The relationship between corporations and human rights has long been in the eye of international law. As the nature and reach of corporate actors make them impervious targets for domestic regulation, international law has become increasingly concerned with the adverse impact of business activities on human rights and the environment. This article critically examines the major existing international regulatory initiatives on business and human rights from the lens of public international law. First, we will explore the major challenges faced by international law in addressing corporate activities. Second, the core non-binding instruments adopted in the past decades will be examined, highlighting the progressive incorporation of some of their key standards in domestic legislation. Third, the increasingly relevant role of some of the business and human rights standards in domestic and international litigation will be examined. Fourth, we will look at the path towards a treaty on business and human rights. The argument will be made that although binding regulation is not a panacea for the multifaceted problem of corporate human rights liability it can provide a useful tool to harmonize domestic legislation and to give teeth to the existing non-binding instruments.

公司与人权之间的关系长期以来一直受到国际法的关注。由于公司参与者的性质和影响范围使其成为国内监管的不可渗透的目标，国际法越来越关注商业活动对人权和环境的不利影响。本文从国际公法的角度批判性地审视了现有的有关商业和人权的主要国际监管举措。首先，我们将探讨国际法在处理公司活动方面面临的主要挑战。其次，将审查过去几十年通过的核心非约束性文书，重点将其一些关键标准逐步纳入国内立法。第三，将审查一些商业和人权标准在国内和国际诉讼中日益重要的作用。第四，我们将探讨达成商业与人权条约的途径。将提出的论点是，尽管具有约束力的监管并不是解决公司人权责任这一多方面问题的灵丹妙药，但它可以提供一个有用的工具，以协调国内立法，并为现有的非约束性文书提供支持。