About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

74 U. Cin. L. Rev. 55 (2005-2006)
Business and Human Rights

handle is hein.journals/ucinlr74 and id is 67 raw text is: BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS David Weissbrodt* I. INTRODUCTION Whether it is Nazi industrialists using slave labor from concentration camps or central African rebels exploiting local farmers and natural resources to supply international businesses, human rights atrocities are all too often committed in the name of corporate profitability. The international community's tendency to look the other way has been similarly, and regrettably, frequent. Although some treaties could be interpreted as applying to non-state entities, most of the development of international law has focused on state actors. As human rights abuses have persisted worldwide, so too have various attempts to establish international standards for corporate actions. Those efforts have been less than productive, however, because they have largely been without strong implementation methods or support from the United Nations. But now, the United Nations has begun to develop a significant international standard: Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Regard to Human Rights (the Norms). While maintaining a state's duty to enforce human rights, the Norms go a long way toward ensuring that international companies respect workers' equality of opportunity and treatment; avoid corruption; follow national and local laws; and protect the environments and residents where they operate. The U.N. Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights has approved the Norms and has submitted them to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. While issues with the proposed Norms remain to be resolved, the Norms represent a crucial step toward ensuring international corporate social responsibility. This Article begins with a discussion of why one should be concerned with, or at least interested in, the human rights conduct of corporations. * Regents Professor and Fredrikson & Byron Professor of Law, University of Minnesota. The author served as a member of the U.N. Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights 1996-2003. He was elected the Chairperson of the Sub-Commission for 2001-2002. He also served as a member of the Sub-Commission's Working Group on the Working Methods and Activities of Transnational Corporations. This Article, however, reflects his views and not necessarily the positions of those institutions. The author wishes to thank Muria Kruger, Bridget Marks, and Mary Rumsey for their assistance in preparing this Article.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most