TMU CSR Institute Supports Rule of Law and Idea of Global Rule of Law Coalition
"The idea that every crisis is an opportunity is well-known," said Professor Kernaghan Webb, Associate Professor in the Department of Law and Business at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and Director of the Institute for the Study of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Institute), following a recent CSR Institute "in conversation" session with Errol Mendes and John Sherman III, discussing the value of building a global rule of law coalition.
"We are viewing recent erosions or attempts at erosions of the rule of law and international rules-based order (ROL & IRBO) by the U.S. administration as creating a crisis of confidence concerning the legitimacy of our legislative and judicial rule-making and implementation institutions and processes," said Professor Webb.
"But we also see how this crisis creates an opportunity for there to be a coming-together of diverse governmental, business and civil society organizations and individuals who have come to recognize the importance of the ROL and IRBO to everything they do ," continued Dr. Webb, "We see the ROL and IRBO as a societal 'load-bearing beam" that allows all of us to carry out our daily activities with a measure of confidence that we won't be the subject of arbitrary actions that erode from individual, organizational and national sovereignty."
"The multi-sectoral, multi-level, apolitical, global coalition condemning and actively working against the apartheid South African government stands as a model that to some extent could potentially be emulated to similar effect by individuals and organizations around the world in support of the ROL and IRBO," said Professor Webb.
Preliminary research we have undertaken (external link) suggests that more than 5,500 organizations around the world have issued statements supporting the ROL and the IRBO, said Dr. Webb, "And even in the short time since we began public discussions about the idea of a global ROL / IRBO coalition, we are starting to see (external link) organizations express their support for the idea. In Canada, the law profession is organizing (external link) to express their support for the rule of law."
In this spirit we adopt the following statement:
Recognizing that respect for the rule of law and the international rule-based order (ROL & IRBO) are foundational to the operation of fair, efficient and prosperous societies and economies, at both the domestic and international levels, and that efforts to erode from the rule of law, through attacks, threats or otherwise directed at the judicial, legislative, and/or executive arms of government, and the actors, instruments, and institutions associated with their proper operation are unacceptable and must not be tolerated, and associated rule of law-related attacks and threats or otherwise (e.g., erosions of due process) on the citizens, businesses and civil society organizations of those jurisdictions, are also unacceptable and must not be tolerated. Recognizing this, we are committed to ensuring the continued integrity of the ROL & IRBO and its aforementioned constituent components that are essential to its integrity, and will in this regard continue our efforts, individually and collaboratively, to uphold the rule of law and counter efforts that have the effect of undermining it.
"This is very much in keeping with TMU CSR Institute support for the ISO 26000 Social Responsibility standard and for the sustainable governance concept (external link) , which underlines everything the CSR Institute does," said Dr. Webb.
"We call on all individuals and organizations everywhere, regardless of size, wealth, power, location, political persuasion, ideology, or otherwise, to come together to explore the idea of a global coalition supporting the ROL and IRBO, and condemning actions that erode from the ROL and IRBO," said Prof. Webb.
For more information, and for thoughts on possible next steps, please check the TMU CSR Institute events page for access to past and upcoming "in conversation" zoom sessions on this issue, and consult resilientgovernance.org (external link) for research and updates on action to support the ROL and IRBO.
To be included in the TMU CSR Institute event email list, please email kernaghan.webb@torontomu.ca with "subscribe" in the subject heading.
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For more information, contact: kernaghan.webb@torontomu.ca