Position paper of the Treaty Alliance Germany on the UN treaty process on transnational corporations and other business enterprises
Trade and investment protection agreements facilitate business enterprises‘ access to markets and raw materials, and protect investor interests with enforceable rights. Although human rights are a cornerstone of international law, so far there are only voluntary guidelines to safeguard them within the activities of global enterprises. This needs to change; human rights need a mandatory commitment. This is where the „UN treaty process“ comes in. It offers the chance for binding international regulation of global business: Since 2015, an intergovernmental working group has been negotiating an international human rights treaty that is binding for the contractual parties, outlines clear rules for business enterprises and strengthens access to justice for affected parties. The Treaty Alliance Germany – a coalition of organizations supporting such an approach – have formulated demands in a new position paper.
Download the full position paper here (pdf, 290 KB)
The Treaty Alliance (www.treatymovement.com) is an international association of more than 700 civil society organizations and 1,000 individuals formed with the aim of supporting progress toward an international human rights treaty on transnational corporations and other business enterprises.
This position paper was compiled by the following member organizations of the Treaty Alliance Germany (www.cora-netz.de/treaty): Attac Deutschland, Brot für die Welt, Bund für Umwelt- und Naturschutz Deutschland, Christliche Initiative Romero, CorA-Netzwerk für Unternehmensverantwortung, FIAN Deutschland, Forschungs- und Dokumentationszentrum Chile-Lateinamerika, Forum Fairer Handel, Forum Umwelt und Entwicklung, Global Policy Forum, medico international, MISEREOR, PowerShift, SÜDWIND and WEED. The positions published here are supported by the network’s member organizations.
