Accountability and Remedy Project Online Consultation

Welcome to the OHCHR’s "Open Process" online consultation for the Accountability and Remedy Project.

Please take the time to read this short introductory section, which will help you get started.

This consultation forms part of the research phase for OHCHR’s ongoing initiative to contribute to a fairer and more effective system of domestic law remedies, in particular in cases of severe human rights abuses. For more information about this programme of work, please click here.

The Open Process online consultation is a critical part of OHCHR’s research and analysis phase for this programme of work. We are grateful to you for taking the time to complete this survey. We value each and every contribution.

Consultation Aims
The aim of this online consultation is to collect information from as many jurisdictions as possible around the world about:

·      How courts assess when companies will be legally liable for involvement in human rights abuses and when they will not;
·      Ways to overcome the financial obstacles to legal claims;
·      Current State practice and trends in relation to criminal and quasi-criminal (or “administrative”) penalties;
·      Current State practice and trends in relation to private law (or “civil law”) remedies; and
·      Actual cases involving allegations of business involvement in severe human rights abuses and their outcomes.

Completing the Questionnaire
The consultation has been designed as a simple-to-use questionnaire. Many questions can be answered with “yes” or “no” answers, or by simply clicking on multiple choice answers.  Where further information is called for, you have the flexibility to add information.

You do not need to answer all the questions.  You may skip sections and questions that are not relevant to you, depending on your own expertise, knowledge and interests.

You may also download a PDF version of the survey here.

Some of the questions make use of legal or technical terms.  If you are unsure of the meaning of any of these terms, hover your mouse over the highlighted words to access some further guidance.

This consultation tool has been designed to relate to only one jurisdiction at a time.  If you wish to provide input for more than one jurisdiction, you will need to complete a separate questionnaire for each. For respondents from federal systems, please note that this tool has been designed for federal law.

We hope that the questions and guidance are self-explanatory.  However, if you have any difficulties, please contact us at business-access2remedy@ohchr.org.

Please note that the information submitted will not be attributed to you by name. At the end of the questionnaire, we ask for your contact information for research purposes only; providing this information is voluntary.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THIS PROJECT!