From Rhetoric to Practice: Implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

从言辞到实践：实施联合国工商业与人权指导原则

• 批准号: ES/L001624/1
• 负责人: Robert McCorquodale
• 金额: $ 3.8万
• 依托单位: University of Sheffield
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2014 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ES%2FL001624%2F1
• 关键词: Rhetoric; Practice; Implementing; UN; Guiding

In December 2012 the 1st Annual Business and Human Rights Forum took place at the United Nations in Geneva to consider how best to implement the UN's Guiding Principles on Human Rights (UNGPs). These Principles were unanimously approved by the Human Rights Council in June 2011 after several years of work by the UN Secretary General's Special Representative on Business and Human Rights, John Ruggie. Over 1000 participants attended the Forum, representing 85 countries, including 50 State delegations, 150 companies and 180 civil society organizations, as well as other groups, illustrating the importance of the UNGPs as the current focus of the ongoing global debate about the responsibility of business actors for human rights violations. At the 2012 Forum, Ruggie himself emphasised the importance of the UNGPs, stating that they 'prescribe paths for strengthening and better aligning public governance with social compliance mechanisms and corporate governance in relation to business and human rights' and that 'they aim to generate a mutually reinforcing dynamic that produces cumulative change.' This seminar series will examine the extent to which the UNGPs can ensure business compliance with human rights standards and whether they are in fact acting as an effective catalyst for change.The UNGPs establish three pillars: the State duty to protect human rights; the responsibility of business actors to respect human rights; and access to remedy. This ESRC Seminar Series proposes a thematic approach to the key implementation issues that emerged from the 2012 Forum and cuts across all three of the so-called 'Protect Respect Remedy' pillars. For example, during the inaugural Forum, concerns were expressed by business actors that many States are failing to uphold their human rights obligations and are seeking to scapegoat the business community for their own failures. Representatives of indigenous groups objected to the lack of specific understanding of the challenges facing indigenous communities and the failure to include indigenous rights within the UNGPs. Civil society generally complained about the lack of effective judicial and non-judicial remedies. These issues affect all business actors in all sectors whether based in the UK or elsewhere.Building on existing national and international networks, this ESRC seminar series will bring together stakeholders from a variety of academic disciplines (law, geography, politics, international relations), the business sector (law firms, industry) and civil society (National Human Rights Institutions, Non-Governmental Organisations). Participants will contribute to the Annual UN Business and Human Rights Forum 2013 and beyond, as well as to the ongoing work of the Business and Human Rights Working Group established under the UNGPs with a view to influencing future implementation policy. UN Working Group members are keen to attend the Series events and a mechanism will be established to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between seminar participants and the UN Working Group. A series of nine one-day seminars will take place with core group of participants and 6-8 funded speakers will be invited from academia, NGOs, international and regional organisations, government, the legal profession and industry. Additional speakers may be invited at the expense of the host institution. A report from each seminar will be submitted to the UN Working Group, with a final report with recommendations being submitted at the end of the project. In addition, an edited collection of papers from seminars will be published as well as a special edition of the Journal of Conflict and Security Law. It is also hoped that the seminar series will help to establish a network of interested parties who could go on to apply for larger research grants in the area, such as the EU-funded Horizon 2020.

2012年12月，第一届年度商业和人权论坛在日内瓦联合国举行，以审议如何最好地执行联合国人权指导原则。经过联合国秘书长商业与人权事务特别代表约翰·鲁吉数年的努力，人权理事会于2011年6月一致批准了这些原则。来自85个国家的1000多名与会者出席了论坛，其中包括50个国家代表团、150家公司和180个民间社会组织以及其他团体，这表明联合国民间社会行动方案作为目前正在进行的关于企业行为者对侵犯人权行为的责任的全球辩论的焦点的重要性。在2012年的论坛上，鲁吉本人强调了UNGP的重要性，他说，UNGP规定了加强和更好地将公共治理与商业和人权方面的社会合规机制和公司治理保持一致的途径，并表示它们旨在产生一种相辅相成的动力，产生累积变化。这一系列研讨会将审查《联合国人权行动计划》在多大程度上能够确保企业遵守人权标准，以及它们是否实际上是变革的有效催化剂。《联合国全球行动计划》确立了三大支柱：国家保护人权的责任；商业行为者尊重人权的责任；以及获得补救的途径。本ESRC研讨会系列提出了一种主题方法，以解决2012年论坛出现的关键执行问题，并跨越所有三个所谓的“保护尊重补救”支柱。例如，在首届论坛期间，工商界行为者表示关切，认为许多国家未能履行其人权义务，并试图为自己的失败找工商界的替罪羊。土著团体的代表反对对土著社区面临的挑战缺乏具体了解，以及未能将土著权利纳入《联合国土著人民权利方案》。民间社会普遍抱怨缺乏有效的司法和非司法补救办法。这些问题影响到所有部门的所有商业行为者，无论是总部设在英国还是其他地方。这个ESRC研讨会系列将在现有的国家和国际网络的基础上，将来自各种学术学科(法律、地理、政治、国际关系)、商业部门(律师事务所、行业)和公民社会(国家人权机构、非政府组织)的利益攸关方聚集在一起。与会者将为2013年及以后的年度联合国商业和人权论坛以及根据《联合国全球政策框架》设立的商业和人权工作组正在开展的工作作出贡献，以期影响未来的执行政策。联合国工作组成员热衷于参加系列活动，并将建立一个机制，促进研讨会参与者与联合国工作组之间的协作与合作。研讨会包括九个为期一天的研讨会，核心参加者包括6至8名获资助的讲者，他们分别来自学术界、非政府组织、国际及地区组织、政府、法律界及业界。可以邀请更多的发言者，费用由主办机构承担。每个研讨会的报告将提交给联合国工作组，最后报告和建议将在项目结束时提交。此外，还将出版经过编辑的研讨会论文集以及《冲突与安全法杂志》特刊。人们还希望，这一系列研讨会将有助于建立一个由感兴趣的各方组成的网络，这些各方可以继续申请该领域的更大规模的研究补助金，例如欧盟资助的地平线2020。