Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T22:03:38.988Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

UN Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2019

Carolin F. Hillemanns

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The United Nations Sub-Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights unanimously approved the “Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights” (the Norms) on 13 August 2003. Together with the interpretative Commentary, the Norms constitute an authoritative guide to corporate social responsibility. They are the first set of comprehensive international human rights norms specifically aimed at and applying to transnational corporations and other business entities (companies). They set out the responsibilities of companies with regard to human rights and labor rights, and provide guidelines for companies in conflict zones. They prohibit bribery and provide obligations with regard to consumer protection and the environment. General provisions of implementation include the obligation to provide reparation for a failure to comply with the Norms.

Type
European & International Law
Information
German Law Journal , Volume 4 , Issue 10 , 01 October 2003 , pp. 1065 - 1080
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 by German Law Journal GbR 

References

1 Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, Fifty-fifth session, Norms on the responsibilities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises with regard to human rights, E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/12/Rev.2 of 26 August 2003, available at: http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/TestFrame/64155e7e8141b38cc1256d63002c55e8?Opendocument.Google Scholar

2 Res. 2003/16 of 13 August 2003, in: Draft report of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, Fifty-fifth session, Draft Provisional Agenda and Adoption of the Report, of 14 August 2003.Google Scholar

3 Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, Fifty-fifth session, Commentary on the Norms on the responsibilities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises with regard to human rights, E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/38/Rev.2 of 26 August 2003, available at: http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/TestFrame/293378ff2003ceb0c1256d7900310d90?Opendocument.Google Scholar

4 Proposed text of the draft code of conduct on transnational corporations, last version: UN Doc. E/1990/94 of 12 June 1990; see also United Nations Draft International Code of Conduct on Transnational Corporations, ILM, Vol. 23, 1984, 626.Google Scholar

5 Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Address at the World Economic Forum in Davos of 31 January 1999, UN Doc. SG/SM/6448 (1999); The Global Compact, available at: http://www.unglobalcompact.org/Portal/.Google Scholar

6 ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, ILM, Vol. 17, 1978, 422, amended version available at: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/norms/sources/mne.Google Scholar

7 OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, ILM, Vol. 15, 1976, 967, updated version available at: http://www.oecd.org/department/0,2688,en_2649_34889-1-1-1-1-1,00.html.Google Scholar

8 European Commission, Green Paper: Promoting a European Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility, COM (2001) 366 final of 18 July 2001, available at: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/gpr/2001/com2001_0366en01.pdf.Google Scholar

9 Australian Corporate Code of Conduct Bill 2000, The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, The Senate (Senator Bourne), A Bill for an Act to impose standards for the conduct of Australian corporations which undertake business activities in other countries, and for related purposes, available at: http://www.natural-re-sources.org/minerals/generalforum/csr/docs/csr/Australia%20Corporate%20Code%20Bill%202000.pdf.Google Scholar

10 E.g. amnesty international, Human Rights Guidelines for Companies, available at: http://www.amnesty.org.uk/business/pubs/hrgc.shtml.Google Scholar

11 Declaration of Human Duties and Responsibilities, available at: http://www.cdp-hrc.uottawa.ca/publicat/valencia/valenc1.html.Google Scholar

12 E.g. Basic Code of Conduct covering Labor Practices adopted by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, available at: http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991209513&Language=EN.Google Scholar

13 E.g. Workplace Code of Conduct initiated by Fair Labor Association for the Apparel Industry Partnership, available at: http://www.fairlabor.org/index.html.Google Scholar

14 E.g. Shell International Petroleum Company, Statement of General Business Principles, in: Business and Human Rights – A Management Primer (1999).Google Scholar

15 E.g. Social Investment Forum, available at: http://www.socialinvest.org/.Google Scholar

16 Sub-Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, Fifty-fourth session, Human Rights Principles and Responsibilities for Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises, E/CN.4/Sub.2/2002/WG.2/WP.1/Add.1 of 24 May 2002, para. 4, 5.Google Scholar

