La thèse se propose d’analyser la nature des relations générées entre le pouvoir des sociétés multinationales et transnationales et les Etats, afin de rechercher l’ensemble des obligations internationales impliquées concernant les droits de l'homme et, plus spécifiquement, celles relatives au droit universel à la santé. En effet, il est de plus en plus évident que les sociétés transnationales sont en mesure de causer des risques considérables, susceptibles de provoquer des conséquences néfastes sur le droit à la santé des individus, ou bien encore, sur les « déterminants de la santé ». À la lumière de ces considérations et en constatant l’ampleur de la problématique, la thèse se focalise sur les obligations spécifiques liées aux secteurs de l’industrie pharmaceutique, des compagnies de tabac et des multinationales du secteur alimentaire. Le travail de recherche a été rédigé selon les critères académiques utilisés classiquement en Italie et est fondée sur un argumentaire articulé en trois chapitres principaux, une introduction et une conclusion finale. / The thesis aims to analyse the nature of the relationships generated between the power of multinational and transnational corporations and States, in order to identify all the international human rights obligations involved and more specifically, those relating to the universal right to health. According to the economic system established by the Western Countries and the globalization, transnational corporations are able to cause considerable risks, which may have adverse consequences on the Human Right to Health, or even “determinants of health”. In the light of these considerations and due to the extent of the issue, the thesis has been focused on the analysis of specific obligations related to the sectors of pharmaceutical industries, the tobacco corporations and the multinational food companies. The thesis was written according to the academic criteria traditionally used in Italy and is based on argumentation articulated in three main chapters, an introduction and a final conclusion. / Il proposito della tesi è quello di offrire un’indagine accurata concernente la natura delle relazioni che si generano tra il potere delle imprese transnazionali e le autorità statali, della trama degli obblighi internazionali implicati, in modo particolare alla luce di violazioni di diritti umani che potrebbero generarsi. Il liberalismo economico, la promozione degli scambi con relativo abbattimento delle barriere territoriali, il mercato globale hanno condotto al generarsi di formazioni industriali globalizzate con forze economiche tali da influenzare gli assetti politici di un Paese, andando dunque ben oltre le funzioni specifiche di mera produzione e immissione sul mercato dei propri prodotti. Preliminarmente, è interessante capire come la dottrina internazionalistica affronta e definisce le perplessità relative alla configurazione di una soggettività di diritto internazionale “eccezionalmente riconosciuta”, che poi costituirà la base per le riflessioni a venire. La prima riguarda la transnazionalità dell’impresa. Questa peculiarità costitutiva, figlia del mercato globalizzato, consente al meccanismo del sistema produttivo di sottrarre un’unità specifica dalla riconduzione territoriale della cd. Casa madre, pur restandone parte integrante.Lo stato dell’arte del diritto internazionale prevede, in capo all’autorità statale ospitante, un obbligo incombente di regolamentazione e controllo dell’attività svolta dalle imprese sul proprio territorio. Tuttavia, nella prassi si riscontrano circostanze di Stati deboli dal punto di vista legislativo, con carenti strumenti di tutela e scarse risorse, tali da renderli proprio per questo, mete ideali di soggetti investitori che intendono eludere le più rigide disposizioni vigenti nei propri Paesi di origine.Il ruolo delle società multinazionali oggi, di quelle transnazionali in particolare per alcuni, consente di poter ridiscutere dei capisaldi di un diritto internazionale definito stato-centrico e della propria capacità di riuscire a rispondere alle esigenze dei tempi correnti. Se è vero che il diritto internazionale nasce con il precipuo scopo di regolare i rapporti tra Stati, ai quali viene attribuita un’esclusiva personalità giuridica che li rende idonei ad essere titolari di diritti e obblighi giuridici, nella prassi delle relazioni emerge una realtà molto più complessa di questa.L’istituzione dell’Open Ended Intergovernmental Working Group che proseguono il lavoro del Relatore Speciale, il Professor Ruggie, lascia trasparire quanto il tema sia al centro dello sviluppo sui diritti umani della Nazioni Unite. Sulla stessa linea si sta sviluppando una legislazione anche in seno al Consiglio d’Europa con l’adozione della raccomandazione CM/Rec (2016)3 del novembre 2016, nonché in UE con la direttiva 2014/95/UE sull’obbligo di pubblicazione delle informazioni non finanziarie.Alla luce di tali circostanze, la tesi analizza il tema specifico della responsabilità delle imprese transnazionali in materia di rispetto e promozione del diritto alla salute e dei suoi determinanti, a fronte della diffusione epidemica delle malattie non trasmissibili. Per questo il lavoro di ricerca si concentra sugli obblighi specifici relativi ai settori delle imprese farmaceutiche, produzione e commercializzazione di tabacco, food corporations.

