Banks and Human Rights: A South African Experiment
SUR - International Journal on Human Rights, Vol. 12, No. 22, pp. 189-205, 2015
18 Pages Posted: 8 Jun 2016
There are 2 versions of this paper
Banks and Human Rights: A South African Experiment
Date Written: June 6, 2016
Abstract
Human rights actors have increasingly turned their attention to the role of multinational corporations (MNCs) and their ability to promote or impede the fulfilment of economic, social and cultural rights. This discussion requires an analysis of all relevant players, including those who finance the operations of MNCs. Banks can have significant influence over the operations of MNCs and their role needs to be the subject of greater interrogation, in theory, policy and practice. This article records and analyses some of the policy-oriented initiatives undertaken in South Africa towards the creation of standards for banks operating in the region. Experts and practitioners in Africa have come together to determine the realities faced by the banks of major development projects in the region. This resulted in the Draft Johannesburg Principles of 2011 – yet to be adopted by industry – which speak to the overall protection of human rights by banks.
Keywords: Banks, Human Rights, Economic Social and Cultural Rights, Multinational Corporations
JEL Classification: K10, K30, K33
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation