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Features

Introduction

During the past few decades, with limited success, the United Nations Secretariat, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN human rights treaty committees, activists, non-governmental agencies, and foundations have encouraged national governments to protect and promote human rights. However, it has become clear that national governments no longer have the resources to fund the realization of economic rights, such as the right to housing, the right to education, the right to work, the right to social security, the right to a clean and safe environment, and the right to health. As a result, the UN human rights system and its supporters are now expecting transnational corporations to "respect" human rights, which, depending on one's perspective, can mean anything from obeying national laws protecting the civil and political rights of citizens to the limitless funding of a broad range of ambiguous economic, social, and cultural rights. This section covers the UN's growing "business and human rights" agenda, which works in the context of a complex adaptive matrix of human rights governance networks.

Documents

Resources

Commentary

Commentary

Bebchuk and Tallarita: The Illusory Promise of Stakeholder Governance

Cornell Law Review
Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A: The ABCS Of ESG
White & Case: The Rise of Stakeholder Capitalism
Edmans: Two Years Later, Has the Business Roundtable Statement Transformed Capitalism?
Ten Key Proposals for the Treaty

By International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and International Federation for Human Rights
Corporate Governance for a Changing World

By Frank Bold and Cass Business School, City University of London
Business and Human Rights: Evolution and Acceptance

By Chartered Global Management Accountant
Business and Human Rights Indicators to Measure the Corporate Responsibility to Respect: Challenges and Opportunities

By Damiano de Felice
U.N. Guiding Principles: Reflections on the Last Five Years

By Sarah Altschuller
Can Stopping "Tax Dodging" by Multinational Enterprises Close the Gap in Development Finance?

By Maya Forstater
Adding Human Rights Punch to the New Lex Mercatoria: The Impact of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights on Commercial Legal Practice

By John Gerard Ruggie and John F. Sherman, III
Corporate Social Responsibility or UN Corporate Governance?: Reflections on the United Nations Draft Human Rights Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Companies in relation to Access to Medicines

By John Gardner and Jim Kelly
Multinational Businesses and the Matrix of Human Rights Governance Networks

By Jim Kelly
Transnational Corporations and Human Rights: An Evolutionary Perspective

By Jim Kelly
How Corporate Social Responsibility (ISO 26000) Mandates Undermine Free Markets

By James M. Roberts
Multinational Corporations, Transnational Law: The United Nations’ Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations as a Harbinger of Corporate Social Responsibility in International Law

By Larry Catá Backer
Rights and Accountability in Development (Raid) V Das Air and Global Witness V Afrimex: Small Steps Toward an Autonomous Transnational Legal System for the Regulation of Multinational Corporations

By Larry Catá Backer
On the Evolution of the United Nations’ “Protect-Respect-Remedy” Project: The State, the Corporation and Human Rights in a Global Governance Context

By Larry Catá Backer
From Institutional Misalignments to Socially Sustainable Governance: The Guiding Principles for the Implementation of the United Nations Protect, Respect and Remedy and the Construction of Inter-Systemic Global Governance

By Larry Catá Backer
Private Actors and Public Governance Beyond the State: The Multinational Corporation, the Financial Stability Board and the Global Governance Order

By Larry Catá Backer
Democratizing International Business and Human Rights by Catalyzing Strategic Litigation: The Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the U.N. Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights from the Bottom Up

By Larry Catá Backer, Nabih Haddad, Romonori Teraoka, and Keren Wang
Partnering to Strengthen Public Governance: The Leadership Challenge for CEOs and Boards

By Various Authors
Human Rights Impact Assessments Discussion Paper

By John Ruggie
Corporations and Human Rights: Accountability Mechanisms for Resolving Complaints and Disputes

By The Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative
BLIHR Report 3: Towards a “Common Framework” on Business and Human Rights: Identifying Components

By Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights
Global Corporate Citizenship: Working with Governments and Civil Society

By Klaus Schwab
Why Bill Gates Hates My Book

By William Easterly
Creative Capitalism

By William H. Gates
Why the U.S. Should Oppose International Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Mandates

By James M. Roberts and Andrew W. Markley, Heritage Foundation
Business Responsibilities for Human Rights and Climate Change

By Sara L. Seck, Dalhousie University - Schulich School of Law
Multinationals as global institution: Power, authority and relative autonomy

By John Gerard Ruggie, Harvard University Kennedy School of Government
Climate Litigation against Companies: An Overview of Legal Arguments

By Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
Gender-Responsive Due Diligence for Business Actors: Human Rights-Based Approaches

By Joanna Bourke Martignoni & Elizabeth Umlas, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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