Internationally, the debate on business and human rights has evolved within the last decade, with more efforts being made to address the issue of what role corporations play in the human rights domain. The latest international effort to address the issue was the adoption of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework” by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2011. In brief, the Guiding Principles observe that the state must protect human rights, that businesses must respect human rights, and that there should be effective remedies for human rights violations. Locally, the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled that mineworkers who are eligible to get compensation under the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act had a common law right to sue the employer for injuries sustained at work. This was despite the fact that legislation was put in place to replace the common law liability of an employer for injuries or death sustained at work. On a broader scale, the Guiding Principles then formed the yardstick for the determination of whether there are adequate and effective remedies for human rights violations in the South African mining industry. The investigation essentially leads to the conclusion that the South African state has not fallen short of its duty to protect and to provide sufficient remedies for businessrelated human rights violations in the mining industry. The forums are in place and there is legislation that also provides for compensation as remedies for either injuries or death at work. Some issues of concern are the accessibility of the structures in place to address human rights violations, the disparity between compensation provided for in different legislation, and the lack of a more proactive approach by the Human Rights Commission. / LLM (Import and export Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Internationally, the debate on business and human rights has evolved within the last decade, with more efforts being made to address the issue of what role corporations play in the human rights domain. The latest international effort to address the issue was the adoption of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework” by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2011. In brief, the Guiding Principles observe that the state must protect human rights, that businesses must respect human rights, and that there should be effective remedies for human rights violations. Locally, the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled that mineworkers who are eligible to get compensation under the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act had a common law right to sue the employer for injuries sustained at work. This was despite the fact that legislation was put in place to replace the common law liability of an employer for injuries or death sustained at work. On a broader scale, the Guiding Principles then formed the yardstick for the determination of whether there are adequate and effective remedies for human rights violations in the South African mining industry. The investigation essentially leads to the conclusion that the South African state has not fallen short of its duty to protect and to provide sufficient remedies for businessrelated human rights violations in the mining industry. The forums are in place and there is legislation that also provides for compensation as remedies for either injuries or death at work. Some issues of concern are the accessibility of the structures in place to address human rights violations, the disparity between compensation provided for in different legislation, and the lack of a more proactive approach by the Human Rights Commission. / LLM (Import and export Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Ce travail mise à étudier comment les standards internationaux de droit souple contenues dans les principes directeurs des Nations Unies relatifs aux entreprises et aux droits de l’homme sont en train d’influencer la législation européenne et celle des états membres. Le premier chapitre analyse la responsabilité (ou mieux son absence) des entreprises multinationales dans le droit international et devant les courts nationaux. Dans ce contexte, on assiste à l’affirmation des codes de conduite internationaux de droit souple. Le deuxième chapitre est concentré sur trois codes de conduite internationaux : les lignes directrices de l’OCDE, la déclaration de l’OIT et les normes des Nations Unies. Cette analyse est visée à offrir au lecteur une idée plus claire du cadre qui a porté à l’approbation des principes directeurs. Le troisième chapitre est entièrement confié à l’analyse de ces principes et leurs trois piliers, avec une attention spécifique au devoir de l’état de protéger les droits de l’homme. Finalement, le dernier chapitre étudie, à travers une méthode comparée, l’actualisation des principes directeurs par l’Union européenne et ses états membres. Cette recherche a permis de conclure que les principes directeurs sont en train d’influencer largement le processus législatif européen et national. Elle veut alors contribuer au débat concernant le rôle croissante du droit souple dans la solution des problématiques liées à la mondialisation et à la perte de puissance du principe de la souveraineté des états / The twofold aim of the research is to study how the international soft law standards laid down in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human rights (UNGPs) are shaping both the European and the National legislations, and what are the further developments expected. The first chapter explores the (lack of) responsibility of MNEs in international law and in front of national courts. In this scenario, the role of international soft law has been particularly important. The second chapter examines three different public codes of conduct regulating MNEs, The OECD Guidelines for multinational corporations, the ILO Tripartite Declaration and the UN Norms. This analysis serves to give the reader a clearer idea of the context in which the UNGPs has seen the light. The third chapter is entirely dedicated to the analysis of the UN Guiding Principles endorsed in 2011 and of their three pillar, with a special focus on the State duty to protect. Finally, the fourth chapter analyses, through a comparative method, the UNGPs implementation in the EU and in some Member states. It concludes that the UN Guiding Principles are largely influencing the European policy in this sector, and that both the European Union and the Member states are implementing this policy through several measures, both voluntary and mandatory. Finally, the research intends to make a contribution to the debate on the increasing role of international soft law in solving challenges of a globalized world where the State sovereignty principle has lost importance

This Master's thesis focuses on the possibilities of a global civil society to reduce the negative consequences of economic globalization. In the opening general part, special attention is given to problems caused by corporate strategies in production in developing countries. The current official mechanisms of corporate accountability are also discussed and considered as insufficient. Some new tendencies to promote the corporate social and environmental responsibility have emerged in recent decades. The agencies of a global civil society have been playing a very important role in these processes. The formation of a global civil society, its ambitions and risks are also studied in the general part of the thesis. The global civil society roles and possibilities of influencing the globalization processes are discussed also from the perspective of relevant theoretical concepts in the theoretical part. The empirical part of the thesis is based on a qualitative analysis of the campaign Business and Human Rights carried out by Czech global civil society organizations. The objective of this campaign is to prevent the corporations from human rights violation. Within the empirical research, the different spatial relations among the global civil society participants are studied, along with the evaluation of the...

