"The seed of a new Treaty on transnational corporations and human rights is planted", 28 Oct 2016

The creation of a set of international binding rules will have profound implications for the world’s largest companies, obliging them to respect human rights in a way they have never had to before...The fact that so many countries—led by South Africa and Ecuador—voiced their unequivocal support for legally binding rules, sets exactly the right tone for an ambitious and far-reaching negotiation,”...This week’s talks in Geneva were also notable for a strong and growing civil society mobilisation...Friends of the Earth International looks forward to the next stage in this pivotal process, when Ecuador, the Chair, will begin a process for formal negotiations...It is also important to continue to resist business’ attempts to capture the process and weaken ambitions, including by restricting corporations’ participation in negotiations due to conflicts of interest.  The seed has been planted this week: we now need to grow and nurture this Treaty, to give it the strength—rules and effective implementation mechanisms—to constrain and control big business, and to deter and punish human rights abuses by the world’s largest companies.