A new report – commissioned by a coalition of eight civil society organisations – shows how a UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights could improve access to remedy for victims of business-related human rights abuses in future. From oil pollution by Shell in Nigeria to waste dumping by Trafigura in Côte d’Ivoire, the report delves into five well-documented cases of corporate abuse that played out partly in European courts.  In advance of crucial Treaty negotiations coming up next month at the United Nations in Geneva, the report makes seven recommendations to help create a Treaty  that would improve access to remedy for victims.

For victims of business-related human rights abuses or environmental damage, access to justice is hard to achieve...

But there is hope for the victims...

Mariëtte van Huijstee from the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) said: “Such a binding instrument, or Treaty, has real potential to bring about change. It represents an opportunity to improve and coordinate policies and legal developments at the domestic level. Europe can play an important role in this process.”...