There is a climate of impunity surrounding economic activities that promote or sustain conflict and human rights abuse. Many companies in search of extractive resources and inexpensive labour operate in developing countries beset by violence, repression, or war, where effective governance and accountability are absent. There are international laws that define a number of crimes in these situations, but companies, governments, and affected communities remain largely unaware of existing liabilities.
Business and International Crimes seeks to improve the understanding of existing norms that govern companies operating or invested in situations of armed conflict or repression. This Executive Summary, and the studies on the accompanying disk, map international and national laws and jurisprudence with the aim of improving the accountability of private sector actors by clarifying the liabilities they may face in connection with conflict or repression. The disk includes:
• A Commentary on the liability of companies for international crimes
• Comparative Surveys of liability in five national jurisdictions (Canada, France, Norway, U.K., U.S. )
• Links to cases and other resources
Business and International Crimes is a joint project of Fafo and the International Peace Academy. Financial support for this project has been generously provided by the Governments of Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, as well as the International Development Research Centre, The Rockefeller Foundation, and The United Nations Foundation.
