For many years, the Europe-Third World Centre (CETIM) and the American Association of Jurists (AAJ) are engaged in reflections and activities on the legal supervision of transnational corporations (TNCs) at the international level in order to prevent and, if need be, to sanction human rights violations committed by TNCs. This year, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) decided to consult States and NGOs about the “Draft norms on the responsibilities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises with regard to human rights”, adopted in August 2003 by the Sub-Commission for the Promotion and the Protection of Human Rights (cf. E/CN.4/Sub.2/2003/12/Rev.2).

We pass on to you (see below) a statement that we made as a response to this consultation, for it is very important that NGOs and social movements mobilize on this issue to counter pressures the International Chamber of Trade and the International Organization of Employers exert over States. Indeed, if the CHR postponed the examination of TNCs’ responsibilities with regard to human rights until next year, it is precisely due to pressure from TNCs, which produced a 42 pages document against the aforementioned draft.

For the CETIM and the AAJ


DECLARATION REGARDING THE DRAFT NORMS ON THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS AND OTHER BUSINESS ENTERPRISES WITH REGARD TO HUMAN RIGHTS

During its sixtieth session (15 March to 23 April 2004), the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) requested the High Commissioner for Human Rights to organize a consultation regarding the document Draft Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with Regard to Human Rights adopted by the United Nations Sub-Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (SCHR) in August 2003.

In response to this request, we, the undersigned movements and organizations, declare the following:

- We commend the initiative of the SCHR for having, finally, tackled the problem of the working methods of transnational corporations (TNCs), which today constitute one of the primary causes, direct or indirect, of human rights violations and of the regression of basic social, political economic and environmental rights.

- We approve without reservation the willingness of the SCHR to impose on TNCs an international legal framework in order to monitor their activities and to sanction the violations which such activities might give rise to.

- We recall, along with the SCHR, that norms of international law in the area of human and environmental rights listed in the draft are already applicable to TNCs, as they are to all other business enterprises and all other individuals. Moreover, we have pointed out that the problem is not a lack of norms – for such norms exist already – but a lack of ability or willingness on the part of governments to enforce them. To this must be added the insufficiency, indeed the inexistence, of international jurisdictional mechanisms that might adequately compensate for such inability or unwillingness.

- Consequently, we call upon the High Commissioner to support the initiative of the SCHR in order that it may succeed, and we enjoin our governments, in particular those of countries currently members of the CHR, to examine in a positive light this draft document, which will constitute, once the necessary improvements introduced, an important progress towards the legal and social control of TNCs’ activities.

The improvements that we recommend appertain to three important points that, in the present text, are treated in an unsatisfactory manner :

1. The responsibility to be attributed to TNCs for the overall process of production, distribution and marketing that they effectively control, in particular the jointly shared responsibility of TNCs with all their suppliers, sub-contractors and licensees, in so far as it is here a matter of a single economic process under their direction. It is known that TNCs have acquired the “art” of being simultaneously everywhere and nowhere, of externalizing costs and risks while retaining the profits. The practical application of this acknowledged legal principle would permit victims to demand reparation either of all those responsible or of those of the victims’ choice and convenience, in function of the targeted TNCs’ profitability and other criteria.

2. The introduction of the individual civil and criminal responsibility of the directors of TNCs, to wit those who make decisions of a strategic order, as owners, managers or members of the board of directors. It is known that in the case of violations and trials, it is the executors, middle-level managers or workers, who are sanctioned – if, indeed, there is any sanction at all! – as the chain of command leading to the incriminating actions is, for the most part, discreetly broken, camouflaged or hidden.

3. Monitoring measures. This is one of greatest shortcomings of the project. A considerable amount of work must yet be undertaken to sketch out compulsory enforcement mechanisms that are really effective, especially at the international level.

Thus, we call also upon governments and upon UN bodies, in conformity with the duty to promote human rights above all other considerations, to dare to confront collectively the pressure of these corporations in order not only to make this project succeed but also to improve it.

Given the claims of transnational corporations that go on acting in spite of and outside the law, it is up to the governments and the relevant UN bodies to show determination in the accomplishment of their mandates and their obligation to defend democracy and human rights.

The abandonment or the indeterminate postponement of the draft study will be considered as the abdication of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and the governments in view of the arrogance of the international economic power.


