International law as a driver for sustainable development and corporate sustainability

Globally applicable international law has been the central arena for the development of regulation and international guidelines and principles in the area of sustainable development and corporate sustainability.

In the context of international law, states have adopted a large number of international norms and standards addressing, for example, human rights, the environment, and corruption. States are obliged to implement these norms at the national level by enacting and enforcing national laws. Through this national implementation, international law norms become national laws that bind for example companies.

International law provides the framework within which international guidelines and principles for corporate sustainability have been created, including

• the UN Global Compact,
• the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (The UNGPs),
• the UN Sustainable Development Goals,
• and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct (The OECD Guidelines).