Multinational Corporate Responsibility

Multinational corporate responsibility means that complaints are filed against multinational corporations which have committed, directly or indirectly, human rights violations and environment abuse in foreign countries.

All companies have a direct responsibility to respect human rights in their own operations. The business community also has a wider responsibility - moral and legal - to use its influence to promote respect for human rights. Multinational companies have a responsibility to try and stop human rights violations in the countries where they operate. Large companies regularly try to influence governments' tax and trade policies, their labor laws and environmental rules. The silence of powerful business interests in the face of injustice is not neutral.

While recognizing that corporations are not rights agencies, the corporate sector has a critical role to play in enhancing respect for universally recognized human rights. A good human rights record is good for business.