Abstract

Human rights law forms an exception to the state-centric conception of public international law. It defines entitlements of individuals or groups and the concomitant obligations of states mainly domestically. The traditional understanding of human rights has, however, proved inadequate with the advent of economic globalization and the increasing influence of non-state actors and ‘foreign states’ on the realization of human rights at the national level. This is more apparent in the area of socio-economic rights, which are concerned with the protection and advancement of the fulfillment of basic needs and determinants of quality of life. There have been recent attempts at responding to this challenge through the elaboration of the human rights obligations of states beyond their borders and the obligations of non-state actors. In an approach that combines prudence and progressivity, the seminar presents the extraterritorial human rights obligations of states as a basis for the regulation of the conducts of state and non-state actors in globalization.

Bio

Sisay Alemahu Yeshanew (PhD, International Law): Researcher within the research group on Democracy, Citizenship and Law (DECIDe). He is one of the 35 international experts which adopted “The Maastricht Principles on Extraterritorial Obligations of States in the area of Economic, Social and cultural Rights” in September 2011.