17 See also Sub-Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, Fifty-second session, Report of the sessional working group on the working methods and activities of transnational corporations on its second session, E/CN.4/Sub.2/2000/12, of 28 August 2000, para. 26.Google Scholar

18 Sub-Commission (note 16), para. 17.Google Scholar

19 Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, Fifty-second session, Principles relating to the human rights conduct of companies, E/CN.4/Sub.2/2000/WG.2/WP.1 of 25 May 2000, para. 5.Google Scholar

20 E.g. Nongovernmental organizations welcome the new U.N. norms on transnational business, press statement of 13 August 2003, available at: http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGPOL300132003.Google Scholar

21 Joint views of the IOE and ICC on the Draft Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with regard to Human Rights of 22 July 2003, available at:Google Scholar

http:http://www.uscib.org/docs/Joint%20ICC-IOE%20Statement%20July%202003.pdf; BBC World Service “Newshour”, UN's Norms on Responsibility of Transnational Corporations, 13 August 2003, interview with D. Weissbrodt, Member of the Sub-Commission, and Thomas Niles, President of the U.S. Council for International Business, available at: http://www.uscib.org/%5Cindex.asp?documentID=2729.Google Scholar

22 Commission on Human Rights, Res. on the Prevention of Discrimination and the Protection of Minorities, Report of the Commission on Human Rights in 1949 (Fifth Session), E/1371 (1949), para. 13, sect. A. Regarding the expansion of the Sub-Commission's mandate, see Asbjorn Eide, The Sub-Commission of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, in: The United Nations and Human Rights, 211, 213-226 (Philip Alston ed., 1992).Google Scholar

23 Res. 1998/8 of 20 August 1998.Google Scholar

24 Res. 2001/2 of 15 August 2001.Google Scholar

25 Sub-Commission (note 17), para. 27, 34–36.Google Scholar

26 The term “transnational corporation” refers to an economic entity operating in more than one country or a cluster of economic entities operating in two or more countries -whatever their legal form, whether in their home country or country of activity and whether taken individually or collectively. See Norms (note 1), I. Definitions, para. 20.Google Scholar

The phrase “other business enterprise” includes any business entity, regardless of the international or domestic nature of its activities, including a transnational corporation, contractor, subcontractor, supplier, licensee or distributor; the corporate, partnership or other legal form used to establish the business entity; and the nature of the ownership of the entity. These Norms shall be presumed to apply, as a matter of practice, if the business enterprise has any relation with a transnational corporation, the impact of its activities is not entirely local or the activities involve violations of the right to security as indicated in paragraphs 3 and 4. See Norms (note 1), I. Definitions, para. 21.Google Scholar

27 BBC World Service (note 21); Sub-Commission (note 16), para. 20, 21.Google Scholar

28 ILO Tripartite Declaration (note 6).Google Scholar

29 OECD Guidelines (note 7).Google Scholar

30 Sub-Commission (note 16), para. 25.Google Scholar

31 Id., para. 24.Google Scholar

32 Id., para. 22.Google Scholar

33 Sub-Commission (note 17), para. 33.Google Scholar

34 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, GA Res. 217 (III) of 10 December 1948, preamble.Google Scholar

35 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (id.); International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (16 December 1966, GA Res. 22000 A (XXI), 21 UN GAOR Supp. 16 at 49 (entered into force 3 January 1976)); and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (16 December 1966, GA Res. 2200 A (XXI), 21 UN GAOR Supp. 16 at 52, (entered into force 23 March 1976)).Google Scholar

36 Ronald Harry Coase, The Firm, the Market, and the Law (1988).Google Scholar

37 Sub-Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, Fifty-second session, Principles relating to the human rights conduct of companies, Working paper prepared by Mr. D. Weissbrodt, E/CN.4/Sub.2/2000/WG.2/WP.1 of 25 May 2000, para. 11-14.Google Scholar

38 Stern, Klaus, Das Staatsrecht der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Vol. III/1, 2.ed, 221 (1998); see also John Locke, Zwei Abhandlungen über die Regierungen, 203 (W. Euchner ed., Der Naturzustand, 1977).Google Scholar

