A/HRC/15/32
39.
The realization of solidarity rights, including the right to solidarity, is also linked to
the behaviour of individuals, civil society, the private sector and other components of
society. The private sector, especially major corporate enterprises operating in developing
countries, should assume obligations for development to help to reduce the gap between the
developed and developing world through increased corporate social responsibility in the
field of business and human rights. In international tourism, efforts have been made to
ensure that poor and marginalized communities do not suffer from the disproportionate
costs associated with tourism development while missing out on the benefits. In this
respect, the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, in article 9, stipulates that:
As an irreplaceable factor of solidarity in the development and dynamic growth of
international exchanges, multinational enterprises of the tourism industry should not
exploit the dominant positions they sometimes occupy; ... in exchange for their
freedom to invest and trade, which should be fully recognized, they should involve
themselves in local development, avoiding, by the excessive repatriation of their
profits or their induced imports, a reduction of their contribution to the economies in
which they are established.
III. Salient elements of a conceptual and normative framework
A.
Review and observations
40.
The independent expert reiterates that there is an unequivocal value of solidarity and
a related value system that can inform the progressive development of international law and
legal development, at the regional and national levels, supporting an integrated and
cohesive principle of international solidarity, and an evolving right of peoples and
individuals to international solidarity. Notions of solidarity, humility, justice and equity
have been found in moral, ethical, philosophical, religious and spiritual traditions the world
over since time immemorial, including in Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and
Buddhism. Ranging from the parable of the good Samaritan and commandment of “love
thy neighbour” or “do not harm thy neighbour” in Christian literature to the concept of
universal brotherhood in Islam and the central tenets of compassion and loving kindness in
Buddhist scriptures, the seminal value of solidarity encapsulates the power of human
goodness and goodwill, essential for the survival of society at all levels, including the
international community, humanity and its ecological habitat.2
41.
The independent expert reiterates his call for human, international and global
solidarity, which require strengthened cooperation among all stakeholders: States,
international and non-governmental organizations, the private sector and all individuals.
The need for solidarity is amplified in the context of increasing interdependence in a
globalizing world, where liberalization of international trade and foreign direct investment
create a single global economy, mandating that humanity is also conceived as a single,
global community. Great thinkers and leaders have, throughout the course of history,
implored for the need for unity, fraternity, solidarity and reconciliation, among them,
Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt and Nelson Mandela. The pursuit
of social justice and equity has long been a subject of discourse, including in international
relations, for instance the quest for a new international economic order in the 1970s. In the
modern context of globalization, there is a considerable amount of philosophical writing
asserting the need for global social justice and the fair distribution of social and economic
advantages across the bounds of State sovereignty. It is argued that obligations arise
2
12
C.G. Weeramantry, The Lord’s Prayer: Bridge to a Better World, Ligouri/Triumph, Missouri, 1998.
GE.10-14914
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