Submission to the UN Working Group on Business & Human Rights Pax Christi International
Pax Christi International welcomes last year’s published Zero Draft “Legally Binding Instrument to Regulate, in International Human Rights Law, the Activities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises” and the Zero Draft Optional Protocol on national implementation mechanisms. Although these instruments should be further strengthened, they are truly historic instruments giving important recognition to the pledges of victims of human rights violations linked to business activities and those supporting them...
Considering the devastating impact of extractive activities on communities in Latin America, in other regions in the world and also by other business sectors, we call upon all UN member states to actively and constructively participate in the next round of negotiations2 and to contribute to robust legally binding treaty that promotes and protects human rights and the environment...
In response to the working group’s invitation for submissions, Pax Christi International would like to identify several areas where we hope the treaty draft text can be strengthened through subsequent draft texts and the next rounds of negotiations. Please note that we support several asks of other civil society members and UN member states which were expressed during the Fourth Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group meeting of last year October...