European Society of International Law - Interest Groups on “International Business and Human Rights” &“International Economic Law”
Agora to be held on the occasion of the 13 th ESIL Annual Meeting: ‘Global Public Goods,
Global Commons and Fundamental Values: The Responses of International Law’,
Naples, 7–9 September2017
Call for Papers
Public Values and Public Goods: How do They Live in the Intersection of Finance, Human Rights and International Economic Law?
Despite the centrality that the principle of State sovereignty still holds in the
contemporary international arena, the financial crisis has drawn attention to the role of
the financial market and market actors in the protection and respect of human rights.
The 2016 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights acknowledged the need for further
inquiry on how the links between financial markets and human rights can serve as a
catalyst for change in both social and economic life.
Human rights and due diligence processes concerning environmental and social risks of
finance projects are a tool for protecting public goods of individuals and communities.
Whereas public goods have a collective dimension, human rights continue to place the
individual at their ethical centre. The concepts of ‘public goods’ and ‘public values’
could, thus, complement each other. They could, however, also operate on different
levels and remain parallel to one another.
This panel will address legal instruments ranging from the UN “Protect, Respect,
Remedy” Framework, and the related UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human
Rights (UNGPs), to the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises and sustainable
development in international financial law. The IGs on “International Business and
Human Rights” and “International Economic Law” invite contributions on the following
topics: 1) How and to what extent do the UN “Protect, Respect, Remedy” Framework
and the UNGPs apply to financial services?; 2) Do public values and public goods feed
into environmental and social assessments of projects finance?; 3)Could the evolution
of the European legal framework help align corporate governance with corporate social
environmental responsibility objectives, also considering the EU Directive on Non-
Financial Reporting? 4) Whether international actors (States, Regional Economic
International Organizations like the EU, or non-State actors) adopt the same approach
when: a) adopting and implementing the UN “Protect, Respect, Remedy” Framework,
the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines on
Multinational Enterprises; and: b) acting within the WTO system and the WTO rounds
of negotiations, the new mega-regional debates and negotiations,
and the case-law developed in international investments' disputes and the proposed
new treaties of international investment law and sustainable development.
This call is open to senior and junior academics wishing to share, discuss, and develop
their work on the Agora topic. The objective is to optimise the research impact of our
participants by engaging the different communities of practice in law, political science,
management studies, or accounting in this interdisciplinary field of business and human
rights and international economic law.
The result of the proposed Agora is intended to be three-fold: 1) relating forward-
thinking academic work to the on-going policy dialogue; 2) preparing a special issue on
“Finance, Human Rights and International Economic Law” in a relevant journal; 3) and
creating a platform for sharing theories and methodologies across different disciplines.
Application Process
Please submit an abstract in PDF of no more than 800words by 24:00 of 16 January
2017 (London- UK time)to: mara.tignino@unige.ch and, only with reference to point
4), i.e. on the aspects of International Economic Law, to elisa.baroncini@unibo.it
Applicants will be informed of the selection committee’s decision no later than 27
January 2017.
The following information must be provided with each abstract:
• The author’s name and affiliation;
• The author’s CV, including a list of relevant publications;
• The author’s contact details, including email address and phone number;
• Whether the author is an ESIL member; and
• Whether the abstract should be considered for the ESIL Young Scholar Prize.
Only one abstract per author will be considered.
Evaluation criteria:Abstracts will be selected for inclusion in the “International
Economic Law” and “International Business and Human Rights” IG’s Agora proposal to
the 2017 ESIL Annual Meeting, on the basis of following criteria: 1) their alignment with
the panel description and objectives,2)the overall coherence of the panel, and 3) the
general criteria according to the ESIL Conference Call for Papers. Submissions in both
English and French, the two official languages of the Society, are welcome. Please note:
the submissions will automatically be considered for participation in the separate
workshops of the IG International Business and Human Rights held during the year and
at the Annual Conference.
Publication opportunities: ESIL provides the opportunity to publish papers in the
ESIL SSRN Series and to publish selected high-quality papers in a volume of the ESIL
Book Series.
The Interest Groups are unable to provide funding for travel to and attendance at the
conference. Please visit the ESIL website for information on funding and for other
relevant information about the2017 Annual Meeting.
