, A. (2004). Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/rwanda/

Theses / Dissertations

Bundschuh, T. (2009). Truth, Justice and Capabilities: Towards a New Architecture of Transitional Justice Including Socio-Economic Rights. Transitional Justice Institute, University of Ulster, Belfast. (Doctoral thesis). Supervised by Ní Aoláin, F., & Campbell, C.

Media

Bundschuh, T. (2019). General Discussion on Trafficking - 1667th Meeting, 72nd Session, UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)(Geneva, 22 February 2019) - Intervention. [UN Web TV]. UN Web TV

Bundschuh, T. (2019). General Discussion on Trafficking - 1667th Meeting, 72nd Session, UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)(Geneva, 22 February 2019) - Intervention. [UN Web TV]. UN Web TV

Bundschuh,, T. (1998). Thomas Bundschuh is named in interview-based feature on title page of Canadian newspaper Le Devoir. Title of feature: Trouver la force de changer le monde [Finding the strength to change the world]. [Newspaper]. Le Devoir: https://www.ledevoir.com/recherche?tri=pertinence§ion_id=&expression=%22Trouver+la+force+de+changer+le+monde%22&footer-search-submit=&tri_widget=pertinence&tri_widget=pertinence&date=depuis_1998&format=tous§ion=&date_debut=&date_fin=§ion=&collaborateur_nom=

Presentations

Bundschuh, T. (2019). Ubuntu and the Architecture of Relational Capabilities. Presented at: Human Development and Capabilities Association (HDCA) 2019 Annual Conference, 9-11 Sep 2019, University College London, London, UK

Bundschuh, T. (2019). Corporate Peacebuilding in Colombia: Where is Justice? Presented at: Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) 2019 Annual Conference, Leeds, 3-5 Apr 2019, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

Bundschuh, T. (2019). Is Poverty a Human Rights Issue? Presented at: GoGlobal Challenge Lecture, Sheffield Hallam University

Bundschuh, T. (2018). The Colombia Redemption. How Corporations Can Become Agents of Justice and Peace: Insights from South Africa's truth commission (TRC) for Colombia's truth commission (CEV). Presented at: Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI) Annual Conference, Edinburgh, 7-8 Sep 2018, Global Justice Academy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

Bundschuh, T. (2018). Equality Re-examined: Disability, Poverty and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Presented at: Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) 2018 Annual Conference, Bristol, 27-29 Mar 2018, University of Bristol Law School, Bristol, UK

Bundschuh, T. (2018). Agency-Constitutive Vulnerability and Just Institutions. Presented at: Vulnerability and the Human Condition Initiative, Workshop on Autonomy and Vulnerability: An Uncomfortable Conversation, 23-24 Feb 2018, Emory University Law School, Atlanta, GA, USA

Bundschuh, T. (2017). Gender, Land and Property Rights in Post-Conflict Colombia: What can vulnerability theory contribute to gender justice and sustainable peace? Presented at: Vulnerability and the Human Condition Initiative, Emory University, Workshop on Property, Vulnerability, and Resilience, 22-23 Sep 2017, University of Essex, Colchester, UK

Bundschuh, T. (2017). Forging Social Justice After War: What happens to Victims of Violations of Socio-Economic Rights in Colombia's Peace? Presented at: British Society of Criminology (BSC) 2017 Annual Conference, 4-7 Jul 2017, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK

Bundschuh, T. (2017). Durable Peace Through Human Rights in Colombia? The Role of the United Nations and its Challenges. Presented at: Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI) 2017 Annual Conference, 27-28 April 2017, Leuven Centre for Global Studies, KU Leuven, Belgium

Bundschuh, T., & Lalanne, S. (2017). The Last Resort Endangered: Is the European Protection of Human Rights Still Effective? Presented at: Social Justice Week 2017, Collegiate Campus, Sheffield Hallam University

Bundschuh, T., & Lalanne, S. (2017). The Last Resort Endangered: Is the European Protection of Human Rights Still Effective? Presented at: Social Justice Week 2017, Collegiate Campus, Sheffield Hallam University

Bundschuh, T. (2016). Mitigating the Effects of Parental Incarceration by Taking the Rights of the Child Seriously. Presented at: European Society of Criminology (ESC) 2016 Annual EUROCRIM Conference, 21-24 Sep 2016, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany

Bundschuh, T. (2016). Rule of Law Schizophrenia as an Obstacle to Transitional Justice and How to Overcome It. Presented at: Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) 2016 Annual Conference, 5-7 Apr 2016, School of Law, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK

Bundschuh, T. (2012). Rethinking Transitional Justice with Victims: Trauma Recovery and Violations of Socio-Economic Rights. Presented at: Justice for Victims: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Conflict, Trauma and Reconciliation”. 14th International Symposium, World Society of Victimology. 2-=24 May 2012, The Hague, The Netherlands

Bundschuh, T. (2010). Questioning the Scope of Transitional Justice. Presented at: Transitional Justice - Local Conflicts, Global Norms, 23-25 Mar 2010, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany

Bundschuh, T. (2004). Love in Transition. Presented at: Feminism and Legal Theory Project, Gender, Sexuality and Family Exchange Program, Emory University Law School, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Other publications

Bundschuh, T. (2023). Written contribution to draft General Comment No. 26 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on children’s rights and the environment with a special focus on climate change. https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2023/call-comments-draft-general-comment-childrens-rights-and-environment-special

Bundschuh, T. (2021). Written contribution to the draft General Comment No. 26 of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on Land and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2021/call-written-contributions-draft-general-comment-no-26-land-and-economic

Bundschuh, T. (2017). Written contribution to the draft General Comment No. 6 of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on equality and non-discrimination. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations/general-comment-no6-equality-and-non-discrimination

Other activities

Professional Affiliations:

Academics Stand Against Poverty (ASAP), UK chapter, Trustee.

Advance HE (formerly Higher Education Academy), Fellowship (FHEA).

Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI). Executive Board Member.

Human Development and Capability Association (HDCA), Human Rights Working Group. Member.

International Law Association (ILA), UK Branch. Member.

Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA). Member.

Yale Global Justice Program, ASAP Fellowship. Mentor.

Journals:

I am peer reviewer for several academic journals.

Postgraduate supervision

PhD supervision in progress:

Jahanara Rowell: “Qualitative Exploration to Address the Psychosocial Needs of Refugee Children in the UK.”

Over 40 Applied Human Rights Masters supervisions completed, including:

Arooj Abbasi: “Climate Change-Induced Floods in Pakistan: Human rights implications for women.”
Highest Mark in the Applied Human Rights Dissertation Module Prize (2024)

Jehannara Mohideen: “The Judicial Response to a Refugee Child’s Rights to Reunite with Families Still Abroad: Can this be an eye opener for UK policy makers?”
Dr Martin Luther King Human Rights Prize (2024)

Oghenero Ajantana: “Addressing Climate Change and Environmental Pollution Through Constitutionally Guaranteed Rights to a Clean and Healthy Environment: Nigeria as a case study.”
Dr Martin Luther King Human Rights Prize (2023)

Ayah Mahmoud: “Artificial Intelligence and Legal Decision Making: Is there a risk of human rights violations such as errors of due process and the perpetuation of systemic discrimination?”
Dr Martin Luther King Human Rights Prize (2022)

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