Human Rights Trade and Development in ACP-EU Partnership

This book, relying on the human rights clause in the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement argues that ACP countries, contrary to the widely held view, can employ human rights as an impartial tool in their trade relations with the EU and its member states. It demonstrates that for sustainable development to be achieved within the realm of trade, the realisation of human rights should be seen as its central objective and the contracting parties should give due regard to this in their formulation and implementation of trade rules. For ACP countries, this would entitle them to resist market opening demands that would prevent them from realising human rights for their people and for the EU and its member states an obligation of international assistance and cooperation to aid the ACP countries in their efforts to participate beneficially in the world trading system, but in so doing should refrain from coercing them to embrace rights-limiting trade obligations. The analysis in this book should be useful to Human Rights and Trade Law Practitioners, Govern-ment Trade negotiators, persons interested in how trade rules may impact on sustainable development.