In recent years, the question of whether and to what extent states are bound by human rights treaty obligations when they act abroad has given rise to considerable debate in academic circles, courtrooms and military operations. Focusing on treaties considerably jeopardized during the ‘war on terror’, namely the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Convention against Torture,The Extraterritorial Application of Selected Human Rights Treaties takes stock of the key developments informing the discussion to date. Together with the wording of treaties, critical analysis is made of the ensuing interpretation of treaty provisions by monitoring bodies and states parties. A way forward in this debate is suggested, accommodating conflicting interests while preserving the effective protection of basic rights.
In the globalizing world of today, the conduct of states often affects the human rights of persons situated outside of those states' territories. The problem of applying human rights to such state conduct has become increasingly topical as a result of phenomena such as the 'war on terror, ' foreign military interventions, and economic globalization. The controversies, as regards the applicability of human rights treaty law in such cases, stem mainly from the wording of the relevant treaty provisions. The principal treaties on civil and political rights require states to guarantee certain human rights to persons 'within their jurisdiction, ' while treaties on economic, social, and cultural rights specifically envisage international cooperation of states' parties for the purposes of achieving these rights. The meaning of 'jurisdiction, ' and the precise nature and content of the obligation of international cooperation, are subject to debate. This study explores the question of extraterritorial application of principal, universal, and regional human rights treaties. It covers treaties on civil and political rights, as well as those on economic, social, and cultural rights. The study determines to what extent and under which circumstances human rights treaties are applicable to state conduct which affects the human rights of persons situated outside the borders of the state party in question. The problem is analyzed by reference to the rules of treaty interpretation and in the conceptual framework of public international law. It contains a thorough analysis of preparatory works of the relevant treaties, the case law of the International Court of Justice and of human rights courts, as well as other output of human rights treaty bodies. State practice, including the case law of national courts, is also explored. The study argues for a flexible approach to extraterritorial application of human rights treaties which would make it possible for the human right systems to respond to the challenges posed by the evermore notorious extraterritorial state conduct. In 2010, Michal Gondek has won the first prize in the Max van der Stoel Human Rights award for this book. He also has won Manfred Lachs Prize for the Best Book Debut in International Law by a Polish Author 20
"Whether as a result of the war on terrorism, foreign military intervention, economic globalisation or otherwise, state conduct increasingly affects the human rights of individuals beyond its own borders ... This book focuses on the extraterritorial application of four key human rights treaties: the two UN Covenants on Human Rights and the American and European Conventions on Human Rights. It points out inconsistencies in the practice of the supervisory bodies of these treaties and discusses the pros and cons of both a restrictive and an expansive approach."--Back cover.
In an epoch of transnational armed conflict, global environmental harm, and rising inequality, the extraterritorial application of human rights law has become a pressing and controversial legal issue. The faultlines of the Westphalian order are the meridians along which the extraterritorial application of human rights run, as human rights are invoked to address a panoply of global-scale problems, from transborder environmental harm, to social and economic development and global inequality, to the repression of piracy in ungoverned spaces, and military occupation and armed conflict in the territory of a third state.
The Routledge Handbook on Extraterritorial Human Rights Obligations brings international scholarship on transnational human rights obligations into a comprehensive and wide-ranging volume. Each chapter combines a thorough analysis of a particular issue area and provides a forward-looking perspective of how extraterritorial human rights obligations (ETOs) might come to be more fully recognized, outlining shortcomings but also best state practices. It builds insights gained from state practice to identify gaps in the literature and points to future avenues of inquiry. The Handbook is organized into seven thematic parts: conceptualization and theoretical foundations; enforcement; migration and refugee protection; financial assistance and sanctions; finance, investment and trade; peace and security; and environment. Chapters summarize the cutting edge of current knowledge on key topics as leading experts critically reflect on ETOs, and, where appropriate, engage with the Maastricht Principles to critically evaluate their value 10 years after their adoption. The Routledge Handbook on Extraterritorial Human Rights Obligations is an authoritative and essential reference text for scholars and students of human rights and human rights law, and more broadly, of international law and international relations as well as to those working in international economic law, development studies, peace and conflict studies, environmental law and migration. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license
This guide is an authoritative reference point for anyone interested in the creation or interpretation of treaties and other forms of international agreement. It covers the rules and practices surrounding their making, interpretation, and operation, and uses hundreds of real examples to illustrate different approaches treaty-makers can take.
Within and outside the legal and academic professions, it is now increasingly recognised that the human rights consequences of states' actions are not limited to the domestic sphere but quite often transcend national borders. This is a challenge to the human rights community, which up to the present time has focused almost exclusively on human rights violations and protections solely within a national setting. The term "extraterritorial" effect/application/obligation in international law refers to acts that are taken by one actor (state) that have some kind of effect within another country's territory, with or without this second country's implicit or explicit agreement. Extraterritoriality within international human rights law, then, concerns actions or omissions by one state that have an effect on the human rights of individuals in another state - with or without this other state's agreement. This effect may be positive or negative in that such actions or omissions by foreign states may contribute positively to the enjoyment of human rights; or alternatively, they may result in a deteriorated human rights situation, and even human rights violations. This book gives, for the first time, a comprehensive analysis of extraterritorial obligations in international human rights law by placing the discussion in a larger international law context, interpreting obligations in the various sources of international human rights law, and discussing the way in which extraterritoriality has been approached by international courts and human rights implementation bodies in the United Nations and regional systems.
This book uses approaches from legal and political philosophy to develop a theory of when states owe human rights obligations to individuals outside of their own territory, looking at economic, social, and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights.
