It is perplexing to observe how often States ignore their international legal commitments in one area of law when making rules in another. An area in which this is repeatedly plays out is trade policy – as States tend to ratify new trade agreements with little heed for their human rights obligations.

Human rights impact assessment has been put forward as a tool for improving consistency between trade law and other legal commitments, including those designed to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) or to protect human rights.