ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the effects of states' direct involvement in transnational activities. Human rights are commonly divided into five groups: civil, political, economic, social, and cultural. Although emphasis is constantly placed the interdependence and indivisibility of all categories of human rights, the actual effect of transnational operations by states may be more common and visible in the area of economic and social rights. The chapter also addresses the following questions: What are the legal foundations for obligations in this field? and What are the experiences of the international bodies responsible for human rights monitoring and international judicial bodies in dealing with cross-border obligations? Due to the relatively restrictive nature of the content of customary international norms in the field of human rights, some commentators imply that these norms carry mainly negative obligations. International human rights law is the general regime of international law in that its sources stem from treaty law, customary international law, and general principles of law.
