ISBEE WORLD CONGRESS 2026 - RETHINKING BUSINESS ETHICS FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH: LOCAL INSIGHTS, GLOBAL IMPACT
2025-11-15 23:00 (Africa/Lagos) | Ekounou, Yaoundé, Cameroon
RETHINKING BUSINESS ETHICS FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH: LOCAL INSIGHTS, GLOBAL IMPACT

Webpages: www.ethicslabucac.net / www.isbee.org

ISBEE WORLD CONGRESS 2026 - YAOUNDE ETHICSLAB

July 14-16, 2026

Business ethics today stands at a crossroads. As global inequalities deepen and the legitimacy of dominant economic systems comes increasingly into question, it has become clear that the field must expand beyond its traditional boundaries. The intellectual foundations of business ethics have been shaped predominantly by Western liberal assumptions and individualistic notions of agency. This has limited not just the parameters of ethical inquiry but also the representation of pluralistic perspectives, sidelining diverse voices and experiences.

As a consequence, voices and scholarship from the Global South, particularly from Africa, remain underrepresented in the global academic discourse. This marginalization goes beyond issues concerning visibility or access. It affects the very conditions under which knowledge is produced, circulated, and validated. In disciplines such as philosophy, political theory, global health, and, notably, business ethics, this imbalance distorts not only who is heard but also what is deemed legitimate knowledge. The result is a limited set of conceptual tools and ethical vocabularies that often fail to engage with and represent the lived realities, normative insights, and socio-economic challenges faced by many communities around the world.

The 8th ISBEE World Congress, to be held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, provides a timely and essential opportunity to disrupt this pattern. It encourages a rethinking of the field from the perspective of the Global South: not merely as a site of application, but as a source of epistemic innovation and moral imagination. Instead of reinforcing inherited hierarchies of knowledge, the Congress aims to create a forum for mutual learning, critical dialogue, and the development of new paradigms grounded in diverse cultural, historical, and philosophical traditions.

We invite contributions that reflect on how business ethics can evolve when informed by epistemologies rooted in the Global South and other underrepresented perspectives. Rather than seeking only to “apply” ethics to non-Western contexts, this Congress encourages us to consider what it would mean for our field if the starting points were different. These starting points may include beginning from relational notions of justice grounded in African philosophy, from indigenous community ethics in Latin America, or from spiritual traditions shaping responsibility in parts of South and Southeast Asia. They may also include starting points from feminist ethics, critical theory, cultural studies, and other perspectives that may challenge conventional assumptions and outlooks. How would our understanding of corporate purpose shift if informed by values such as communal well-being or interdependence? How might business responsibilities be reconceived if social relationships or environmental stewardship, rather than shareholder value or regulatory compliance, form the moral core of economic life?

Africa offers a uniquely productive perspective for examining these issues. Shaped by a legacy of colonization, extractive capitalism, and structural adjustment, African societies are still grappling with intricate challenges of economic marginalization, regulatory instability, and social vulnerability. However, it also embodies remarkable ethical vitality, showcasing traditions such as Ubuntu and relational justice, collective entrepreneurship, and locally-based innovations in sustainability. These contributions are not secondary to business ethics; rather, they are pivotal to reimagining its global significance and moral aspirations.

Hosting the Congress in Cameroon represents a deliberate effort at epistemic rebalancing. It aims not only to address past exclusions but also to create an environment where alternative perspectives, rooted in African and Global South traditions, can question and enhance existing ethical frameworks. This venue fosters contemplation of what responsible business means when grounded in specific cultural values, community dynamics, and histories of resilience, rather than relying on abstract global standards. Additionally, the Congress provides a platform for scholars and practitioners from the Global South to actively shape the research agenda rather than merely respond to it. It serves as a call to reevaluate business ethics education, including its content and institutional frameworks, and to explore strategies for dismantling established hierarchies of knowledge.

We welcome empirical, theoretical, pedagogical, and practice-based contributions. We are particularly interested in work that engages with decolonial or postcolonial perspectives, religious or philosophical traditions, grassroots innovations, informal economies, and local governance practices. We encourage submissions that address how structural conditions, such as political instability, economic dependency, or asymmetrical trade relations, shape the ethical possibilities of business in diverse contexts. Beyond the conference theme, we welcome submissions on any other business ethics-related topic.

Join us in Yaoundé to explore how to reimagine business ethics and make it more inclusive. This Congress invites you to rethink our assumptions, broaden our moral vocabularies, and collaborate on a business ethics framework that reflects the complexity of our world.

Submission Guidelines

We welcome submissions that explore the conference theme or address any broadly relevant topic in business and economic ethics. While we encourage contributions that speak directly to the conference theme, this is not a requirement.

We invite submissions in 2 formats (panels/roundtables and paper submissions):

Panel and Roundtable Submissions

We strongly encourage the submission of co-organized panels and roundtables that promote cross-regional dialogue and equitable collaboration between scholars and practitioners from the Global South and the Global North. To support this, we are dedicated to actively assist Global North-based conveners in identifying co-organizers based in Africa (and vice versa), co-developing inclusive panel themes, and locating additional participants as necessary. We also emphasize that the co-organizing process must be structured to avoid reproducing epistemic or institutional power imbalances and should promote shared ownership, reciprocal learning, and joint intellectual leadership.

To promote widespread participation and encourage panel proposals, the Organizing Committee will provide financial assistance for one Africa-based co-organizer per panel, supporting up to 20 panels in total. This funding will cover airfare, lodging, visa fees, and conference registration. We estimate the average cost to support an Africa-based panelist is €2,000 each, excluding those from Cameroon. Funds will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with preference given to panels that strongly align with the Congress’s main theme.

In cases where ISBEE covers the costs of one Africa-based co-organizer, the Global North co-organizer is expected to support the participation of at least one additional African-based panelist or a panelist based in a low-income Global South country. The Organizing Committee will provide guidance on leveraging existing funding mechanisms, such as university mobility funds and scientific event funding, and strongly encourage all non-African-based panel members to do the same to ensure meaningful and balanced participation.

While we strongly encourage panel submissions that include at least one Africa-based co-organizer (who may be eligible for funding through our initiative) and at least one panelist based in a low-income country of the Global South, thereby benefiting from our financial and logistical support, we equally welcome panel proposals that do not meet these criteria. Inclusivity is encouraged, but not required.

We welcome two main panel/roundtable formats:

• a. Global Impact Roundtables

These are moderated, dialogical sessions featuring 4–6 participants engaging in a shared ethical theme of cross-regional or global relevance. They are ideal for discussing normative tensions, practical dilemmas, or policy debates in a way that connects academic, practitioner, and civil society perspectives.

• b. Thematic Paper Panels

These consist of at least four paper presentations centered on a coherent topic or question, followed by a moderated discussion. Topics may address specific regions, industry sectors, ethical frameworks, or interdisciplinary approaches.

Panel Proposal Requirements:

• Each panel should have at least four confirmed participants, showcasing diversity in geography, institutions, and possibly disciplines.

• We encourage panels to be co-organized by a scholar or practitioner from Africa and one from outside Africa.

• ISBEE will support one co-organizer from Africa per panel, excluding participants from Cameroon. Co-organizers from the Global North who are making use of this funding scheme should cover at least one additional African/Global South-based panelist’s expenses and encourage others to do the same. The Organizing Committee will assist those who wish to co-organize but lack funds for one additional African/Global South-based participant by encouraging attendees with budgets to contribute to the ISBEE Fund for this purpose.

• The Organizing Committee will offer guidance in obtaining travel funding from academic and other relevant institutions if needed.

• Panels can follow traditional or innovative formats as long as they promote inclusive, intellectually stimulating, and diverse engagement.

2. Individual Paper Submissions

We also welcome more traditional individual paper submissions. The organizing committee will group papers into thematically aligned sessions. While we particularly welcome papers that engage with the conference theme, we also encourage submissions that address broader or adjacent business and economic ethics topics. Contributions may be empirical, theoretical, critical, normative, pedagogical, or practice-oriented.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Business ethics and local moral traditions

• Indigenous, spiritual, or relational ethics in business contexts

• Postcolonial, decolonial, and Global South perspectives on corporate responsibility

• Epistemic and systemic injustices in business theory and practice

• Ethics of extractivist land use, and resource governance

• Justice in the workplace, informal economies, and precarious labor

• Decolonizing business ethics research, education, and curricula

• Artificial intelligence, digitalization, and technology ethics in diverse global contexts

• Environmental ethics, sustainability, and climate justice in business

• Governance, accountability, and the evolving role of corporations

• Human rights, corporate power, and transnational business ethics

• Ethical leadership, organizational culture, and moral decision-making

• The future of corporate purpose and stakeholder models

• Philosophical foundations of business ethics across traditions and regions

• Business ethics and political economy: inequality, debt, and global trade

• Ethics of social enterprise, impact investing, and inclusive innovation

• Global supply chains, due diligence, and ethics of care in business relationships

We particularly encourage submissions from early-career scholars, practitioner-researchers, and academics based in underrepresented regions of the world. The Congress is committed to amplifying diverse voices and fostering inclusive academic dialogue across geographical, disciplinary, and institutional boundaries.

Submission Process

Language: The Congress language is English, but we are welcoming contributions in other languages from the continent (French and Spanish).

Submission Format: All proposals must be submitted electronically to secratariat@isbee.org.

Details

The following details are valid for both abstracts and full papers: Electronic submission only. The text of all abstracts/papers must be double-spaced. Abstracts should be around 500 words. Full papers should not exceed 6,000 words. Abstracts/papers must have all these elements in order: Title / Summary / Keyword list / Body / References / Endnotes.

For panel proposals: Panel members and affiliations (placeholders for panels requiring assistance in matching). The abstracts will be peer-reviewed for relevance and rigor. The accepted abstracts may be available on the Congress website, which can be accessed through ISBEE’s website, www.isbee.org

Scholars and practitioners from around the world are invited to submit paper abstracts and panel proposals to: secratariat@isbee.org.

Key Dates

• July 9th, 2025: Launch of the call

• November 15, 2025: Abstract submission deadline

• December 15, 2025: Notification of acceptance

• April 30, 2026: Full paper and full-panel content submission

• July 14–16, 2026: 8th ISBEE World Congress, Yaoundé, Cameroon

Additional information regarding submission instructions will be available on the ISBEE website (www.isbee.org) and the EthicsLab website (www.ethicslabucac.net)

Supervising/organizing Committee

Thierry Ngosso (University of St. Gallen/UCAC/Maroua) – thierry.ngosso@unisg.ch

Bryan Robinson (Tshwane University of Technology) – RobinsonBMK@tut.ac.za

Symphorien Ntibagirirwa (University of Burundi) – nsymphorien@yahoo.fr

Keynote speakers (TBD)

- At least 1 to 2 African-based scholar/speakers

Venue

Palais des Congrès de Yaoundé, Bastos, Yaoundé.

Conference gala dinner

UCAC Gymanse, Nkolbisson, July 16, 2026

About the ISBEE World Congress

The ISBEE World Congress is often referred to as the “Olympics of Business Ethics” and attracts leading scholars and practitioners from around the world to examine comparative approaches to some of the most pressing ethical issues facing businesses and their stakeholders. It has been held every fourth year from 1996 in a location chosen not only for its practical accessibility but also its strategic importance to the global economy: 1996 in Tokyo, Japan, 2000 in São Paulo, Brazil, 2004 in Melbourne, Australia, 2008 in Cape Town, South Africa, 2012 in Warsaw, Poland, 2016, in Shanghai, China and 2022 in Bilbao, Spain. In 2026 from July 14-16, the eighth ISBEE World Congress will be hosted in Yaoundé, Cameroon, by the Catholic University of Central Africa (UCAC) and the Ethics and Public Policy Laboratory (EthicsLab).

ISBEE President: Prof. Florian Wettstein, The University of St. Gallen (florian.wettstein@unisg.ch), ISBEE Vice-President: Prof. Christopher Wong Michaelson (cmmichaelson@stthomas.edu)ISBEE Secretary: Dr. Thierry Ngosso, The Universities of St. Gallen, Central Africa & Maroua (thierry.ngosso@unisg.ch)
