Briefing Paper of the UK Working Group on the Binding UN Treaty on TNC

Briefing Paper of the UK Working Group on the Binding UN Treaty on TNC

Type: Campaign briefings
Date: 13 May 2019
Campaigns: Climate

The UK government must support the UN Binding Treaty on Business and Human Rights process to put primacy of rights over corporate profits 

The future Treaty needs to guarantee specific protection of individual persons’ and peoples’ human rights, especially in the Global South. To this end we, supporters of the treaty process, are appealing to all governments to ensure that the negotiations will continue and successfully produce a final document that will fulfil the above-mentioned aspirations.  
 
Towards this end we urge UK MPs to: 
 
  1. Encourage the UK government to engage positively, attend the Fifth Session of the OEIGWG in October 2019, and ensure that the current process will continue until a final binding instrument is passed;
  2. Educate the public about the power of TNCs in globalisation and the need to develop appropriate checks and balances by organising a national consultation on the UN Binding Treaty process with the participation of civil society organisations in the UK (trade unions, environmental and climate justice groups, women’s rights organisations, affected communities and other groups public interest groups);   
  3. Hold a Westminster Hall debate on the merits of a universally binding instrument on business and human rights;
  4. Become members of the Global Interparliamentary Network that supports the UN binding treaty process by signing the declaration on www.bindingtreaty.org;
  5. Create legislation at a UK and EU level for a corporate duty of due diligence requiring businesses to address the risks that their operations and supply chains pose to people and the environment globally. 

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