The world trade organisation and Human Rights: The role of principles of Good Governance

The present article attempts to determine the role of principles of good governance in the discussion regarding the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and its human rights accountability. It shows that the WTO as an organisation cannot be compared to other international organisations that are more autonomous such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank. This does not mean, however, that the WTO has no autonomous powers at all. This contribution attempts to make clear what these activities are and how they may affect the protection of human rights. The implementation of good governance principles in international organisations can be considered a sine qua non for the realisation of human rights. Therefore, it will be examined what role the principles of good governance plays within the WTO. More specifically, the focus will be on how the good governance principles of transparency and participation can contribute to sensitising the organisation for human rights considerations.    &nbsp

Sustainable development goals & the business and human rights discourse: Ships passing in the night?

The UN Agenda 2030 sets ambitious goals recognizing the private sector as a key partner in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The last two decades a discourse on business and human rights (BHR) has developed that has influenced the way we think about corporate responsibility and the degree of responsibility that corporations carry for their impact on human rights. Concerns have been raised that Agenda 2030 insufficiently recognizes this evolving discourse on the responsibility of the private sector and arguably may undermine developments in this area. To what extent do the SDGs reflect the evolving BHR debate? (How) is the BHR discourse shaping the implementation of the SDGs or does practice so far confirm concerns regarding a chasm between de sustainable development discourse and the BHR rights discourse? Are the two discourses ships passing in the night and, if so, does it matter