Supply Chain Due Diligence (SCDD) is conducted by companies to minimise or even eliminate risks of being involved directly or indirectly in human rights violations. It is part of Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) requirement. Through their suppliers companies may be exposed to irresponsible business practices. Considering this, companies should be able to systematically formulate concise demand from their suppliers that they practice responsible business practices which respect human rights. Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) as management tool commonly assist companies to direct suppliers methodically in achieving their financial goals. This research attempts to repurpose SRM concepts to enable companies to conduct SCDD methodically. Defining human rights requirements into practical supplier’s evaluation system is a challenging task. Possible criteria and their indicators are discussed. The structure and processes to implement SRM framework for SCDD purposes are also described.:1. INTRODUCTION AND PROBLEM DESCRIPTION 2. INTENSIFICATION OF PURCHASING FUNCTION AND SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT FOR IMPROVED COOPERATION WITH SUPPLIERS 2.1. Procurement and Purchasing Function in Integrative Supply Chain Management 2.2. Supplier Relationship Management and Purchasing Function 2.2.1. Supplier Relationship Management Framework 2.2.2. Strategy Development 2.2.3. Supplier Observation 2.2.4. Supplier Selection 2.2.5. Classification of Suppliers and Performance Assessment 2.2.6. Cooperation and Collaborating with Suppliers 2.2.7. Development of Suppliers 2.2.8. Disturbance and Dissolution Management 3. RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SUPPLY CHAIN DUE DILIGENCE THROUGH IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING 3.1. Relation between Business and Human Rights 3.2. Human Rights Due Diligence for Companies 3.2.1. Basic Concept of Human Rights Due Diligence 3.2.2. Relating Human Rights Due Diligence to Common Commercial Due Diligence 3.2.3. Business Case for Human Rights Due Diligence from Legal and Other Perspectives 3.3. Human Rights Due Diligence with Focus on Impact Assessment 3.3.1. Approaches and Guidelines to Conduct Human Rights Impact Assessment 3.3.2. Relevance of Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) Approaches to Practical Implementation within Procurement Activities 3.4. Human Rights Reporting 3.5. Supply Chain Due Diligence Activities as Instrument to Conduct Human Rights Due Diligence 4. EVALUATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF SUPPLIERS’ PROSPECTIVE HUMAN RIGHTS PERFORMANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION RISKS: DETERMINING CRITERIA AND THEIR INDICATORS 4.1. Performance Evaluation and Indicators Development 4.2. Rationalization in Grouping Human Rights Performance Criteria into Three groups of Criteria and Weighing/Scaling/Calculation System 4.3. Sourcing and Regulation 4.3.1. General Standards and Regulations 4.3.2. Specific Product Standards and Requirements 4.3.3. Supplier’s Code of Conduct and Industry Initiatives 4.4. Political and Social Circumstances 4.4.1. Political Condition in Country of Supplier 4.4.2. Risks of Corruption 4.4.3. Social Circumstance and Civil Society 4.5. Suppliers’ Internal Condition 4.5.1. Supplier’s Human Rights Policy 4.5.2. Supplier’s Human Rights Record and Reputation 4.5.3. Supplier’s Corporate Governance and Political Connections 4.6. General Remarks on Groups of Performance Criteria and Framework for Suppliers’ Classification 5. RESULTS INTERPRETATION OF SUPPLIERS’ CLASSIFICATION FOLLOWING EVALUATION OF SUPPLIERS’ PROSPECTIVE HUMAN RIGHTS PERFORMANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION RISK 5.1. 