UN Norms on Transnational Business
  Historically,
international human rights laws focused on state responsibilities,
even if international laws also placed obligations on businesses.
But in a globalising world, companies have expanded the power
and scope of their actions. It has become necessary to clearly
identify their obligations and to formulate a set of norms
unifying the key international human rights laws, standards
and best practices applying to all businesses.
During the 55th session of Sub-Commission
on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights F.I. expressed
its strong support for the Norms on the Responsibilities of
Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises
with regard to Human Rights (E/CN.4Sub.2/2003/12/Rev.2), as
well as its Commentary (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/38/Rev.1), submitted
by a working group of experts. F.I. urged the Sub-Commission
to adopt these norms. The norms were unanimously approved
on August 13th 2003 (resolution 2003/16).
F.I. also emphasised the need for an
efficient, effective and constraining mechanism of implementation
and monitoring.
| Offical
Documents: Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational
Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Regard
to Human Rights. |
French
English
Commentary
A Legal Set of Rules for World Business
The UN Norms on Transnational Business is the first set of
comprehensive international human rights norms applying specifically
to transnational corporations and other businesses. These
new U.N. Human Rights Norms, and the accompanying interpretative
Commentary, constitute an authoritative interpretation of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
The norms restate relevant principles
and obligations established by the Universal Declaration,
the human rights treaties, the labor, environmental, consumer
protection, and anti-corruption treaties, and other international
instruments. They are therefore a useful checklist for companies
to use so as to accord with the international norms. No responsible
corporation wants to be a party to abusive working conditions
or other human rights violations. It is in their best interest,
and the interests of their workers, shareholders, communities,
and other stakeholders to conform to these norms. The norms
provide them with clear rules, and a more stable legal environment.
In a world where poverty, disease,
violence, crime, war, regional conflicts and human rights
abuses persist, these clear international standards will help
to ensure that businesses will do their part to solve, and
not exacerbate, them.
F.I. consider these norms as a substantial
contribution to long-term development and poverty reduction.
We call on the business community to put them into practice,
to governments to integrate them into their internal legal
system, and to the international community for the creation
of an international monitoring mechanism, and for an efficient
and effective mechanism to implement them.
These norms may already be opposed
to the practices of some companies. It is our responsibility
to make them known in our community and to refer to them whenever
it is necessary.
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Statements on Business and Human Rights at the United
Nations:
Franciscans International, as an NGO with General Consultative
Status with the Economic and Social Council, delivers
official written and oral interventions before United
Nations forums in New York and Geneva, Switzerland. Listed
below are Franciscans International statements on Business
and Human Rights:
2005
"Summary Report." A written statement presented at the
Commission on Human Rights (61st Session) 2005. (2005-04-22)
2004
"UN Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations (oral statement)." An oral statement presented at the
United Nations,
Commission on Human Rights,
60th Session, UN Geneva,
15 March – 23 April 2004, . (2004-04-19)
2003
"Item 4: Economic, social, and cultural rights - EXTREME POVERTY/UN norms on TRANSNATIONAL BUSINESSES." An oral statement presented at the
UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion
and Protection of Human Rights. (2003-08-28)
1999
"Item 4: The Realization of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.." An oral statement presented at the
UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights, Fifty-second session. (1999-08-02)
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