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Catching More Than Fish: Corporate Responsibility for Environmental Impacts of IUU Fishing under the Human Rights Due Diligence Framework

Egelberg, Sara LU (2024) LAGM01 20241
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
The issue of corporate accountability for human rights has gained significant attention in recent years, driven by increasing globalisation, complex corporate structures, and the public’s growing awareness of the harmful effects of business activities. Alongside the rising prominence of human rights on the international agenda, the issue of environmental impacts of corporations has also become more established and developed, both as an integrated component of human rights due diligence and as a distinct element in the framework.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, known as IUU-fishing, poses a significant threat to sustainable management of the world’s fish resources and the efforts made to combat such practices. The severe... (More)
The issue of corporate accountability for human rights has gained significant attention in recent years, driven by increasing globalisation, complex corporate structures, and the public’s growing awareness of the harmful effects of business activities. Alongside the rising prominence of human rights on the international agenda, the issue of environmental impacts of corporations has also become more established and developed, both as an integrated component of human rights due diligence and as a distinct element in the framework.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, known as IUU-fishing, poses a significant threat to sustainable management of the world’s fish resources and the efforts made to combat such practices. The severe environmental consequences of this type of fishing, including the overexploitation of fish stocks and damage to marine ecosystems, are not only relevant to local fishing communities but also have far-reaching and tangible global implications.

Against this background, the thesis examines the extent to which companies can be held accountable for environmental damage caused by IUU fishing under the new EU Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence in relation to international standards. Therefore, the thesis analyses the requirements for such accountability in the context of established international norms in the area and the extent to which the Directive can prescribe expanded opportunities to mitigate harmful environmental impacts stemming from IUU fishing.

The thesis concludes that the Directive represents a critical, albeit not flawless, step in strengthening the framework for such environmental accountability by introducing a civil liability element into the framework. By directly referencing environmental instruments for the concept of damage, the Directive incorporates a focus on the environmental impacts of corporate actions in its application. This enables the inclusion of, for example, biodiversity impacts stemming from IUU fishing within the scope of the Directive. (Less)
Popular Abstract (Swedish)
Frågan om företags ansvarsskyldighet för mänskliga rättigheter har fått stort pådrag under de senaste åren med anledning av ökande globalisering, komplexa företagsstrukturer och allmänhetens växande medvetenhet om de skadliga effekterna affärsverksamhet. Parallellt med att frågan om mänskliga rättigheter har fått en allt större plats på den internationella agendan har även frågan om företags miljöpåverkan blivit alltmer etablerad och och utvecklad både som en integrerad komponent av ansvarsskyldigheten för mänskliga rättigheter och som en egen distinkt disciplin.

Olagligt, orapporterat och oreglerat fiske, känt som ”IUU-fiske” från engelskans ”illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing”, utgör ett stort hot mot hållbar förvaltning av... (More)
Frågan om företags ansvarsskyldighet för mänskliga rättigheter har fått stort pådrag under de senaste åren med anledning av ökande globalisering, komplexa företagsstrukturer och allmänhetens växande medvetenhet om de skadliga effekterna affärsverksamhet. Parallellt med att frågan om mänskliga rättigheter har fått en allt större plats på den internationella agendan har även frågan om företags miljöpåverkan blivit alltmer etablerad och och utvecklad både som en integrerad komponent av ansvarsskyldigheten för mänskliga rättigheter och som en egen distinkt disciplin.

Olagligt, orapporterat och oreglerat fiske, känt som ”IUU-fiske” från engelskans ”illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing”, utgör ett stort hot mot hållbar förvaltning av världens fiskeresurser och de insatser som görs för att bekämpa sådant fiske. Allvarliga miljökonsekvenser till följd av sådant fiske, inklusive överexploatering av fiskebestånd och skador på marina ekosystem, är inte bara av relevans för lokala fiskesamhällen, utan får långtgående och kännbara globala konsekvenser.

Uppsatsen undersöker mot bakgrund av detta i vilken utsträckning företag kan hållas ansvariga för miljöskador orsakade av IUU-fiske under det nya EU-direktivet om tillbörlig aktsamhet för företag i fråga om hållbarhet i kraven för sådan ansvarsskyldighet mot bakgrund av etablerade internationella normer på området och i vilken utsträckning EU-direktivet kan föreskriva utökade möjligheter att begränsa skadlig miljöpåverkan orsakade av IUU-fiske.

Uppsatsen drar slutsatsen att EU-direktivet utgör ett kritiskt, men inte oklanderligt, steg i att stärka ramverket för sådan ansvarsskyldighet för miljöskador genom att införa ett civilrättsligt element i ramverket. Genom att direkt hänvisa till miljökonventioner för skadebegreppet innefattar EU-direktivet ett fokus på miljöeffekterna av företagsagerande i sin tillämpning. Detta möjliggör i sin tur att skador på den biologiska mångfalden som härrör från IUU-fiske bör omfattas av direktivet. (Less)
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author
Egelberg, Sara LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGM01 20241
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
Human Rights Due Diligence, Business and Human Rights, Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, IUU Fishing, Environmental Impacts
language
English
id
9159595
date added to LUP
2024-06-25 10:56:08
date last changed
2024-06-25 10:56:08
@misc{9159595,
  abstract     = {{The issue of corporate accountability for human rights has gained significant attention in recent years, driven by increasing globalisation, complex corporate structures, and the public’s growing awareness of the harmful effects of business activities. Alongside the rising prominence of human rights on the international agenda, the issue of environmental impacts of corporations has also become more established and developed, both as an integrated component of human rights due diligence and as a distinct element in the framework.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, known as IUU-fishing, poses a significant threat to sustainable management of the world’s fish resources and the efforts made to combat such practices. The severe environmental consequences of this type of fishing, including the overexploitation of fish stocks and damage to marine ecosystems, are not only relevant to local fishing communities but also have far-reaching and tangible global implications.

Against this background, the thesis examines the extent to which companies can be held accountable for environmental damage caused by IUU fishing under the new EU Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence in relation to international standards. Therefore, the thesis analyses the requirements for such accountability in the context of established international norms in the area and the extent to which the Directive can prescribe expanded opportunities to mitigate harmful environmental impacts stemming from IUU fishing.

The thesis concludes that the Directive represents a critical, albeit not flawless, step in strengthening the framework for such environmental accountability by introducing a civil liability element into the framework. By directly referencing environmental instruments for the concept of damage, the Directive incorporates a focus on the environmental impacts of corporate actions in its application. This enables the inclusion of, for example, biodiversity impacts stemming from IUU fishing within the scope of the Directive.}},
  author       = {{Egelberg, Sara}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Catching More Than Fish: Corporate Responsibility for Environmental Impacts of IUU Fishing under the Human Rights Due Diligence Framework}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}