Business and International Crimes consists of two projects: one in 2004 of the same name, and a second under the name "Commerce, Crime and Conflict" implemented in 2005-2006. Both have their orgins in the work of two projects: the International Peace Academy's Economic Agendas in Civil Wars (EACW) program, led by Karen Ballentine, and Fafo AIS's Economies of Conflict project, led by Mark Taylor.

For both projects, the legal implications of economic activity in conflict zones became of increasing importance as the basis for policy formulation in response to the economic dimensions of armed conflict. Beginning in the spring of 2002, IPA and Fafo AIS, first separately and then in collaboration, initiated a series of discussions between legal and government practitioners, advocates, and researchers. The discussions became a series of meetings in 2002 and 2003 exploring how legal mechanisms could play a role in developing policies for conflict management and the protection of human rights. The meetings and communications between meetings became known amongst participants as the "Stenersen" process, after the Villa Stenersen in Oslo where, in October 2002, an consensus emerged concerning the need to explore the basis for the questions posed by the project.

The Executive Summary from pilot project Business and International Crimes is available here: Business and International Crimes.

We have included a list of those who participated in meetings, all of whom deserve our thanks for the insight gained from the discussions.

 

Stenersen Process Participants / Advisory Group:

Jennie Green, Center for Constitutional Rights
Charmian Gooch, Global Witness
Gavin Hayman, Global Witness
Don Hubert, Canada
Rory Mungoven, Human Rights Watch
Heiko Nitzschke, International Peace Academy
Anita Ramasastry, University of Washington
Christian, Ruge, Fafo Institute for Applied International Studies
Kaysie Studdard, International Peace Academy
Robert Thompson, USA
Salil Tripathi, Amnesty International
Mark Taylor, Fafo Institute for Applied International Studies
Karen Ballentine, International Peace Academy

 

The Stenersen process resulted in a joint Fafo - IPA release of an executive summary, CD and web site in December 2004 entitled Business and International Crimes, based on five National Surveys, and a Commentary on the applicability of IHL and ICL to business entities. This large pilot study was made possible by the hard work of a number of people. The Commentary, which forms the web site today, was originally drafted by Professor Anita Ramasastry, Associate Professor, University of Washington School of Law, Seattle. A team of respondents from five countries were surveyed and, on a pro bono basis, provided the basis for national surveys. Our thanks go out to:

Survey Respondents / Contributors to the Pilot Project

Diane Atkinson-Sanford, University of Washington, USA
William Bourdon, Association Sherpa, France
Jeremy Carver, Clifford and Chance, U.K.
Michael P.D. Ellman, U.K.
Craig Forcese, Hughes & Hubbard, Can.
Richard Hermer, Doughty Street, U.K.
Ingrid Hillblom, Norway
Rosanna Mesquite, Redrerss, U.K.
Rhys Novak, Freshfields, U.K.
Valerie Oosterveld, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Can.
Steven Powles, Doughty Street, U.K.
Anita Ramasastry, University of Washington, USA
Darryl Robinson, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Can.
Craig Scott, Osgoode Hall, Can.
Robert Thompson, USA

 

Holding all of this together were two teams at Fafo AIS and IPA. The Herculean task of coordinating and collating the surveys was handled by Karen Ballentine's team at, IPA, in particular - Heiko Nitzschke and Kasie Studdard. The final drafting, editing, formatting and publications were done at Fafo AIS, by Mark Taylor, Christian Ruge and Kathleen Jennings. Thanks to all, the lessons learned during the pilot project enabled a smoother implementation of a larger number of surveys in the final project.

IPA and Fafo AIS are gratefully indebted to our sponsors for this work: for IPA, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Canadian International Development Agency, the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom, the International Development Research Centre of Canada, the Government of Norway, the Government of Switzerland, the Government of Sweden, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the United Nations Foundation; and for Fafo AIS, the Government of Norway, and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.