The End of the Beginning? : A Comprehensive Look at the U.N.\u27s Business and Human Rights Agenda from a Bystander Perspective

With the endorsement of the Guiding Principles regarding the issue of business and human rights, an important chapter has come to a close. Beginning with the then U.N. Secretary-General’s “global compact” speech in 1999, the international legal framework for business and human rights has undergone tremendous change and progress. Yet, for all these developments, there has been no exhaustive examination in the legal academy of all of these events; certainly there is no one piece that discusses or analyzes all the major instruments that have been proposed and endorsed by the U.N. on the subject of business and its relationship with human rights issues. This Article attempts to fill that gap. By documenting the rise and development of Transnational Corporations as potential subjects under international law, the Article will help to provide a comprehensive overview of the issues concerning Transnational Corporations and businesses for the last twelve years. In addition, by examining the Guiding Principles through the lens of bystander rhetoric, this Article hopes to point the way forward to the next phase in developing a meaningful accountability structure for TNCs under international law