A comparative submission prepared by Oxford Pro Bono Publico for the United Nations Special Representative on Business and Human Rights (November 2008)

OPBP prepared this submission to inform the mandate of Professor John Ruggie, the Special Representative of the United Nations’ Secretary-General on business and human rights. It explores the obstacles victims of corporate human rights abuse face in accessing justice and obtaining remediation through domestic legal systems either in their own countries where the business operations and human rights abuse takes place or in the countries in which the alleged offending transnational corporation is registered or incorporated. It considers these obstacles in relation to 13 jurisdictions: Australia, Canada, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Malaysia, the People’s Republic of China, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.