abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb

このページは 日本語 では利用できません。English で表示されています

記事

2021年2月16日

著者:
Ekaterina Aristova, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights and Carlos Lopez, International Commission of Jurists for OpinioJuris

Commentary: UK Supreme Court reaffirms parent companies may owe a duty of care towards communities impacted by their subsidiaries in third countries

"UK Okpabi et al v Shell: UK Supreme Court Reaffirms Parent Companies May Owe a Duty of Care Towards Communities Impacted by their Subsidiaries in Third Countries", 16 February 2021

The much-awaited judgment by the UK Supreme Court (SC) in Okpabi and others v Royal Dutch Shell Plc and another (Okpabi) was handed down in an online hearing on Friday 12 February 2021 some five years after the original complaint against Shell was filed in UK courts in 2016.

The case relates to claims by HRH Emere Godwin Bebe Okpabi, and more than 42,000 individuals from the communities of Ogale and Bille in the Niger Delta, alleging that oil spills from the respondents’ pipelines caused severe environmental damage, affecting their land, livelihoods, water sources and health. They sued Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell), UK-based parent company, and its Nigerian subsidiary SPDC, which operates the joint venture between Shell and the state-owned oil company. But the responsibility of Shell, and the jurisdiction of UK courts over the case, was contested by their legal counsel. Both the High Court and the Court of Appeal (CoA) sided with Shell, but the Supreme Court has now reversed course.

... The SC decision in favour of the claimants strongly affirmed the court’s own jurisprudence in Lungowe v Vedanta Resources (Vedanta), but developed it in some respects (one of the authors analysed Vedanta, in previous blogs and symposium).

... The judgment is also significant in terms of access to justice and reparation, which are key components of the international human rights legal framework. As Sophie Kemp has pointed out, the SC holdings on procedure go some way in facilitating access to justice for claimants such as the Nigerian communities “by clarifying and to some extent lowering the hurdles that claimants must meet”. In so doing, the judgment has not only reaffirmed its previous landmark decision in Vedanta, but also clarified the application of the jurisdictional test in such a way as to expedite claimants’ access to a proper fair trial...

タイムライン

プライバシー情報

このサイトでは、クッキーやその他のウェブストレージ技術を使用しています。お客様は、以下の方法でプライバシーに関する選択肢を設定することができます。変更は直ちに反映されます。

ウェブストレージの使用についての詳細は、当社の データ使用およびクッキーに関するポリシーをご覧ください

Strictly necessary storage

ON
OFF

Necessary storage enables core site functionality. This site cannot function without it, so it can only be disabled by changing settings in your browser.

クッキーのアナリティクス

ON
OFF

When you access our website we use Google Analytics to collect information on your visit. Accepting this cookie will allow us to understand more details about your journey, and improve how we surface information. All analytics information is anonymous and we do not use it to identify you. Google provides a Google Analytics opt-out add on for all popular browsers.

Promotional cookies

ON
OFF

We share news and updates on business and human rights through third party platforms, including social media and search engines. These cookies help us to understand the performance of these promotions.

本サイトにおけるお客様のプライバシーに関する選択

このサイトでは、必要なコア機能を超えてお客様の利便性を高めるために、クッキーやその他のウェブストレージ技術を使用しています。