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[PDF] Protecting rights, repairing harm: How state-based non-judicial mechanisms can help fill gaps in existing frameworks for the protection of human rights of people affected by corporate activities
[submission to UN Special Representative John Ruggie] There are clearly gaps in the current human rights accountability system. The most serious flaw is the lack of accessible methods of resolving human rights-related disputes between people and companies that are both fit for purpose and capable of producing legally binding outcomes...The aim of this paper is to show how state-based non-judicial mechanisms (or “NJMs”) can help to bridge those gaps...[T]his paper [concludes] with some general observations about the potential role of state-based NJMs in helping to overcome existing barriers to redress. It is acknowledged that state-based NJMs are no “silver bullet” as there are limits to what they can achieve in isolation. Nevertheless, they should be viewed as a vital part of a wider package of possible enforcement options for victims of human rights abuses.