《经济、社会和文化权利国际公约》中母国规制跨国公司的义务——兼评经济、社会和文化权利委员会的最新实践

Home State Obligation to Regulate Multinational Corporations in International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights——A Commentary on the Work of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

通过综合考虑条约解释习惯法规则所包含的各项要素,特别是"适用于当事国间关系之任何有关国际法规则",可以发现母国义务有很强的法律依据。根据《经济、社会和文化权利国际公约》,母国有义务采取措施规范总部在其领土上的跨国公司,防止其在海外侵犯经济、社会和文化权利。但母国义务受到"采取步骤"、"尽可得到的最大资源"的限制,这是《公约》自身特点。经济、社会和文化权利委员会对母国义务持肯定态度,并在其工作中对这一概念进行了积极阐发,这一点与联合国《工商企业与人权指导原则》形成鲜明对比。委员会采取了"尊重、保护和满足"的国家义务三分法,并认为母国义务属于域外保护义务的范畴。尽管委员会的工作存在缺乏连贯性和方法论不透明等问题,但其支持了"母国义务"这一理论视角,为"商业与人权"问题的解决提供了新思路。

A comprehensive examination of the various elements, inter alia ＂any relevant rules of international law applicable in the relations between the parties＂, of the customary rules on treaty interpretation reveals strong legal bases for home state obligation. According to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, home states have obligations to regulate multinational corporations based in its territory so as to prevent them from viola- ting human rights abroad. Home state obligation, ＂take steps＂ and ＂to the maximum of its available the Covenant. In stark contrast to the UN Guiding however, is subject to such limitations as resources＂, which are the characteristics of Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights takes a positive stance on the home state obligation and has elaborated on this concept in its practice. The Committee has em the tripartite typology of state obligations, namely the obligation to respect, to protect and ployed to fulfill, and considered the home state obligation part of the obligation to protect. Notwithstanding the lack of both consistency in its work and transparency in its methodology for interpretation, the Committee, by supporting the home state obligation, provides a new approach to the solution of the problem of business and human rights.