Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 June 2021
The sixth session of the United Nations (UN) open-ended intergovernmental working group (IGWG) tasked with ‘elaborating an international legally binding instrument to regulate, in international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises’1 (BHR Treaty) took place virtually during 26–30 October 2020.2
Conflicts of interest: The author declares none.
Legal Director at the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), Montreal, Canada. This piece does not necessarily reflect the views of the ITF. I wish to thank Helen Breese of the ITF for her helpful feedback on an earlier draft.
1 UN Human Rights Council, ‘Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Respect to Human Rights (IGWG)’, https://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/hrc/wgtranscorp/pages/igwgontnc.aspx (accessed 30 March 2021).
2 Human Rights Council, ‘Sixth Session of the IGWG’, https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/WGTransCorp/Session6/Pages/Session6.aspx (accessed 30 March 2021).
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17 OHCHR, ‘IGWG Chairmanship Revised Draft, Legally Binding Instrument to Regulate, in International Human Rights Law, the Activities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises’ (16 July 2019), https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/WGTransCorp/OEIGWG_RevisedDraft_LBI.pdf (accessed 30 March 2021)Google Scholar.
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20 Human Rights Council, ‘Report on the Fifth Session of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with Respect to Human Rights’, A/HRC/43/55 (19 January 2020), para 12, https://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/43/55 (accessed 30 March 2021)Google Scholar.
21 Ibid, para 18.
22 Ibid, para 15.
23 Ibid, para 70.
24 Ibid, paras 24, 25 and 35.
25 Ibid, para 10.
26 Sahan, Makbule and Subasinghe, Ruwan, ‘Ending Corporate Impunity is at the Heart of a Sustainable Post-Pandemic Recovery – That’s Why We Need a Strong Binding Treaty’, Equal Times (10 October 2020), https://www.equaltimes.org/ending-corporate-impunity-is-at#.YE_maZ1JHD4 (accessed 30 March 2021)Google Scholar.
27 Ibid.
28 Ibid.
29 Ibid.
30 ITUC, ‘Joint Trade Union Statement’, note 18.
31 ITUC, ‘Trade Union Comments: Legally Binding Instrument to Regulate, in International Human Rights Law, the Activities of Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises’ (8 October 2020), https://www.ituc-csi.org/legally-binding-instrument (accessed 30 March 2021)Google Scholar.
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34 Ibid.
35 Ibid.
36 Human Rights Council, ‘Elaboration of an International Legally Binding Instrument on Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with Respect to Human Rights’, A/HRC/RES/26/9 (14 July 2014)Google Scholar.
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38 ‘General Statement by India under Agenda Item 4 at the 6th Meeting of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group for the elaboration of an International Legally Binding Instrument on Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with respect to Human Rights, by Mr Animesh Choudhury, First Secretary’ (26 October 2020), https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/WGTransCorp/Session6/GeneralStatements/States/India_General_statement.doc (accessed 30 March 2021).
39 Ibid.
40 European Coalition for Corporate Justice, ‘UN Treaty on Business & Human Rights negotiations Day 1 – the round of discussions kicks off with an improved draft’ (15 October 2019), https://corporatejustice.org/news/16786-un-treaty-on-business-human-rights-negotiations-day-1-the-round-of-discussions-kicks-off-with-an-improved-draft-text (accessed 4 April 2021)Google Scholar.
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42 See, e.g., social media campaign on Twitter: #WhereIstheEU.
43 European Union, ‘Open-ended intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights 6th Session’ (26 October 2020), https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/WGTransCorp/Session6/Pages/Session6.aspx (accessed 31 March 2021)Google Scholar.
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45 Ibid.
46 ‘Sixieme Session Du Groupe De Travail Intergouvernemental A Composition Non Limitee Sur Les Societes Transnationales Et Autres Entreprises Et Les Droits De L’homme’ (26–30 October 2020) on arts 5, 6 and 7’, https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/WGTransCorp/Session6/Articles5_6_7/States/France_art%206.docx (accessed 30 March 2021).
47 ‘OEIGWG on TNCs and OBEs – 6th session (ITEM 4) Part I – GENERAL STATEMENT by Brazil, National Capacity’ (26 October 2020), https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/WGTransCorp/Session6/GeneralStatements/States/Brazil_General_statement.docx (accessed 30 March 2021).
48 ‘Text of the Russian Federations’ Statement’, https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/WGTransCorp/Session6/GeneralStatements/States/Russia_Article%201_%d0%92%d1%8b%d1%81%d1%82%d1%83%d0%bf%d0%bb%d0%b5%d0%bd%d0%b8%d0%b5%20%d0%bf%d0%be%20%d0%a1%d1%82%d0%b0%d1%82%d1%8c%d0%b5.docx (accessed 30 March 2021).
49 ‘Text of Egypt’s Statement during the Sixth Session’, https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/WGTransCorp/Session6/GeneralStatements/States/Egypt_general_statement.docx (accessed 30 March 2021).
50 ‘Text of Senegal’s Statement during the Sixth Session’, https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/WGTransCorp/Session6/GeneralStatements/States/Senegal_general_statement.docx (accessed 30 March 2021).
51 ‘Text of the ICC’s Statement during the Sixth Session’, https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/WGTransCorp/Session6/GeneralStatements/InterGovOrgs/ICC_General_statement.docx (accessed 30 March 2021).
52 ‘Text of the IOE’s Statement during the Sixth Session’, https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/WGTransCorp/Session6/GeneralStatements/NGOs/IOE_General_Statement.docx (accessed 30 March 2021).
53 ‘Texts of the ITUC’s Statement during the Sixth Session’, https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/WGTransCorp/Session6/Pages/Session6.aspx (accessed 30 March 2021).
54 Human Rights Council, ‘Report on the Sixth Session of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with Respect to Human Rights’, A/HRC/46/73 (14 January 2021)Google Scholar.
55 Ibid.
56 Investor Alliance for Human Rights, ‘The Investor Case for Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence’, https://investorsforhumanrights.org/sites/default/files/attachments/2019-12/The%20Investor%20Case%20for%20mHRDD%20-%20FINAL%20for%2011.25%20launch.pdf (accessed 30 March 2021).
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