International Business & Human Rights: An Unsolvable Equation?

The world has changed significantly since the proclamation of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights: In the age of globalization, companies are expanding internationally, and their structures now comprise a myriad of entities spanning numerous countries with different cultures and legal systems-factors that make the effective enforcement of human rights and the fundamental principles set forth in the 1948 Declaration increasingly complex. The international community has recognized this, and states are attempting to fulfill their mandate to protect these inalienable rights by developing standards-national, regional, and international-that are more or less binding or voluntary, aimed at holding transnational corporations accountable for the role they must play in promoting universal well-being. Given the numerous legislative and political obstacles, proposals based on voluntary corporate participation-free from any constraints or threat of sanctions-yield better results, to the point that globalization is now becoming more humane.