39 Res. 2003/16 (note 2).Google Scholar

40 Sub-Commission (note 3), para. 1 a.Google Scholar

41 Id., para. 1 b.Google Scholar

42 United Kingdom v. Tesch et al. (Zyclon B Gas Case), Law Reports of Trials of War Criminals 93, 102 (1947).Google Scholar

43 United States v. Carl Krauch et al. (The Farben Case), Vol. VIII, Trials of War Criminals before the Nuremberg Military Tribunals under Control Council Law No. 10, 1140 (1952).Google Scholar

44 See e.g. amnesty international, Defend Labour Rights, action focus on Guatemala, available at: http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/intcam/tunion/1998/guatem.htm.Google Scholar

45 Sub-Commission (note 3), para. 3 a, b.Google Scholar

46 According to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and Its Follow-Up of 18 June 1998, the fundamental rights are freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor; the effective abolition of child labor; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.Google Scholar

47 Sub-Commission (note 3), para. 7 b.Google Scholar

48 Id., 7 c, d.Google Scholar

49 Id., 7 f.Google Scholar

50 Id., 8 a-e.Google Scholar

51 Id., 9 b.Google Scholar

52 Id., 9 d.Google Scholar

53 Id., 9 e.Google Scholar

54 Id., 10 a.Google Scholar

55 Id., 10 b.Google Scholar

56 Id., 10 c.Google Scholar

57 Andrew Clapham/ Scott Jerbi, Categories of Corporate Complicity in Human Rights Abuses, 24 Hastings Journal of International and Comparative Law Review, 339 (2001); William Schabas, Enforcing humanitarian international law: Catching the accomplices, 42 Revue Internationale de la Croix-Rouge, 439 (2001).Google Scholar

58 Sub-Commission (note 3), para. 13 c.Google Scholar

59 28 United States Code § 1350: “(t)he district courts shall have original jurisdiction of any civil action by an alien for a tort only, committed in violation of the law of nations or a treaty of the United States.” The latest and most authoritative judgment, though not on the substance of the case, was rendered by the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth District in Doe I et al. v. Unocal of 18 September 2002. There is an abundant literature on the subject, see e.g. Craig Forcese, ATCA's Achilles Heel: Corporate Complicity, International Law and the Alien Tort Claims Act, 26 Yale Journal of International Law 487 (2001).Google Scholar

60 See e.g. Doelder, Hans de/ Tiedemann, Klaus (ed.), La criminalisation du comportement collectif – Criminal liability of corporations (1996); Albin Eser/ Barbara Huber/ Karin Cornils (ed.), Einzelverantwortung und Mitverantwortung im Strafrecht (1998).Google Scholar

61 Statute of the International Criminal Court, 17 July 1998, U.N. Doc. A/CONF. 183/ (1989), entered into force 1 July 2002 (92 Parties, 139 Signatories).Google Scholar

62 Andrew Clapham, The Question of Jurisdiction Under International Criminal Law Over Legal Persons, in: Liability of Multinational Corporations under International Law, 139 (Menno Kamminga/ Saman Zia-Zarifi eds., 2000).Google Scholar

63 The phrases “human rights” and “international human rights” include civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, as set forth in the International Bill of Human Rights and other human rights treaties, as well as the right to development and rights recognized by international humanitarian law, international refugee law, international labor law and other relevant instruments adopted within the UN system. See Norms (note 1), I Definitions, para. 23.Google Scholar

64 Sub-Commission (note 2), Res. 2003/16, para. 1 and 2.Google Scholar

65 Id., para. 3.Google Scholar

66 Id., para. 4.Google Scholar

67 E.g. Declaration (GA Res. 1904 (XVIII) (1963) 52-56), and subsequently Convention, on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (GA Res. 2106 A (XX) (1965), 56-69; Eide (note 22), 242-245.Google Scholar

68 Sub-Commission (note 2), para. 5.Google Scholar

69 Id., para. 6. The Sub-Commission is known for pushing the limits of its mandate, see Eide (note 22), 213-226.Google Scholar