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Harrison, James --- "Human Rights and Transnational Corporations: Establishing Meaningful International Obligations" [2010] ELECD 634; in Faundez, Julio; Tan, Celine (eds), "International Economic Law, Globalization and Developing Countries" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2010)

Book Title: International Economic Law, Globalization and Developing Countries

Editor(s): Faundez, Julio; Tan, Celine

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848441132

Section: Chapter 10

Section Title: Human Rights and Transnational Corporations: Establishing Meaningful International Obligations

Author(s): Harrison, James

Number of pages: 29

Extract:

10. Human rights and transnational
corporations: establishing
meaningful international
obligations
James Harrison*

1. INTRODUCTION

This chapter considers the value of international human rights norms and
standards as mechanisms for effectively holding transnational corpora-
tions (TNCs)1 accountable for their broader social impacts, particularly
in the context of developing countries. It argues that there are a number
of existing human rights initiatives directed at the human rights perform-
ance of TNCs. But these suffer from significant accountability gaps and
coverage problems which throw into question whether international
human rights obligations are well placed to act as a system for enhanc-
ing TNC conduct across the full range of their diverse social impacts. It
therefore focuses upon two specific methodological frameworks which are
addressed to all TNCs internationally to assess how they might contribute
to the establishment of more meaningful obligations: the Draft Norms on
the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business
Enterprises with Regard to Human Rights (`the UN Draft Norms') pro-
duced by the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of
Human Rights; and `Protect, Respect and Remedy: a Framework for
Business and Human Rights' produced by the Special Representative
of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational


* Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Warwick, Coventry,
UK.
1 This article will use the term `transnational corporation' (TNC) to describe a

company with operations in more than one country. No differentiation is intended
between this term and others such as `transnational enterprise' or ` ...