The Extractive Industries and Foreign Security Network

该网络调查从事自然资源开采的跨国公司及其业务所在国的安全部队所产生的不利人权影响。它将评估英国的法律和政策框架是否建立了适当的问责机制，为受害者提供补救措施，并确保在此背景下有效实施国际、区域和国内人权标准。总部设在全球北方的跨国公司有潜力通过外国直接投资、创造就业机会和基础设施项目，为全球各地的社区带来实质性利益。然而，那些从事开采自然资源的人往往造成严重的人权影响，包括极端的环境退化、剥夺土地、丧失家园和生计。由于这些公司的存在，社区和地方执法部门之间的紧张关系往往演变为暴力，导致伤亡。关于任意/不人道拘留、缺乏程序保障和获得公平审判的报道经常接踵而至。该网络为跨学科、多方利益相关者合作建立了一个论坛，在这个论坛上，这些参与者的动态被分析，冲突的社会、政治、历史和经济驱动因素被探索，英国的法律和政策回应被制定。该项目关注英国的监管架构有几个原因。采掘业的母公司在英国广泛存在，并为其经济做出了重大贡献。英国脱碳政策的目标是到2035年结束汽油和柴油汽车的销售，并促进电动汽车的采用，而获得在东道国发现的珍贵矿物是成功执行该政策不可或缺的一部分。英国议会委员会已开始认识到这是一个重要的问题领域。然而，就维护国际人权标准的意愿而言，英国目前与全球北方的比较国家不一致。尽管英国最近的诉讼显示出让母公司为其子公司造成的损害承担责任的希望，但外国警察和军事人员的介入增加了额外的复杂性，而英国法律对此缺乏应对能力。该网络以英国为重点，将促进严谨和现实的研究方案，从中可以制定切实的政策反应。此外，审视英国在全球问题中的地位，将需要（而不是排除）国际合作。该网络将通过与这些地区的学者、从业人员和国家人权机构合作，优先考虑直接受项目重点危害影响的社区（如塞拉利昂、尼日利亚和坦桑尼亚）的参与。此外，国际和区域人权标准的相关性将需要对其在世界各地司法管辖区的执行情况进行比较分析。该网络在追求其目标的过程中探索了一系列交叉问题。其中包括：i)英国在规范其公司与外国安全部门之间互动方面的作用；ii)联合王国现有法律和政策框架的适用性，以及其参与相关国际和地区标准的质量；冲突的社会、政治、经济和历史驱动因素；（四）管理东道国、本国和非国家行为体之间复杂的动态关系。这些问题将在由布里斯托尔大学和达勒姆大学主办的3个跨学科、多方利益相关者研讨会上进行调查，并得到我们的项目合作伙伴“发展中的权利和责任”的支持。该项目将产生一份研究报告、期刊文章和一系列旨在影响英国立法和政策议程的政策简报。

This network investigates the adverse human rights impacts emanating from multinational corporations (MNCs) engaged in natural resource extraction, and the security forces of the foreign States in which they operate. It will evaluate whether the UK's legal and policy frameworks establish appropriate accountability mechanisms, provide access to remedies for victims, and ensure effective implementation of international, regional and domestic human rights standards in this context.MNCs domiciled in the Global North have the potential to bring substantial benefits to communities around the globe through foreign direct investment, job creation and infrastructure projects. Yet, those engaged in the extraction of natural resources often contribute to severe human rights impacts, including extreme environmental degradation, dispossession of land, and loss of homes and livelihoods. Tensions between communities and local law enforcement arising from the presence of such companies often erupt into violence, leading to injury and death. Reports of arbitrary/inhumane detention, lack of procedural safeguards and access to fair trials often follow. The network establishes a forum for interdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder collaboration in which the dynamics of these actors are analysed, the social, political, historical, and economic drivers of conflict are explored, and UK legal and policy responses are formulated.The project focuses on the UK's regulatory architecture for several reasons. The parent companies of extractive industries have an extensive presence in the UK and make a significant contribution to its economy. Access to precious minerals found in host states is integral to the successful execution of the UK's decarbonisation policy which aims to end the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2035 and promote adoption of electric vehicles. UK Parliamentary committees have begun to recognise this as an important issue-area. Yet, the UK is presently out of step with its comparators in the Global North in terms of its willingness to uphold international human rights standards. While recent UK litigation shows promise in terms of holding parent companies to account for harms produced by their subsidiaries, the involvement of foreign police and military personnel adds extra layers of complexity to which English law is ill-equipped to respond.The network's UK-focus will facilitate a rigorous and realistic programme of research from which tangible policy responses can be developed. Moreover, examining the UK's position within a global problematic will demand, rather than preclude, international collaboration. The network will prioritise participation from communities directly affected by the harms that form the project's focus (e.g. Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Tanzania) by engaging with scholars, practitioners and National Human Rights Institutions in these regions. Additionally, the relevance of international and regional human rights standards will require comparative analysis of their implementation in jurisdictions the world over.The network explores a range of cross-cutting issues in pursuit of its objectives. These include: i) the UK's role in regulating interactions between its companies and the security services of foreign States; ii) the suitability of the UK's existing legal and policy frameworks and the quality of its engagement with relevant international and regional standards; iii) the social, political economic and historical drivers of conflicts; iv) the management of the complex dynamics between host, home, and non-State actors. These matters will be investigated at 3 interdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder workshops hosted by the Universities of Bristol and Durham, with the support of our project partner, Rights and Accountability in Development. The project will lead to the production of a research report, journal article, and a series of policy briefs aimed at influencing the UK's legislative and policy agendas.