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Estado: Publicado
Empresas: obligaciones ante las regulaciones de derechos humanos (2002)
Introducción
El sector privado acepta cada vez más el hecho de que tiene responsabilidades sociales y morales en la sociedad. Durante los últimos años, muchas empresas han adoptado códigos de conducta y han emprendido otras iniciativas voluntarias en este sentido. Sin embargo, cabe preguntarse si las empresas privadas tienen la responsabilidad legal de respetar los derechos humanos. Durante los últimos 50 años, los gobiernos del mundo han acordado – principalmente por medio de las Naciones Unidas – una serie de normas que definen y garantizan los derechos humanos y las libertades fundamentales. Dentro de este contexto es que surge entonces la interrogante con respecto al grado en que estas normas – originalmente dirigidas a los Estados – generan obligaciones vinculantes para las empresas.
El presente informe estipula las obligaciones legales que tienen los Estados cuando la actividad empresarial tiene repercusiones en el ámbito de los derechos humanos. Además analiza el grado en que pueden surgir obligaciones directas para las empresas en virtud del derecho internacional de los derechos humanos.
Equipo de investigación
La información biográfica que se presenta a continuación corresponde al período durante el cual se realizó la investigación
Director de investigación
David Petrasek, Director de Investigación, CIEDH, 1998-2002. Para obtener mayor información sobre este proyecto, comuníquese con Fairouz El Tom, Oficial de Investigación y Publicaciones, CIEDH.
Investigador principal
Nicholas Howen, ha estudiado y ejercido el derecho en Australia y era abogado internacional de los derechos humanos durante el período en que se realizó la investigación. El señor Howen también fue Director de la División de Derechos Humanos de la operación de mantenimiento de la paz de las Naciones Unidas en Angola. Durante la década de los noventa, el señor Howen fungió como asesor jurídico principal de Amnistía Internacional, donde tuvo a su cargo el Programa de Organizaciones Legales e Internacionales de la Secretaría Internacional. También ha sido consultor de derechos humanos en Asia. Se ocupó principalmente de asuntos relacionados con los derechos humanos en el Tibet y fue cofundador del Tibet Information Network.
Investigadores
Maria Socorro I. Diokno, Directora, Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), Filipinas.
Caroline Dommen, abogada internacional, International Centre on Trade and Sustainable Development, Suiza.
Tamás Gyulávári, abogado, Hungría.
Sarj Nahal, abogado, bufetes jurídicos privados de Francia y la Gran Bretaña.
Romina Picolotti, abogada; Directora del Centro de Derechos Humanos y Ambiente (CEDHA), Argentina.
Usha Ramanathan, abogada, investigadora jurídica independiente, India.
Lene Wendland, consultora en asuntos internacionales de derechos humanos.
Sam Zia-Zarifi, Asesor Superior de Investigación, Departamento de Derecho Internacional, Erasmus University, Países Bajos.
Consejeros
Christopher Avery, abogado internacional; investigador independiente.
Sumitra Dhanarajan, Asesora de Oxfam sobre estándares empresariales, Reino Unido.
Virginia Leary, Profesora de Derecho Internacional; miembro, CIEDH; colaborador de la OIT.
Deepika Udagama, Profesora de Derecho Internacional, Universidad de Colombo; Miembro Suplente de la Subcomisión de Promoción y Protección de los Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas.
Documentos
Informe
Resúmen
Documentos de trabajo
Business and Human Rights in Hungary
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en
Human Rights Concerns Arising from Corporate Activity in the Philippines
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en
Human Rights Mean Business: Broadening the Canadian Approach to Business and Human Rights
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Protection without Protectionism Linking a Multilateral Investment Treaty and Human Rights
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en
Donantes
Enlaces
Centro de Información sobre Empresas & Derechos Humanos
Human Rights and Business Project
Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (OACDH)
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA)
Organización para la Seguridad y la Cooperación en Europa (OSCE)
Standards adopted by the Council of Europe
Una cronología de los acontecimientos desde el 11 de septiembre, con vínculos analíticos (en inglés)
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“Este informe constituye un aporte significativo para el debate en esta materia y llegará a convertirse en una fuente estándar de referencia.” Peter Muchlinski, Profesor de Derecho y Negocios Internacionales, Universidad de Kent, y autor de Multinational Enterprises and the Law
“Es un informe de gran valor que plantea varios desafíos. Es un documento fundamental para el debate actual sobre el papel y las responsabilidades que las empresas tendrán en el futuro dentro del contexto de un mundo más crítico. Los argumentos se presentan con admirable claridad.” Sir Geoffrey Chandler, Fundador-Presidente, Grupo Empresarial del Reino Unido, Amnistía Internacional 1991-2001; Ejecutivo superior de Royal Dutch/Shell Group