The responsibility of arms companies for the illicit trafficking of their arms and its negative impact on human rights. A question of due diligence?

Abstract

In accordance with the second pillar of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, i.e. the corporate obligation to respect human rights, the purpose of this paper is to clarify whether existing law obliges arms companies domiciled in the territory of a State and/or subject to its jurisdiction to be accountable, in the context of their activities or the operations of their value chain, for actual or potential violations of human rights committed or that may be committed with their arms in illegal circulation both in the State of origin and in third States.