Original scientific paper
International Convention for Transnational Corporations: A Future Addition to the UN’s Human Rights Protection System?
Davor Muhvić
orcid.org/0000-0003-1261-5398
; Faculty of Law, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
The paper analyzes possible approaches to the international legal regulation of the activities of transnational corporations with regard to human rights. The incentive for this paper was the UN Human Rights Council Resolution 26/9 of 25 June 2014 establishing an intergovernmental working group tasked with drafting a treaty in this field. As a basis of discourse about this issue a review is presented of the experiences of previous similar initiatives conducted under the auspices of the UN: the work on the Code of Conduct on Transnational Corporations (1972-1992), Global Compact (2000), the (Draft) Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Regard to Human Rights (2003) and the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the Issue of Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises (2005-2011).
As possible approaches to the regulation of transnational corporations with regard to human rights by means of a possible treaty, the author analyzes the international legal responsibility of host states, the international legal responsibility of home states and the international legal responsibility of transnational corporations themselves. Due to the insufficiency of the existing legal solution which puts the spotlight on the responsibility of host states, it is suggested as the best solution the combination of all three forms of responsibility. However, because of the problems implied by the application of home states responsibility and the responsibility of transnational corporations, the scope of responsibility of these entities should be narrowing in the following direction: host state – home state – transnational corporation.
Keywords
transnational corporations; human rights violations; international legal responsibility; host states; home states
Hrčak ID:
176330
URI
Publication date:
30.12.2016.
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