«Il n‘y a pas un monde développé et un monde sous-développé, mais un seul monde mal développé»
Transnational corporations (TNCs) commit crimes, violate human rights and destroy the environment with complete impunity. National legislations are ineffective in dealing with business enterprises that carry out their activities across borders and operate through intermediaries to avoid any legal liability. Most states are powerless confronted with entities that are often richer and more powerful than they are.
TNCs’ interests are protected at the international level by a multitude of investment treaties.
Only binding norms at the international level can end with impunity
Support our campaign at the United Nations
The CETIM has long had a firm commitment to the adoption of binding international norms on transnational corporations (TNCs) to end impunity for the human rights violations that they commit. He is currently one of the leader of the campaign at the Human Rights Council, together with the Global Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity (Global Campaign), an international network comprising over 200 social movements, peasants organizations, trade unions and representatives of affected communities from all around the world.
In June 2014, the Human Rights Council adopted by vote (20 Yes, 14 No and 13 Abs) a resolution presented by Ecuador and South Africa that created an intergovernmental working group mandated with the drafting of a legally binding instrument to regulate, within the framework of international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations (TNCs) and other business enterprises.
It was a historic decision, coming after decades of discussions and fruitless attempts at the United Nations. It was to a large extent the result of the strong mobilization of social movements, in particular the CETIM, the Global Campaign and other organizations participating in the Treaty Alliance.
This initiative of the Human Rights Council can contribute to end the impunity of TNCs for the human rights violations committed, in particular in the Global South, and therefore improve in the long term and at the global level the protection and respect for human rights.
After having contributed to the opening of intergovernmental negotiations, the CETIM is now working together with the Global Campaign so that social movements, organizations, trade unions and representatives of affected communities in the Global South, are be able to participate in the intergovernmental working group and make their voices and proposals heard.
The 1st session of the working group was held in July 2015. Click here to read the summary. And to read the proposals submitted by the Global Campaign to the working group, it is here.
The 2nd session of the working group was held in October 2016. Read the summary here. Demonstrations were organized outside the Palais des Nations. Find a short article here. And discover the new proposals submitted by the Campaign here.
The 3rd session took place in October 2017. You can read the summary of this session here. During this session, the Global Campaign presented its own draft treaty to influence the negotiations in the Working Group. A mine of information, reflection and proposals, this document can be used by activists as well as public and elected authorities who fight against the impunity of TNCs.
The 4th session took place in October 2018. You can read a summary here. The Presidency of the Working group presented a first draft Convention. The Global Campaign submitted comments and concrete proposals to this first draft.
The 5th session was held in October 2019. You can read a summary of the session here. After last year’s first draft Convention, the Chair of the Working Group presented a revised draft Convention. The Global Campaign submitted concrete comments and proposals to this second draft.
The 6th session was held in October 2020. We have written about this session here. During this session, the Working Group considered and negotiated the second revised treaty. CETIM and the Global Campaign submitted a document analyzing this new draft, which includes general comments and amendments article by article.
The 7th session was held in Geneva in October 2021, where the third revised draft treaty was negotiated. CETIM published an article analyzing this session here.
The 8th session of the Working Group was held in Geneva in October 2022. During this session, a new version of the third revised draft was negotiated, as well as a new document of “informal” proposals presented by the Chair of the Working Group. CETIM published a review article of this session here.
The 9th session of the Working Group was held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva in October 2023. CETIM and the Global Campaign published an analysis of this session here.
I. The mandate of the Working Group on transnational corporations The resolution 2005/69 of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) totally ignores the work accomplished since many years by the Sub-Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, including the Draft “Norms” adopted in 2003. Both the AAJ and CETIM have serious reservations concerning […]
Continue readingBy publishing his report on the reform of the United Nations, on the 21st of March 20051, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan caused quite a stir. Entitled ‘In Larger Freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all’ the document starts impressively, however, the contents hardly live up to the title’s promise. In fact, although […]
Continue reading1. Despite the fact that the Draft “Norms”1 for transnational corporations and other business enterprises approved by the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights2 is far from being a panacea on the subject of control and legal framework of transnational corporations. The latter had a sharp reaction against on a document of […]
Continue reading1. It is almost ten years since the issue of an Optional Protocol to the ICESCR is at the Commission on Human Rights and it is necessary to note that the process that should lead to the adoption of a protocol is making progress with an extreme slowness, not to say that it has gone […]
Continue readingI. INTRODUCTION The Draft Norms on Transnational Corporations approved by the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, is completely different – in a positive sense – to the initial draft submitted to the Working Group four years ago. But several essential matters have been left unresolved. Therefore, this draft is still dissatisfactory […]
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