As an impact-driven civic university, Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) habitually engages with societal partners and is a party to agreements and contracts on academic and business activities, both nationally and internationally. In a substantial number of cases, these collaborations take place in a context of sensitive debates and conflicts or circumstances where human rights are under pressure.
Sensitive collaborations
The university and individual academics need to assess these partnerships in a comprehensive manner, including at least issues of risk to human rights, ethics, (knowledge) security, and reputation. This is not just a matter of risk management, but also of responsible science, “recognizing its benefits and possible harms” (Statute of the International Science Council).
Advisory Committee
To facilitate this assessment, the Executive Board of EUR establishes the Advisory Committee Sensitive Collaborations (ACSC). The crucial question for this assessment is not whether (intended) partners fully share the values, principles and other elements of EUR policies and the assessment framework, but whether EUR scholars and the university as a whole can remain true to these values and policies when engaging in these partnerships. The issue at stake is whether the institutional values and integrity may be compromised through collaboration with partners.
The purpose of this committee is to assess whether collaborations may infringe upon EUR institutional values, with the aim that, in as much as is reasonably possible, EUR activities are undertaken in a way that protects and promotes human rights and the university’s Erasmian values.
Please note that the committee offers advice on specific collaborations or on sensitive contexts and topics when requested by the Executive Board or a faculty dean. The committee is an advisory body. Decisions on the continuation, starting or stopping collaboration with partners are taken by the Executive Board in consultation with the deans.
Mandate of the ACSC
The ACSC has been set up by the Board of Erasmus University in such a way as to enable the Committee to operate in an autonomous and impartial manner while maintaining an adequate level of accountability to the Board. The ACSC operates and offers advice within its mandate as described in the framework (see below).
Composition of the ACSC
The ACSC consists of three permanent members and two ad hoc members. The members of the ACSC have been selected based on their complementary expertise. All Committee members act in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any specific interest group. The diversity of their backgrounds in combination with the fact that they draft their advice(s) based on consensus, provides for the necessary balance.
The permanent members
Prof.dr. Ruard GanzevoortChair
Rector of the International Institute of Social Studies, Professor of Lived Religion and Development and former member of the Dutch Senate.
Prof.dr. Liesbeth EnnekingPermanent member
Professor of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability at Erasmus School of Law.
Prof.dr. Michal OndercoPermanent member
Professor of International Relations at Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences.
Together, they bring insight and expertise on matters in the realms of politics, intercultural differences, and religion (Ganzevoort); responsible business conduct in global value chains, corporate accountability for human rights violations, and sustainable development (Enneking), and international relations and the military (Onderco).
In line with the Framework (see below), two additional members have been appointed specifically for the advice on collaboration with partners in Israel and Palestine. These are:
Dr. Siobhán AireyAdditional member
Assistant Professor for the Innovation of Public Law, Erasmus School of Law.
Dr. Ward VloeberghsAdditional member
Senior Lecturer in Political Science, Erasmus University College.
They bring specific expertise on international law and human rights due diligence (Airey) and the contemporary Middle East (Vloeberghs).
The Secretariat of the ACSC (temporarily vacant) operates independently in its support to the Committee and does not play a decision-making role on Committee matters.
Integrity of the ACSC
The Committee is committed to the principles and values of public integrity. These include independence, fairness and impartiality (seeking to provide advice on the basis of rational thinking and objective grounds); acting in good faith; reliability and carefulness (conscious of the credibility and purpose of the Committee’s work and its mandate, and taking care with regard to information, people and resources); and personal responsibility (taking accountability for one’s actions).
Impartiality of the ACSC
The committee believes it is crucial to undertake its assessment of collaborations in an impartial manner. In this context, impartiality means that at all times the Committee will refrain from taking sides in its preparation of advice and will seek to avoid any appearance of partiality in their formulation of advice on sensitive collaborations and in their interactions with stakeholders.
In case of a conflict of interest (i.e., a situation in which the personal or professional interests of one of Committee members interfere or may interfere with that member’s objectivity, independence and impartiality) the Committee member in question will declare the conflict of interest and recuse him/herself from deliberation on the issue at hand.
Regarding the current advice on collaboration with partners in Israel and Palestine, none of the members of the committee is involved in existing EUR collaborations with partners in Israel or Palestine.
Transparency and engagement
The committee believes that transparency is crucial to create support for its procedure and methods, foster understanding of its considerations, and promote accountability among EUR students and staff alike in relation to engaging in (potentially) sensitive cooperations. For this reason, the committee aims to engage in conversations with stakeholders and the EUR community at large, and to be transparent with respect to the advice it provides to the Board of Erasmus University. Advice given will be published together with the relevant arguments, unless the Executive Board decides otherwise.
Actual case
The first advice that the committee will give to the Executive Board will be on collaboration with institutions in Israel and Palestine.
Contact
Email address that can be used to contact the committee: acsc@eur.nl.
Publications
The framework has been approved by the Executive Board, the framework is adapted to the specific needs of the case that is addressed by the committee (as is stated in the framework).
Note on communications
The ACSC plans to communicate regularly and transparently on progress with and outcomes of its work. For now, during its establishment, this website will be the key source of committee updates.
