CSR and human rights: towards an international treaty binding on multinationals
In July 2018, the UN Human Rights Council published the first version of an international treaty to compel transnational corporations to respect human rights.
Since the « Guiding principles on business and human rights« adoption of this text would be a first human rights treaty of binding value.
This first draft treaty* which will be discussed in October 2018 in Geneva, is clearly oriented towards victims:
- Effective access to justice, with access to justice not only in the country where the violations took place, but also in the country where the parent house is located.
- Redress for human rights violations committed in the context of transnational economic activities;
- Prevention of repeated violations...
Some aspects of the prevention and follow-up of actions to limit the risks of violations of international human rights law are based on the French law on the duty of vigilance :
Risk mapping across supply chain and communication on the effectiveness of policy responses (communication on progress – CoP).
Human rights associations regret, however, that the text contains no direct obligation of undertakingsand concrete measures to regulate respect for human rights, as is the case in French law.
* Official document « Draft legally binding instrument to regulate, in international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises » (UN HRC – July 2018) available on request.
Source(s): www.novethic.fr | www.ohchr.org