scholarly journals Transcending the Binary: Linking Hard and Soft Law Through a UNGPS-Based Framework Convention

AJIL Unbound ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 114 ◽  
pp. 186-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Methven O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Soft Law ◽  
Business And Human Rights ◽  
Guiding Principles ◽  
The Right

Achieving respect for human rights by businesses requires not making the “right” choice between hard and soft law but establishing an architecture to sustain a constructive dialectic between the two. This essay argues that a business and human rights treaty modelled as a framework convention and centered initially on the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) offers such a structure while avoiding the shortcomings of treaty proposals advanced to date.

scholarly journals BISNIS DAN HAK ASASI MANUSIA: APA YANG DILAKUKAN ASEAN?

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Muhammad Insan Tarigan
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Soft Law ◽  
Business And Human Rights ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Protection Of Human Rights ◽  
Guiding Principles ◽  
Rights Issues

Multinational corporations (MNCs) are business actors who have activities beyond a country's boundaries. This MNCs activities cannot be denied to have an influence on human social life, one of them is human rights. With those regards, regulations at international level have difficulties, because MNCs have not been recognized as the subject of international law. Furthermore, in the context of human rights, MNCs cannot be held accountable, because in this case only the country as the duty bearer of human rights. These conditions make no rules that can bind MNCs behavior to human rights. This article will focus on discussing how the international community takes action on business and human rights issues and the measures that ASEAN can take to engage in business and human rights issues in Southeast Asia. Although, there are some international rules that are born from various international cooperation, but the nature of the rule is the majority of soft law. These business and human rights issues became the international community's attention for a long time until finally the United Nations (UN) Representative made UN Guiding Principles, which also known as Ruggie's Principles. Southeast Asia through AICHR can take several actions to advance the protection of human rights related to business activities as contained in UNGPs and Ruggie's principles, such as AICHR can undertake study literature, encourage Member States to take effective action, engage in dialogue and consultation with organs of ASEAN, community organizations, and other stakeholders, and create a binding legal instrument concerning business and human rights.Multinational corporations (MNCs) merupakan pelaku bisnis yang memiliki aktivitas melewati batas suatu negara. Kegiatan MNCs ini tidak bisa dipungkiri memiliki pengaruh terhadap kehidupan sosial manusia, salah satunya hak asasi manusia (HAM). Pengaturan di tingkat internasional mengalami kesulitan, karena MNCs belum diakui sebagai subjek hukum internasional. Kemudian dalam konteks HAM, MNCs tidak dapat dimintai pertanggungjawaban, karena dalam hal ini hanya negaralah sebagai pemegang kewajiban (duty bearer) HAM. Kondisi tersebut membuat tidak ada aturan yang mengikat perilaku MNc terhadap HAM. Artikel ini akan fokus mendiskusikan bagaimana masyarakat internasional mengambil tindakan terhadap permasalahan bisnis dan HAM serta langkah-langkah yang dapat dilakukan oleh ASEAN untuk ikut membicarakan bisnis dan HAM di Asia Tenggara. Meskipun, ada beberapa aturan internasional yang lahir dari berbagai kerjasama internasional, tetapi sifat dari aturan tersebut mayoritas soft law. Persoalan bisnis dan HAM ini menjadi perhatian masyarakat internasional dalam jangka waktu yang lama hingga pada akhirnya Perwakilan Bangsa-Bangsa (PBB) membuat UN Guiding Principles yang juga dikenal sebagai Ruggies Principles. Asia Tenggara melalui AICHR dapat melakukan beberapa langkah untuk memajukan perlindungan HAM yang berkaitan dengan aktivitas bisnis seperti yang tertuang di dalam UNGPs dan Ruggies principles, seperti AICHR dapat melakukan study literature, mendorong negara-negara anggota untuk mengambil tindakan yang efektif, melaksanakan dialog dan konsultasi dengan organ-organ ASEAN, organisasi kemasyarakatan, dan stakeholder yang lain, serta membuat instrument hukum yang mengikat tentang bisnis dan HAM.

scholarly journals When Rights Enter the CSR Field: British Firms’ Engagement with Human Rights and the UN Guiding Principles

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvise Favotto ◽  
Kelly Kollman
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Global Markets ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Due Diligence ◽  
New Governance ◽  
Business And Human Rights ◽  
Market Competitiveness ◽  
Guiding Principles ◽  
Corporate Social

AbstractThe adoption of the Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights by the United Nations (UNGPs) in 2011 created a new governance instrument aimed at improving the promotion of human rights by business enterprises. While reaffirming states duties to uphold human rights in law, the UNGPs called on firms to promote the realization of human rights within global markets. The UNGPs thus have sought to embed human rights more firmly within the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and to use CSR practices to improve corporate human rights accountability. In this paper, we explore how this incorporation of human rights into the CSR field has affected the business practices and public commitments British firms have made to promote human rights. We analyse the CSR reports published by the 50 largest British firms over a 20-year period starting in the late 1990s and interview senior CSR managers of these firms. We find that these firms have expanded how they articulate their responsibility for human rights over time. These commitments however remain largely focused on improving management practices such as due diligence and remediation procedures. Firms are often both vague and selective about which substantive human rights they engage with in light of their concerns about their market competitiveness and broader legitimacy. These outcomes suggest that, while firms cannot completely resist the normative pressures exerted by the CSR field, they retain significant resources and agency in translating such pressure into concrete practices.

Holding Companies Responsible? The Criminal Liability of Australian Corporations for Extraterritorial Human Rights Violations

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Radha Ivory ◽  
Anna John
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Joint Venture ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Criminal Investigation ◽  
Corporate Misconduct ◽  
Holding Companies ◽  
Business And Human Rights ◽  
Guiding Principles

Allegations of extraterritorial corporate misconduct illustrate the global dimensions of Australia’s challenge to implement the United Nations (‘UN’) Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (‘Guiding Principles’).In the mid-1990s, companies in the BHP Billiton group faced claims that they had polluted a river in Papua New Guinea, thereby causing damage to the customary lands and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples.Less than a decade later, the Australian Federal Police commenced a criminal investigation against an Australian-Canadian joint venture for alleged support of government violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document