Global Witness V. Afrimex LTD.: Decision Applying OECD Guidelines on Corporate Responsibility for Human Rights

Abstract

On August 28, 2008, the United Kingdom's National Contact Point (UK-NCP) issued its decision in Global Witness v. Afrimex Ltd. In this case, Global Witness, a non-governmental organization, alleged that Afrimex Ltd. (Afrimex), a British corporation, violated the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD Guidelines) by paying bribes to a rebel group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and purchasing minerals from mines in the DRC that employ child and forced labor. This Insight analyzes this case and its importance for efforts to heighten corporate responsibility for the protection of human rights.

Keywords: human rights and business, corporate responsibility for human rights, corporate social responsibility, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, transnational corporations

JEL Classification: K30, K33