LIST OF 85 SIGNATORIES - 06/08/2004

Actares – actionnariat pour une économie durable
Akuaipa Waimakat - Asociación para la divulgación, promoción y defensa de los derechos humanos e indígenas de los territorios y asentamientos Wayuu de la Guajira
Alternativa Solidaria - Plenty
Amorces
Anti-Racism Information Service (ARIS)
Arbeitskreis Tourismus & Entwicklung

Associación Americana de Juristas
Asociación Anahí - La Plata, Argentina
Asociación Latinoamericana de Abogados Laboralistas
Asociación Libre de Abogados de Madrid
Asociación PROYDE (Promoción y Desarrollo)
Asociación Vasca de Abogados (ESKUBIDEAK)
Assemblée Européenne des Citoyens
Associação Brasileira de Advogados Trabalhistas (ABRAT)
Associação Luso-Brasileira de Juristas do Trábalho – Portugal
Association des Juristes Saharaouis (UJS)
Association internationale de techniciens, experts et chercheurs (AITEC)
Association internationale des juristes démocrates (AIJD)
Association Taralift
Attac Espagne
Attac Maroc-Groupe de Rabat
Bangsa Adat Alifuru
Campaña la deuda o la vida - Mar del Plata, Argentina
Centre de Documentation et d'Information pour le Développement, les Libertés et la Paix (CEDIDELP)
Centre de Documentation Solidarité Internationale Développement Durable Droits de l’Homme (CRISLA)
Centre de Documentation Tiers Monde (CDTM)
Centre d'Etudes et d'Initiatives de Solidarité Internationale (CEDETIM)

Centre Europe Tiers Monde (CETIM)
Centro de Derechos Económicos y Sociales (CEDES) - Ecuador
Comisión para la defensa de los derechos humanos en Centroamérica (CODEHUCA)
Comité pour l’Annulation de la Dette du Tiers-Monde (CADTM)
Commission Socialiste de Solidarité Internationale (CSSI)
Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT) – España
Confederación indígena tayrona
Confederación Sindical de Comisiones Obreras (CC.OO.)
Confédération Mondiale du Travail (CMT)
Conseil International des Femmes
Conseil national des droits des peuples autochtones
Consejo Indio Exterior
Consejo Regional Indigena del Cauca (CRIC)
Conservation Cultural Act
Déclaration de Berne
Dignidad y Desarrollo para el Sur (DiDeSUR)
Echanges et Partenariats
Emaus fundación social - España
Estudio jurídico Tilsa Albani – Moira Villarroel - Argentine et Uruguay
Federación Mundo Cooperante de España
Fédération Internationale des Mouvements d’Adultes Ruraux Catholiques (FIMARC)
Fédération nationale des éleveurs centrafricaine
Fédération Syndicale Mondiale (FSM)
Front Siwa-Lima
Fundación Española para la Cooperación Solidaridad Internacional
Fundación Paz y Solidaridad Serafín Aliaga
German Peace Council / Berlin
Groupe de Réalisations et d’Animation pour le Développement (GRAD)
Instituto Latinoamericano de Servicios Legales Alternativos (ILSA) – Colombia
International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) & Geneva Infant Feeding Association
International Educational Development
International Federation of Tamil
International Indian Treaty Council
International Organization for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (EAFORD)

Intersindical-CSC
International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations (ISMUN)
Japan Lawyers International Solidarity Association (JALISA)
Japanese Association for UN Voluntary Fund
League Demanding State Compensation for the Victims of the Public Order Maintenance Law / Japan
Les Amis de la Terre – Comité du Rhône, France
Ligue Internationale pour les Droits et la Libération des Peuples (LIDLIP)
Mouvement Contre le Racisme et Pour l’Amitié Entre les Peuples
Movimiento Indio Tupaj Amaru
Murkele Organization
National Lawyers Guild / USA
Nord-Sud XXI
Observatorio Vasco de Derechos Humanos - Behatokia
RIDPA-GEDPA
Socialpress – Italia
Solidarité pour les Peuples Autochtones des Amériques (SOPAM)
SOLIFONDS
Swiss Federation of Tamils
Tebtebba Foundation
Vanakkam Group
Walang Alifuru
West Africa Coalition for Indigenous Peoples Rights (WACIPR)
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
World Peace Council

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