“Open letter regarding the appointment of a new member for the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises (“UNWG”)”, March 13, 2015

At its 28th Session, the Human Rights Council will appoint a new member to the UN Working Group (UNWG) on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises…[The]…undersigned organizations request that the three final candidates address the following issues: 1)…are there any potential conflicts of interest which might arise from their professional background and their intended position as mandate-holders?...2) Does the candidate commit to refraining from undertaking activities for two years after his/her term as member of the WG that could create a conflict of interest between the public function of an UN mandate-holders and private interests?...3)…how is the corporate responsibility to respect human rights different from approaches based on the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility? 4)…how has the UNWG performed so far in terms of taking into account the perspectives of individuals and communities impacted by business activities, and what could be improved in the UNWG’s current methods of work to ensure that access to justice is guaranteed to victims of corporate-related human rights abuses? We thank the candidates for their responses…Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales – CELS Conectas Direitos Humanos Dejusticia