International Corporate Legal Responsibility

A growing awareness of the responsibility of corporations to respect the rights of workers and consumers and human rights generally, in addition to the impact of commercial operations upon the natural environment - constant concerns for national regulation - has engendered a relative explosion of standard-setting regimes from international institutions such as the United Nations, the European Community, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, as well as from non-governmental organisations, trade unions, and the corporations themselves in the form of such selfregulatory measures as private voluntary initiatives and codes of conduct.