Editing Human rights (section)

=== State and non-state actors ===
Companies, NGOs, political parties, informal groups, and individuals are known as ''non-State actors''. Non-State actors can also commit human rights abuses, but are not subject to human rights law other than International Humanitarian Law, which applies to individuals. [[Multinational corporation|Multinational companies]] play an increasingly large role in the world, and are responsible for a large number of human rights abuses.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/worldreport99/special/corporations.html|title=Corporations and Human Rights|publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=3 January 2008|archive-date=14 November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081114135422/http://www.hrw.org/worldreport99/special/corporations.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Although the legal and moral environment surrounding the actions of governments is reasonably well developed, that surrounding multinational companies is both controversial and ill-defined. Multinational companies often view their primary responsibility as being to their [[shareholders]], not to those affected by their actions. Such companies are often larger than the economies of the states in which they operate, and can wield significant economic and political power. No international treaties exist to specifically cover the behavior of companies with regard to human rights, and national legislation is very variable. [[Jean Ziegler]], Special Rapporteur of the UN [[Commission on Human Rights]] on the [[right to food]] stated in a report in 2003:

{{blockquote|text=the growing power of transnational corporations and their extension of power through privatization, deregulation and the rolling back of the State also mean that it is now time to develop binding legal norms that hold corporations to human rights standards and circumscribe potential abuses of their position of power.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=8536&Cr=right&Cr1=food|title=Transnational corporations should be held to human rights standards – UN expert|access-date=2008-01-03|date=13 October 2003|publisher=UN News Centre|archive-date=21 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080121045905/http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=8536&Cr=right&Cr1=food|url-status=live}}</ref>|author=Jean Ziegler}}

In August 2003, the Human Rights Commission's Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights produced draft ''Norms on the responsibilities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises with regard to human rights''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unhchr.ch/huridocda/huridoca.nsf/(Symbol)/E.CN.4.Sub.2.2003.12.Rev.2.En.|title=Norms on the responsibilities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises with regard to human rights|publisher=UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights|access-date=3 January 2008|archive-date=12 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912022723/http://www.unhchr.ch/huridocda/huridoca.nsf/%28Symbol%29/E.CN.4.Sub.2.2003.12.Rev.2.En.|url-status=live}}</ref> These were considered by the Human Rights Commission in 2004, but have no binding status on corporations and are not monitored.<ref>{{cite web|title=Report on the Economic and Social Council on the Sixtieth Session of the Commission (E/CN.4/2004/L.11/Add.7)|url=http://www.unhchr.ch/huridocda/huridoca.nsf/e06a5300f90fa0238025668700518ca4/169143c3c1009015c1256e830058c441/$FILE/G0413976.pdf|page=81|publisher=United Nations Commission on Human Rights|access-date=3 January 2008|archive-date=16 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216052312/http://www.unhchr.ch/huridocda/huridoca.nsf/e06a5300f90fa0238025668700518ca4/169143c3c1009015c1256e830058c441/$FILE/G0413976.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, the United Nations [[Sustainable Development Goal 10]] aims to substantially reduce inequality by 2030 through the promotion of appropriate legislation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Goal 10 targets|url=https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-10-reduced-inequalities/targets.html|access-date=23 September 2020|website=UNDP|language=en|archive-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127140337/https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-10-reduced-inequalities/targets.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>