Title: The Normative Basis for the Law Regulating Global Governance Institutions
Abstract: The aim of this Chapter is to ground accountability obligations of global governance bodies toward individuals affected by their policies. Why should, for example, the EU be accountable to non-EU citizens or residents and consider their interests? Why should GlobalG.A.P. and other private actors give take into account the adverse effects of their standards on farmers in faraway countries? I explore three possible principles as possible candidates for such obligations: the rule of law, human rights and trusteeship. Recourse to the principle of the rule of law raises several questions, including a preliminary question of standing: who has standing to demand that a global body comply with the rule of law? The second ground, the obligation to respect and ensure human rights, suffers from similar problems of space and scope: why do global governance bodies owe foreigners human rights-based duties? The chapter argues that the response to those questions, as well as the basis of a third, independent source of obligations, is the concept of trusteeship. States and the institutions states set up or delegate authority to are trustees of humanity, having been authorized by human society to respect and promote the interests of all individuals. The trusteeship concept, which informed the bottom-up evolution of domestic administrative law of many countries, can now serve as the normative bedrock for the emergence of global administrative law.
Publication Year: 2014
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot