Part V Institutions and Actors, Ch.30 Roles and Responsibilities of Non-State Actors

Subject(s):

Protected persons and property — Genocide — Violations of the laws or customs of war — Geneva Conventions 1949 Additional Protocol 1 — Geneva Conventions 1949 Additional Protocol 2 — Armed conflict — Responsibility of non-state actors — NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) — Race

This article examines the roles and responsibilities of non-state actors in the implementation of international human rights law. It describes the specific role of different non-state actors including non-governmental or civil society organizations, transnational corporations and other business entities and armed irregular groups in the protection and violation of human rights. It explains that each type of state actor has unique standards regarding human rights governing their behavior and stresses the need for international bodies to continue to identify and close gaps in the protection of human rights relating to non-state actors.