Agora to be held on the occasion of the 13 th ESIL Annual Meeting: ‘Global Public Goods,
Global Commons and Fundamental Values: The Responses of International Law’,
Naples, 7–9 September2017
Call for Papers
Public Values and Public Goods: How do They Live in the Intersection of Finance, Human Rights and International Economic Law?
Despite the centrality that the principle of State sovereignty still holds in the
contemporary international arena, the financial crisis has drawn attention to the role of
the financial market and market actors in the protection and respect of human rights.
The 2016 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights acknowledged the need for further
inquiry on how the links between financial markets and human rights can serve as a
catalyst for change in both social and economic life.
Human rights and due diligence processes concerning environmental and social risks of
finance projects are a tool for protecting public goods of individuals and communities.
Whereas public goods have a collective dimension, human rights continue to place the
individual at their ethical centre. The concepts of ‘public goods’ and ‘public values’
could, thus, complement each other. They could, however, also operate on different
levels and remain parallel to one another.
This panel will address legal instruments ranging from the UN “Protect, Respect,
Remedy” Framework, and the related UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human
Rights (UNGPs), to the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises and sustainable
development in international financial law. The IGs on “International Business and
Human Rights” and “International Economic Law” invite contributions on the following
topics: 1) How and to what extent do the UN “Protect, Respect, Remedy” Framework
and the UNGPs apply to financial services?; 2) Do public values and public goods feed
into environmental and social assessments of projects finance?; 3)Could the evolution
of the European legal framework help align corporate governance with corporate social
environmental responsibility objectives, also considering the EU Directive on Non-
Financial Reporting? 4) Whether international actors (States, Regional Economic
International Organizations like the EU, or non-State actors) adopt the same approach
when: a) adopting and implementing the UN “Protect, Respect, Remedy” Framework,
the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines on
Multinational Enterprises; and: b) acting within the WTO system and the WTO rounds
of negotiations, the new mega-regional debates and negotiations,
and the case-law developed in international investments' disputes and the proposed
new treaties of international investment law and sustainable development.
This call is open to senior and junior academics wishing to share, discuss, and develop
their work on the Agora topic. The objective is to optimise the research impact of our
participants by engaging the different communities of practice in law, political science,
management studies, or accounting in this interdisciplinary field of business and human
rights and international economic law.
The result of the proposed Agora is intended to be three-fold: 1) relating forward-
thinking academic work to the on-going policy dialogue; 2) preparing a special issue on
“Finance, Human Rights and International Economic Law” in a relevant journal; 3) and
creating a platform for sharing theories and methodologies across different disciplines.
Application Process
Please submit an abstract in PDF of no more than 800words by 24:00 of 16 January
2017 (London- UK time)to: mara.tignino@unige.ch and, only with reference to point
4), i.e. on the aspects of International Economic Law, to elisa.baroncini@unibo.it
Applicants will be informed of the selection committee’s decision no later than 27
January 2017.
The following information must be provided with each abstract:
• The author’s name and affiliation;
• The author’s CV, including a list of relevant publications;
• The author’s contact details, including email address and phone number;
• Whether the author is an ESIL member; and
• Whether the abstract should be considered for the ESIL Young Scholar Prize.
Only one abstract per author will be considered.
Evaluation criteria:Abstracts will be selected for inclusion in the “International
Economic Law” and “International Business and Human Rights” IG’s Agora proposal to
the 2017 ESIL Annual Meeting, on the basis of following criteria: 1) their alignment with
the panel description and objectives,2)the overall coherence of the panel, and 3) the
general criteria according to the ESIL Conference Call for Papers. Submissions in both
English and French, the two official languages of the Society, are welcome. Please note:
the submissions will automatically be considered for participation in the separate
workshops of the IG International Business and Human Rights held during the year and
at the Annual Conference.
Publication opportunities: ESIL provides the opportunity to publish papers in the
ESIL SSRN Series and to publish selected high-quality papers in a volume of the ESIL
Book Series.
The Interest Groups are unable to provide funding for travel to and attendance at the
conference. Please visit the ESIL website for information on funding and for other
relevant information about the2017 Annual Meeting.
Ruth
Dreifuss, former President of Switzerland and Minister of Home Affairs,
Chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy