Transnational Enterprises and Human Rights: Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Case

Within the areas of activity of transnational enterprises, the oil industry is the one where the most serious and widespread violations of human rights occur. This article aims to study the risks concerning human rights created by the legal regime set up for the construction and the operation of the Baku-Tbilisi- Ceyhan oil pipeline. The impact and importance of the transnational enterprises have increased in the course of globalization. They still do not have the international legal personality, neither the public international law nor the international human rights law provide direct obligations for these entities. The regulations set up for ensuring the transnational enterprises’ respect for human rights norms and their accountability in case of their violation are not legally binding. These regulations are market-based or created by the intergovernmental organizations. The article studies and discusses the practical efficiency and limits of these regulations through the case of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline.