Title: Human Rights, Business and Development by Lowell Ewert Conrad Grebel University College
1Human Rights, Business and Developmentby Lowell
EwertConrad Grebel University College
- MEDA Conference
- November 2, 2007
2Overview of session
- Overview of historical reasons for emergence of
human rights paradigm - Impact of new paradigm on
- Nations
- Businesses
- Civil Society organizations
- Application
3The challenge
- Being successful at business or development is
difficult enough without adding additional
burdens which may not be the core responsibility
of good business practice.
4Watershed moment
- World War II
- Hermann Goering But that was our right!
- Nazis for most part did not violate written
international in treatment of civilians - Nuremberg Victors
- Found Nazi claims repugnant, unacceptable
5New paradigm
- Universal Declaration
- World reaction was to find another way
- If world is to have peace, human rights need to
be respected - Eleanor Roosevelt Dont worry.
- No negative votes, 8 abstentions (Russia and
Socialist bloc, S. Africa, Saudi Arabia)
6Scope of Universal Declaration
- Proclaims the Declaration as a common
standard of achievement for all peoples and all
nations, to the end that every individual and
every organ of society . shall strive by
teaching and education to promote respect for
these rights and freedoms
7Human rights vaccine for war
- Liberty
- Charter of Rights
- Equality
- Economic, social and cultural
- Food, jobs, health care, standard of living
- Fraternity
- Self-determination
- Environment
- Peace
8Impact on Governments unanticipated change 1
- Accountability changed
- Nations now were accountable to something other
than themselves - Limits were placed on sovereignty
- Impact
- More change of international law in last 60 years
than previous 600 - Every area of life impacted by human rights
9Impact on Civil Society unanticipated change
2
- Preamble of Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- every individual and every organ of society .
shall strive by teaching and education to promote
respect for human rights and to secure their
universal and effective observance - Civil Society organizations began to investigate
link between human rights and development
10Impact of rights
- Famines
- Natural disasters
- Refugees
- Environmental degradation
- Disease and
- Poverty.
11Core values of human rights
- Core values of human rights
- Participation
- Accountability and
- Peace-able change.
12Rights-approach to development
- Concept is about 10 15 years old
- PPIC-Work is one of best examples of RBA
- Working children
- To improve working conditions
- Loans as incentives
13Glass half full or half empty?
- If the development glass is half empty, what is
the solution to poverty? - If the development glass is half full, what is
the solution to poverty?
14Common RBA approaches
- Based on some aspect of hard law
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Economic, Social and Cultural Covenant
- Civil and Political Covenant
- National law.
- Strategy
- Look to see what law requires
- Implement it.
15Soft law practical manifestation
- Some independent standard with perceived
legitimacy or fairness to determine who is right
- formalized in law or contract, socially
accepted standards of behavior, reciprocity,
precedent, equality, and seniority (Ury). - Law is a process - social etiquette, may readily
be viewed as a form of legal process, church
life, the classroom, the playing field, or,
indeed, the workplace be viewed as micro legal
systems (Weston).
16Value added by including soft law
- Private law can develop law.
- Custom by expanding the effect, can create
customary law. - Capturing by writings, conferences,
dissemination, etc., can develop consensus. - Net result is creating a structure that
surrounds the issue.
17Impact of law creation
- PPIC-Work is about a process, not just an
outcome. - PPIC-Work is not just a passive implementor of
rights. - PPIC-Work is about creating rights too.
- Authority for creating rights
- Participation
- Accountability
- Change
- Dignity.
18Long-term impact of structure
- Reflecting on Peace Practice study.
- Three year effort, involving discussions with
over 200 agencies, 26 case studies, 25 feedback
workshops held in 16 countries which involved 500
people.
19Key lessons learned
20Implications for RBA
- Gains most sustainable if
- Process is central empowerment
- Ways are found to formalize gains as principles.
- PPIC-Work
- Involvement of children
- Creation of standards (Code of Conduct)
- Attempts to create custom
- Ripple effect conferences, writings, etc.
21Ten Thousand Villages another model
- How has TTV been involved in creating
structure? - What has been the impact?
22The mission statement for civil society
- Civil society is humanitys conscience, its
early-warning system, and its laboratory. It is
where the worlds thoughtful, committed citizens
go about the business of changing things for the
better. Civil society makes a transformation to
sustainability possible, because it is the place
where humanitys best traits come forth, most
strongly and most reliably. Alan AtKisson