Conflicted Corporates: Rethinking the Role of Business in Global Security
| Author | Mary Martin |
| Date | 01 February 2012 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-5899.2011.00079.x |
| Published date | 01 February 2012 |
Conflicted Corporates: Rethinking
the Role of Business in Global
Security
Mary Martin
London School of Economics and Political Science
Abstract
Corporate responsibility and the social behaviour of transnational business towards vulnerable individuals have
become a significant part of the global governance agenda, yet an emphasis on self-regulation and the proliferation
of different voluntary codes of conduct have produced disappointing results. At the same time there is a lack of
systematic effort to engage transnational companies (TNCs) in comprehensive approaches to conflict and securing
successful transitions to peace. The article argues for a back-to-basics step of re-examining the complex roles
companies play in conflict-affected societies and proposes a human security perspective to address gaps in the
current conceptualisation of corporate responsibility and to develop policy which constrains and conscripts corporate
power more effectively in fragile environments. The article draws on two case studies of international business in
conflict-affected areas to illustrate how a human security approach might indicate new avenues for policy making.
Policy Implications
•A commitment should be made by the UN and the EU to involve business in their initiatives at both strategic and
tactical levels to ensure that conflict resolution programmes are not unwittingly undermined by TNCs.
•A multi-actor forum should be created involving the UN Special Representative, states, civil society and TNCs to
extend the Ruggie agenda, monitor and advise on specific cases of conflict and transition, from a human security
perspective.
•To address the lack of awareness by companies of the impact of their activities, training in conflict sensitivity,
human rights and human security should be developed for senior management as well as operatives on the ground.
To enhance comprehensive and multilateral approaches, TNCs should be trained alongside other civilian and military
actors in conflict zones.
•Ethical and human rights audits of companies should be expanded to include human security principles in conflict
zones.
•Programmes should be developed to help local community awareness of TNC behaviour and assist them cognitively
as well as financially and legally in holding TNCs to account.
Later this year, John Ruggie, the UN Special Representa-
tive (UNSR) for Business and Human Rights, will publish
his final proposals for a framework for action to improve
the way companies behave with regard to human rights.
Ruggie’s mandate as UNSR, which began in 2005, has
changed the face of public discourse on this issue. His
tripartite approach of ‘Protect, Respect, Remedy’ (states
should protect, business should respect and there should
be a duty of access for all to remedies against abuses)
was adopted unanimously by the UN Human Rights
Council in 2008 and has galvanised interest in areas
ranging from public policy to legal compliance, account-
ing standards and business management.
While Ruggie’s work has served to promote a compli-
ance agenda among transnational corporations (TNCs),
past experience suggests that actually making corporate
responsibility norms stick is much harder. In the past
decade there has been a blizzard of initiatives such as
the UN Global Compact, the OECD Guidelines for Multi-
national Enterprises, the UN Norms and Voluntary Princi-
ples, Publish What You Pay, the Extractive Industries
Transparency Initiative, the Kimberley Process and work
Global Policy Volume 3 . Issue 1 . February 2012
Global Policy (2012) 3:1 doi: 10.1111/j.1758-5899.2011.00079.x ª2011 London School of Economics and Political Science and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Research Article
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