The Ruggie Rules: Applying Human Rights Law to Corporations

Abstract

This chapter examines the relationship between John Ruggie's work as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and the evolution of corporate obligations under human rights law. It describes Ruggie's positions: corporations may be liable for committing international crimes; corporations can be complicit in a state violation if they knowledgeably assist in its commission, even if they did not intend the violation to occur; and the state duty to protect does not extend extraterritorially, although states should nevertheless encourage corporations to respect human rights abroad. These positions will help to inform, although they will certainly not end, the ongoing debate over how international law should address corporate abuses of human rights. The debate over the application of human rights law to corporations has never questioned that corporations can have enormous effects on the enjoyment of human rights or that they have been involved in massive human rights abuses. Keywords:human rights law; international crimes; international law; Ruggie; SRSG