5.1.1. Understanding and Using the Assessment Framework 5.1.2. Determining Indicators’ Scaling Complexity, Weighing System and Cut-off Points 5.1.3. Interaction Model of the Framework in Determining Overall Performance and Classification of Suppliers 5.2. Suppliers with Low-Level of Prospective Human Rights Performance 5.3. Suppliers with Medium-Level of Prospective Human Rights Performance 5.4. Suppliers with High-Level of Prospective Human Rights Performance 6. INTRODUCING SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR SUPPLY CHAIN DUE DILIGENCE 6.1. Building the Supplier Relationship Management Framework for Supply Chain Due Diligence Framework: Laying Out the Foundation 6.2. Supply Chain Due Diligence Using an Approach of Supplier Relationship Management: How to Implement the Framework 6.2.1. Purchasing Strategy Development 6.2.2. Observation of Potential Suppliers 6.2.3. Suppliers Selection 6.2.4. Performance Assessment and Classification of Suppliers 6.2.5. Disturbance and Dissolution Management 6.2.6. Cooperation and Collaboration with Suppliers 6.2.7. Development of Suppliers 7. CONCLUSION REFERENCES

Business-related human rights violations are a recurring problem in the world. Just over 10 years ago, Sweden adopted the UN's guiding principles for business and human rights, in 2015 Sweden presented an action plan for business and human rights, and in 2016 there was a law regarding sustainability reporting for companies.  The Swedish government repeatedly states that business and human rights go hand in hand and expresses high expectations for Swedish companies to respect human rights.  In order to carry out the study of both the Swedish state's and Swedish companies' compliance with the UN's guiding principles, the Uyghurs' exposure to forced labor in Xinjiang and three Swedish companies are used as study objects. The result of the study leaves much to be desired from the Swedish state's side, as it acted very passively in the matter.

Operating through complex supply chains and multiple jurisdictions, today’s business enterprises can outsource manufacturing to different parts of the world where they can take advantage of low labour- and production costs. In the global quest for businesses to maximise their profits, deteriorating working conditions for offshore labour workers are increasing the risks of human rights abuses. Such abuses often take the form of ‘modern slavery’, which refers to situations of exploitation in which labour workers are trapped and unable to leave due to threats, violence, deception, abuse of power or other forms of coercion. In 2015, the United Kingdom (UK) enacted the Modern Slavery Act (MSA), aimed at combatting modern slavery by requiring business enterprises to be transparent with the steps they have taken to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place within their supply chains. By putting pressure on business enterprises to display their actions taken to address adverse human rights impacts, the MSA has brought the responsibility of business enterprises to conduct ‘human rights due diligence’ (HRDD) – as stipulated in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) - into domestic law. While the MSA has been regarded as a ‘world-leading instrument’ and a ‘historic milestone’ by the UK government, its effectiveness in counteracting modern slavery has been questioned in various studies, pointing towards a risk that the MSA is allowing human rights abuses to prevail under a form of a legal veil. Bearing in mind the country’s long colonial history, the enactment of the MSA can be seen as carrying an important symbolic value for the UK when it comes to taking accountability for human rights abuses committed overseas. However, adopting weak or ineffective legislation could instead, paradoxically, reflect an interest by the UK government to maintain beneficial trade relationships based on exploitative working conditions in a manner that reflects a continuation of former colonial power structures. This thesis is set out to examine this potential paradox by analysing the MSA’s level of compliance with the UNGPs from a postcolonial perspective.

