GovErning humaN rights through partnErShIpS: investigating the normative and operational interface of international law and multistakeholder governance

Introduction

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals hail multistakeholder partnerships (MSPs) as key actors in achieving sustainable development. MSPs that bring together states, businesses, philanthropy, and civil society are increasingly in the frontlines of providing public goods that are human rights such as food, health, education, and water.

Expansion of Multistakeholder Governance

In these domains, partnerships are spearheading the continued expansion of multistakeholder governance into international law, including human rights law. This expansion has been taking place without critical appraisal with respect to its effectiveness and consequences.

Project Overview

GENESIS breaks new ground by exploring the normative and operational implications of this shift, both at the system-level and at the level of specific global partnering initiatives and individual multistakeholder partnerships. GENESIS investigates the interface of international law and multistakeholder governance in the realization of human rights.

Analysis of Governance Paradigms

It analyses how the paradigms of multilateralism and multistakeholderism diverge or converge as they simultaneously govern the domains of food, health, education, and water through human rights law and multistakeholder partnerships, respectively.

Objectives of GENESIS

GENESIS has three main objectives that will generate high research and policy gains:

1. Uncovering Norms: GENESIS will uncover and understand how norms that govern human rights through multistakeholder partnerships are made in the post-2015 era in the governance of food (SDG 2), health (SDG 3), education (SDG 4), and water (SDG 6).

2. Investigating Impact: GENESIS will investigate how multistakeholder partnerships impact the way human rights are operationalized.

3. Identifying Pathways: GENESIS will identify pathways to an effective uptake of human rights legal standards by multistakeholder partnerships.

Insights on Governance

In doing so, GENESIS will derive insights on whether and how international law and multistakeholder governance can generate common ground when governing public goods that are human rights.