"IGWG on TNCs and other Businesses: No agreement reached, consultations are continuing"

After the rapid approval of Ecuador as Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Intergovernmental Working Group on TNCs and other Businesses, the session has stalled today at the UN headquarters in Geneva after proposals on the programme issued by the European Union (EU). At present no agreement could be found with regard to the adoption of the agenda and the programme of work. However, consultations among diplomatic missions are in progress and in the hope of finding agreement between the positions of some states, particularly the EU and the co-sponsors, Ecuador and South Africa...The European Union's amendment, namely to widen the scope of the Working Group's mandate to include all corporations, not only TNCs, has provoked a division among the member states...