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Article

27 Oct 2016

Author:
AL­HAQ, BFTW, CIDSE, FIDH, IBFAN­GIFA, ICJ & SOMO

Oral Statement by AL­HAQ, BFTW, CIDSE, FIDH, IBFAN­GIFA, ICJ & SOMO on different approaches and criteria for the future definition of the scope of the international legally binding instrument

FIDH, IBFAN, ICJ, CIDSE, AL­HAQ, SOMO and BFTW, all members of the Treaty Alliance, firmly believe that a legally binding instrument must address the human rights violations arising from the activities of all business enterprises. All businesses, including State­owned enterprises and local businesses, have the potential to negatively impact on human rights and, as a result of governance gaps, deficiencies and inadequate enforcement of national laws, those violations often remain unpunished. From the perspective of victims of abuses, the formal character of a business is irrelevant; what they need is access to effective remedy and full reparation for the harms they have suffered. However, transnational corporations pose particular and complex challenges in relation to accountability for business­related human rights abuses. These challenges are created by the complexity of their structure...The treaty should provide clarity and broad consistency around States’ obligations to respect, protect and fulfill human rights in connection with corporate activities. Furthermore, it gives States the opportunity to set a binding framework that facilitates a consistent approach to address the particular challenges posed by transnational corporations, providing the necessary protection to victims of human rights abuses...