Corporate responsibility and human rights: navigating between international, domestic and self-regulation

Abstract

To date, corporations have had no direct human rights obligations under international law. Nonetheless, the increasing role of non-state actors in international society, and as a consequence, the increasing impact of non-state actors on human rights can no longer be ignored. This chapter explores the factual and normative dimensions of international corporate responsibility for human rights violations. It also analyses existing mechanisms and new proposals for enhancing the accountability of transnational corporations, either through the use of ‘soft’ instruments, domestic mechanisms or through self-regulatory mechanisms.