On 19 July 2018, the Permanent Mission of Ecuador to the United Nations released a zero draft on a legally binding instrument (LBI) – a treaty in fact – on business and human rights. This zero draft will serve as the basis for negotiations during the fourth session of an ‘Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group’ which will take place in Geneva between 15 and 19 October 2018. Quite a number of other posts (including Lopez in Opinio Juris and Cassel in Letters Blogatory) have been published in the wake of the release of the zero draft. None of them focuses specifically on the question of jurisdiction, however. This is remarkable, as it is difficult to escape the presence of the concept of jurisdiction in the LBI. While only one article of the LBI is specifically titled ‘jurisdiction’ (Article 5, which deals with adjudicatory jurisdiction), the term ‘jurisdiction’ also features in five other articles of the LBI. That jurisdiction is so pervasive throughout the LBI is mainly because it is such a multifaceted notion. For different lawyers, it may mean different things. The treaty would benefit from some clarity on the matter, in particular regarding the linkages between the different understandings of jurisdiction. In this post, I make some suggestions in this regard.  Lees verder →