<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large"><br></div>From: <b class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Sol Trumbo Vila</b> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:soltrumbovila@tni.org">soltrumbovila@tni.org</a>></span><br><div class="gmail_quote"><br></div><div class="gmail_quote"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial">Please find the press
release issued today by the </font><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"><font face="Arial"><font style="font-size:11pt">Global Campaign to Reclaim
Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop
Impunity</font></font> in the context of the UN Binding
Treaty negotiations. </font><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"><b>(<a href="https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/press-release-historic-process-continues-at-the-un-states-resume-substantive-negotiations-on-the-text-for-a-binding-treaty-on-transnational-corporations-with-respect-to-human-rights/" target="_blank">Available online here</a>)</b></font></font><div><div><div>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial">In solidarity,</font></p><br><p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"><b>PRESS RELEASE - FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE (<a href="https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/press-release-historic-process-continues-at-the-un-states-resume-substantive-negotiations-on-the-text-for-a-binding-treaty-on-transnational-corporations-with-respect-to-human-rights/" target="_blank">Available
online here</a>)</b></font> </p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"><b>Historic process
continues at the UN: States resume substantive
negotiations on the text for a binding treaty on
transnational corporations with respect to human rights </b></font>
</p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><b><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial">28 October 2020,
Geneva: </font></b> </p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font face="Arial">Amidst the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic,
<font style="font-size:11pt">the United Nations (UN) Open
Ended Inter-governmental Working Group (OEIGWG) enters its
sixth round of negotiations on a treaty on “transnational
corporations and other business enterprises with respect
to human rights,”</font><a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/hrc/wgtranscorp/pages/igwgontnc.aspx" target="_blank"><font color="#000000"><font style="font-size:11pt"><span style="letter-spacing:normal"></span></font></font></a><font color="#000000"><font style="font-size:11pt"><font style="font-size:11pt"><a name="m_-4158184947135512694_sdfootnote1anc"><sup>1</sup></a></font></font></font><font style="font-size:11pt"> from 26 -30 October. UN member
states will negotiate a second revised draft of this
groundbreaking treaty, which aims to elaborate an
international legally binding instrument to regulate, in
international human rights law, the activities of
transnational corporations.</font></font></p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial">Interest in the process
continues to grow as evidenced by the significant presence
of UN member state delegates taking part in negotiations. </font>
</p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial">The Global
Interparliamentarian Network (GIN) has issued a statement in
support of the UN Binding Treaty urging “states to actively
engage in this UN process and to work towards an effective
and legally binding instrument, to ensure that people´s
dignity enshrined by universal political, economic, social
and cultural rights, is prioritised and guaranteed worldwide
over private profits.”</font><a href="https://bindingtreaty.org" target="_blank"><font face="Arial" color="#000000"><font style="font-size:11pt"><span style="letter-spacing:normal"></span></font></font></a><font face="Arial" color="#000000"><font style="font-size:11pt"><font style="font-size:11pt"><a name="m_-4158184947135512694_sdfootnote2anc"><sup>2</sup></a></font></font></font></p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial">Mayors and City Council
Members of cities including Barcelona, Strasbourg and, Paris
have issued a call to local authorities around the world to
support the UN Binding Treaty on Transnational Corporations
and Human Rights.</font><a href="https://bindingtreaty.org/local-authorities-in-support-to-the-un-binding-treaty/" target="_blank"><font face="Arial" color="#000000"><font style="font-size:11pt"><span style="letter-spacing:normal"></span></font></font></a><font face="Arial" color="#000000"><font style="font-size:11pt"><font style="font-size:11pt"><a name="m_-4158184947135512694_sdfootnote3anc"><sup>3</sup></a></font></font></font></p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial">The continued presence
each year since 2015 - the start of this process - of
hundreds of representatives from affected communities, civil
society organisations, trade unions and social movements
makes it one of the most strongly supported in the story of
the OEIGWG. This year, however, due to COVID19 restrictions,
physical presence in Geneva is limited, although remote
participation has been </font><font face="Arial">enabled
through various online platforms<font style="font-size:11pt">. In this context, the Global Campaign to Reclaim
Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop
Impunity (Global Campaign)</font><a href="https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/" target="_blank"><font color="#000000"><font style="font-size:11pt"><span style="letter-spacing:normal"></span></font></font></a><font color="#000000"><font style="font-size:11pt"><font style="font-size:11pt"><a name="m_-4158184947135512694_sdfootnote4anc"><sup>4</sup></a></font></font></font><font style="font-size:11pt"> together with the GIN hosted a
virtual Press Conference (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PABFuhwbwIg&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">full
recording here</a>) with high level political and civil
society actors. </font></font> </p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"><b>Leïla Chaibi, Member
of the European Parliament, France insoumise (GUE/NGL</b></font><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial">) remarked :</font></p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font face="Arial">“<font style="font-size:11pt">Today there is
no Binding International Treaty that protects people, but
there are treaties that protect the investments of large
corporations. Thanks to initiatives such as the Toxic
Tour, I was able to see how these companies destroy health
and communities in Mexico. The EU has had no problem
signing free trade agreements with third countries and
this is deeply unfair. Along with many of my deputies, we
continue to ask that we cannot put ourselves in the
sidelines in the face of these human rights violations by
transnational corporations.”</font></font></p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"><b>Charles
Santiago.</b></font><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"> </font><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"><b>Member of the Malaysian Parliament.
Chairperson of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights</b></font><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"> stated:</font><font face="Arial"><br>
</font> </p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font face="Arial">“<font style="font-size:11pt">At present, 43
million people have been infected by the Corona virus and
more than one million have died. It is a catastrophe.
Developing a Covid-19 vaccine is critical and has to be a
global public good. Prices and profits need to be
regulated. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) provisions
in the </font>Trade-Related Aspects of <font style="font-size:11pt">Intellectual Property Rights
(TRIPS) agreement need to be suspended to allow patent
production of generic and bio similar products. </font></font>
</p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial">Transnational
corporations (TNCs) and rich countries are refusing to
suspend IPR provisions because, they claim, it would
undermine patent protection. A global mechanism must be
developed to regulate big pharmaceuticals on prices, profits
and IPR. Transnational corporations’ 'business as usual
approach' which prioritises profit during a global pandemic
is not politically sustainable. The UN Binding Treaty is the
best place to reset and enhance accountability of TNCs.”</font></p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"><b>Dr. Manoela Carneiro
Roland. HOMA’s Coordinator (Human Rights and Business
Center) Prof Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil</b></font><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"> stated:</font></p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font face="Arial">“<font style="font-size:11pt">We must regulate
transnational corporations. This implies establishing
direct obligations for them. Transnational companies
already have rights established in the 3,000 plus signed
investment agreements. We need to transform the paradigm
of due diligence because it is a framework that
erroneously leaves the task of self-monitoring to
companies. We must establish effective control mechanisms,
such as an International Court that has competence to
judge transnational companies."</font></font></p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font face="Arial" color="#000000"><font style="font-size:11pt"><b>Keamogetswe
Seipato.</b></font></font><font face="Arial" color="#ce181e"><font style="font-size:11pt"><b> </b></font></font><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"><b>Coordinator of the
Southern African Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power.
Alternative Information & Development Center (AIDC),
South Africa</b></font><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial">. claimed:</font></p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font face="Arial">“<font style="font-size:11pt">We have to
reduce or limit the power of companies. The African
continent is a breeding ground for human rights
violations. The primacy of human rights must be respected.
It is a question of underlining the need for companies to
be accountable because they cannot come to our countries
to expand and neglect the main Human Rights Conventions.
We must remember that the UN Binding Treaty must be a
mechanism to help communities access redress for human
rights violations - one that provides both the assistance
and support affected people need.”</font></font></p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"><b>NOTE TO EDITORS </b></font>
</p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<h1 style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal" align="left"> <font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial">For further information or to arrange
interviews you can contact:</font><font face="Arial"><br>
</font> </h1>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<ul>
<li>
<h1 style="margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in" align="left"> <font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial">Sol Trumbo Vila</font><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"><span style="font-weight:normal">, Email: <a href="mailto:soltrumbovila@tni.org" target="_blank">soltrumbovila@tni.org</a>
Tel: +31 605387227 (EN, SP)</span></font></h1>
</li>
<li> <b><span style="font-family:'Arial';font-size:11pt;color:#000000">Mónica
Vargas</span></b><span style="font-family:'Arial';font-size:11pt;color:#000000">,
</span><span style="font-family:'Arial';font-size:11pt;color:#000000">Email:
<a href="mailto:m.vargas@tni.org" target="_blank">m.vargas@tni.org</a>
</span><span style="font-family:'Arial';font-size:11pt;color:#000000">Tel:
+34 662026497 (</span><span style="font-family:'Arial';font-size:11pt;color:#000000">EN,
SP, FR)</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial">Press Release issued by
the Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty,
Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity. A network of
over 250 social movements, civil society organisations
(CSOs), trade unions and communities affected by the
activities of Transnational Corporations, </font><font face="Arial" color="#000000"><font style="font-size:11pt">representing
260 million people globally. </font></font><font style="font-size:11pt" face="Arial"><a href="https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/" target="_blank">https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/</a>
</font> </p>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<div id="m_-4158184947135512694sdfootnote1">
<p style="margin-left:0.08in;margin-bottom:0.03in;line-height:100%"> <font face="Arial"><a name="m_-4158184947135512694_sdfootnote1sym">(1)</a> <font style="font-size:11pt">This mandate is a result of
resolution 26/9 adopted by the Human Rights Council in
2014. Official page: <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/hrc/wgtranscorp/pages/igwgontnc.aspx" target="_blank">https://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/hrc/wgtranscorp/pages/igwgontnc.aspx</a></font></font></p>
</div>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<div id="m_-4158184947135512694sdfootnote2">
<p style="margin-left:0.08in;margin-bottom:0.03in;line-height:100%"> <font face="Arial"><a name="m_-4158184947135512694_sdfootnote2sym">(2</a>) <sup><font style="font-size:11pt">Global Interparliamentarian
Network in support of the UN Binding Treaty is formed
by more than 300 members of parliaments from all over
the world. <a href="https://bindingtreaty.org" target="_blank">https://bindingtreaty.org</a>
</font></sup></font> </p>
</div>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<div id="m_-4158184947135512694sdfootnote3">
<p style="margin-left:0.08in;margin-bottom:0.03in;line-height:100%"> <font face="Arial"><a name="m_-4158184947135512694_sdfootnote3sym">(3)</a> <font style="font-size:11pt"><a href="https://bindingtreaty.org/local-authorities-in-support-to-the-un-binding-treaty/" target="_blank">https://bindingtreaty.org/local-authorities-in-support-to-the-un-binding-treaty/</a>
</font></font> </p>
</div>
<font face="Arial"> </font>
<div id="m_-4158184947135512694sdfootnote4">
<p style="margin-left:0.08in;margin-bottom:0.03in;line-height:100%"> <font face="Arial"><a name="m_-4158184947135512694_sdfootnote4sym">(4)</a> <font style="font-size:11pt">The Global Campaign to Reclaim
Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop
Impunity (Global Campaign) - a network of over 250
social movements, civil society organisations (CSOs),
trade unions and communities affected by the activities
of transnational corporations (TNCs), representing 260
million people globally. For this sixth session it has
issued its position on the second revised draft. </font><a href="https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Position-paper-Global-Campaign_2nd-revised-draft-TNCs_FINAL-2.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Position-paper-Global-Campaign_2nd-revised-draft-TNCs_FINAL-2.pdf</a></font>
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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