The Effects of CSR for the Protection of Human Rights

This article addresses the relationship between transnational corporations (TNCs) and human rights (HR) in the third world. My focus will be on three aspects: first, the rise of an informal norm (the norm of effectiveness) which I perceive as a new and more pragmatic approach to complex human rights issues; second, the possible systemic effects of corporate voluntary initiatives; and third, the necessity of a more holistic view of the link between TNCs and HR. The understanding of the interplay between voluntary corporate initiatives and law/policy is essential in making sense of the link TNCs-HR from a legal perspective. I propose that this is a way of approaching TNC-HR issues in the tradition of human rights, as they are institutionalised in international law, while remaining in touch with the political, social and economic realities of the time