The gas leak disaster in Bhopal, India, in 1984 illustrates a situation of catastrophe and mass torts resulting in loss of life and health as well as environmental degradation. The Indian company Union Carbide India Limited, who owned and operated the chemical plant that caused the disaster, did not have sufficient assets to compensate the victims in contrast to its financially well-equipped US parent company Union Carbide Corporation. The courts never reached a decision regarding parent company liability for the subsidiary’s debts arising from tort claims against the subsidiary. However, where the subsidiary cannot satisfy its tort creditors, as in the Bhopal case, questions regarding parent company liability become highly relevant in relation to both foreign and domestic subsidiaries. Therefore, parent company liability for subsidiaries’ torts is discussed in this thesis with reference to Swedish and UK company law and with a focus on the tort creditors’ situation and the business and human rights debate. From limited liability for shareholders and each company being a separate legal entity follows that a parent company is not liable for its subsidiaries’ debts in neither Swedish nor UK company law. These concepts serve the important function of facilitating risk-taking and entrepreneurial activities. However, they also contribute to the problem of uncompensated tort victims arising where a subsidiary is involved in liability- producing activities but lacks assets to compensate the tort victims. Where limited liability and each company being a separate legal entity leads to particularly inappropriate results, the doctrine of piercing the corporate veil in both Sweden and the UK allows the court to disregard the separate legal personalities and hold the parent company liable for its subsidiary’s acts or omissions. The doctrine is characterised by uncertainty and is seemingly only available under exceptional circumstances. The doctrine does little to mitigate the problems for subsidiaries’ tort creditors at large. The business and human rights debate calls for access to judicial remedies for victims of businesses’ human rights violations. As some human rights violations can form the basis of a tort claim, it is relevant to discuss parent company liability according to company law in relation to human rights violations. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights emphasise the need to ensure that corporate law does not prevent access to judicial remedies. However, the company law regulation of liability in company groups seems in practice to function as an obstacle for access to judicial remedies for human rights victims, particularly when also considering the inadequate legal regimes in some host states and the hurdles of jurisdiction and applicable law in multinational company groups. It is concluded in this thesis that the company law regulation of liability in company groups is seemingly not equipped to meet the challenges arising with the development of company groups, the global reach of the private business sector, the risks of mass torts and the influence of the business sector on human rights.

La présente étude a pour objectif de vérifier si le Canada respecte les prescriptions internationales en matière de droits de l’homme et d’entreprises vis-à-vis de l’encadrement qu’il exerce sur les sociétés minières canadiennes évoluant à l’étranger. En 2011, le Conseil des droits de l’homme de l’ONU a adopté des «Principes directeurs» afin de mettre en oeuvre le cadre de référence « Protéger, Respecter, Réparer » du Représentant spécial chargé de la question des droits de l’homme et des sociétés transnationales et autres entreprises. Selon ce cadre de référence, les États ont des obligations de protection et de réparation alors que les entreprises ont seulement la responsabilité de respecter les droits humains. Après six années de travail, le Représentant spécial John Ruggie, a fait le choix de formuler dans ses «Principes directeurs» des directives non contraignantes à l’égard des États et des entreprises afin de les aider à remplir leurs obligations et responsabilités vis-à-vis des droits de l’homme. Selon, l’ONU, cet instrument de portée universelle est le plus élaboré en la matière, si bien qu’il est recommandé aux entreprises et plus particulièrement aux États de s’y conformer lors de l’élaboration de leurs politiques respectives en matière d'activité économique et de droits humains. Il convient donc de vérifier d’une part si l’encadrement exercé par l’appareil législatif et gouvernemental vis-à-vis des sociétés minières canadiennes évoluant à l’étranger est conforme au principe directeur «Protéger». D’autres part, il convient de vérifier si les recours judiciaires et extrajudiciaires disponibles au Canada remplissent les exigences du principe directeur «Réparer». Cette double analyse permettra de conclure que le Canada respecte dans les grandes lignes ces «Principes directeurs» mais qu’il pourrait faire bien plus notamment en terme d’accès à des réparations effectives pour les victimes étrangères de minières canadiennes. / This study propose to assess whether Canada meets the international requirements of business and human rights in relation to the supervision it has on Canadian mining companies operating abroad. In 2011, the Human rights Council adopted the Special Representative’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in order to implement the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework. According to this framework, States have obligations to protect and remedy while companies only have responsibilities to respect human rights. After six years of work, the Special Representative on Business and Human rights, John Ruggie, has chosen to give in its Guiding Principles non- binding recommendations in order to help States and businesses to encounter their obligations and responsibilities towards human rights. According to the UN, this universal instrument is the most developed in the field. Thus, it is strongly recommended that companies and especially States, comply those «guiding principles» when they elaborate their respective policies on economic activity and human rights. It is therefore necessary to check first if the supervision exercised by the legislature and the government on Canadian mining companies operating abroad succeeds to comply with the "Protect" principles. On the other hand, it must be checked whether the judicial and extrajudicial remedies available in Canada meet the requirements of the «Remedy" principles. This dual analysis will led to conclude that Canada meets broadly the "Guiding Principles" but could do much more, especially in terms of access to effective remedies for foreign victims of Canadian mining companies.