"The Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on TNCs and other Business Enterprises started its second session at the UN in Geneva", 24 Oct 2016

The second session of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises opened on 24 October 2016 at the UN in Geneva...The European Union, who in July 2015 tried to impose conditions to expand the mandate of discussion on the scope of the Working Group, effectively threatening viability of the first session, welcomed this year’s programme. However, by emphasising that a treaty most not undermine implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, EU engagement seems predicated on an intention to widen the potential scope of the future instrument to include national businesses...Although the EU is still adopting a conservative position, their willingness to participate in the discussions was widely commended...A significant development in the morning occurred during the first intervention of the Brazilian delegation. Upon speaking the vast majority of civil society representatives left the negotiating room for several minutes to protest the recent change of power in Brazil, considered by many Brazilian civil society representatives here to be a “political coup”...