"Accra meeting discusses Africa position on UN legally binding instrument on business and human rights", 4 Oct 2023

A consultative meeting in Accra, Tuesday October 3, 2023 considered the position of Africa on the United Nations legally binding instrument on business and human rights...

The meeting organised by ActionAid Ghana and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and co-hosted by the Ghana and Cameroon governments ahead of the 9th Session of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, sought to engage African States and Civil Society Organizations to establish an Africa position on the United Nation’s legally binding instrument that seeks to regulate the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights on the continent... 

In his remarks at the Accra consultation, John Nkaw, Country Director of ActionAid Ghana said the consultation – the first of its kind, provides an opportunity for African countries to collectively agree, from an African perspective, on what they would like to see when it comes to the regulation of the activities of transnational corporations and other businesses.

“We want to ensure that as they carry out their various activities across our continent, corporations demonstrate full respect for human rights and the protection of our ecosystems,” he said.

Among other things, Mr Nkaw pointed out that the operations of businesses can have a profound impact on the rights of people and communities...

He further indicated that there is a pressing need to establish international norms of regulating business operations in relation to human rights, urging Africa to urgently play a more proactive role in shaping what this looks like...