§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to support the(a) adoption and (b) implementation within an agreed timescale of the UN norms on the responsibilities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises with regard to human rights when it is forwarded to the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva; and if he will make a statement. [162292]
§ Mr. RammellThe Government are strong supporters of responsible business behaviour and are actively involved in initiatives to promote this. The Draft Norms raise complex issues because they purport to make business directly responsible for human rights. It is States which have obligations under international human rights law to ensure human rights to everyone within their territory and jurisdiction. We believe that States should remain responsible for domestic legislation to regulate the behaviour of private actors in their jurisdiction, including multinational companies. We also believe that according human rights obligations to private business enterprises in international law could be used by certain States to avoid their own obligations and to distract the focus from human rights abuses by States. We therefore believe that it would be detrimental to the advancement of international human rights law if the draft norms were to be adopted by the Commission on Human Rights. However, we shall be working with other Members of the Commission to try to identify a constructive process for addressing issues raised by the Norms, which would command wider acceptance among all stakeholders, including Governments and business as well as NGOs.