Xiang Mao Jun, Maïnkade Belengar Francis
Central South University, School of Law, China.
Heliyon. 2023 Jul 22;9(8):e18578. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18578. eCollection 2023 Aug.
This paper provides a non-exhaustive analysis of the human rights-based approach to sustainable development (HRBA to SD) contained in the Draft Pan African Investment Code (Draft PAIC), the Southern African Development Community Model BIT (SADC Model BIT), and 37 Bilateral Investment Treaties (BIT) concluded by African countries between 2017 and 2021. The analysis was conducted through an analytical framework that breaks down the investors' human rights responsibility into five key analytical elements: the duty-bearer, the content of human rights obligation, the legal force of the standards, the enforcement of the human rights obligation and the legitimacy of the HRBA to SD. This paper shows that the HRBA has resulted in the linking of investment protection, the incorporation of mandatory human rights, and the promotion of SD goals in some African investment instruments. The paper also suggests that the HRBA to SD has limited influence on treaty practice, as it is adopted by a limited number of intra-African BITs. It appears that the HRBA as adopted in African investment treaty practice has a moderate influence on achieving SD objectives. This article is a valuable contribution to the literature on sustainable development, on "Africanization of international investment law", and on the responsibility of corporations in relation to human rights.
本文对《泛非投资法典草案》（《泛非投资法典草案》）、南部非洲发展共同体示范双边投资条约（南共体示范双边投资条约）以及非洲国家在2017年至2021年期间缔结的37项双边投资条约（双边投资条约）中基于人权的可持续发展方法（基于人权的可持续发展方法）进行了非详尽分析。该分析通过一个分析框架进行，该框架将投资者的人权责任分解为五个关键分析要素：责任承担者、人权义务的内容、标准的法律效力、人权义务的执行以及基于人权的可持续发展方法的合法性。本文表明，基于人权的可持续发展方法已导致在一些非洲投资文书中实现了投资保护的联系、强制性人权的纳入以及可持续发展目标的促进。本文还表明，基于人权的可持续发展方法对条约实践的影响有限，因为只有少数非洲内部双边投资条约采用了该方法。看来，非洲投资条约实践中采用的基于人权的可持续发展方法对实现可持续发展目标有适度影响。本文对可持续发展、“国际投资法的非洲化”以及企业在人权方面的责任等文献做出了宝贵贡献。
