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[Claudio Schuftan]

*Statement to the Human Rights Council in support of the initiative of a
group of States** for a legally binding instrument on transnational
corporations *

*September 13, 2013*

The operations of many Transnational Corporations (TNCs) and other business
enterprises cause the devastation of livelihoods, territories and the
environment of the communities where they operate; they pursue the
commodification of essential services and of nature itself. Many TNCs and
other business enterprises also violate or are complicit in violations of
human rights and labour rights, erode the basis of food sovereignty,
pollute water sources and lands, and plunder natural resources.


The Vienna+20 CSO Conference with 140 participants was held in Vienna on
June 25/26 this year to commemorate the Second World Conference on Human
Rights and address current challenges for human rights. This Conference
called on States to urgently develop and institute binding systems of
international regulation and norms for TNCs. States have the obligation to
ensure, by establishing strong legal systems of accountability for
violations of rights and effective remedy and justice for all affected
people, including along the supply chain. The Conference strongly urged
States to hold accountable those transnational actors, TNCs and other
business enterprises that violate human rights. At the occasion of the
recent UN regional forum on business and human rights in Medellín more than
100 CSOs from Latin America and other regions expressed the same concerns
and called for a binding instrument. Likewise during a Round Table in the
European Parliament in Brussels on September 5th, governments were also
urgently asked for a binding instrument to address the accountability of
TNCs and end their impunity.

The undersigned social movements and civil society organisations welcome
and support the initiative taken by a number of States in the Human Rights
Council towards establishing an international legally binding instrument,
concluded within the UN system, clarifying the human rights obligations of
transnational corporations, in particular in relation to human rights
violations, economic and ecological crimes, and abuses, and establishing an
effective mechanism to provide remedies and access to justice for all
affected people in cases where such remedies are de facto not provided in
domestic jurisdictions.

 Signed by/Firman:

 FIAN International

Transnational Institute

Center of Concer
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