<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">Please find
below the press release issued by the Global Campaign today in the
context of the UN Binding Treaty negotiations.<div text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">It is published
and available here:
<a href="https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/press-release-states-resume-historic-un-negotiations-amidst-growing-consensus-on-the-need-for-binding-regulations-on-transnational-corporations-and-human-rights/" target="_blank">https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/press-release-states-resume-historic-un-negotiations-amidst-growing-consensus-on-the-need-for-binding-regulations-on-transnational-corporations-and-human-rights/</a><b><br>
</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">And here in
tweet:
<a href="https://twitter.com/StopTNCimpunity/status/1452694306930806788" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/StopTNCimpunity/status/1452694306930806788</a><b><br>
</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">Thank you for
disseminating.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><b><br>
</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><b>PRESS RELEASE
- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
<b>States resume historic UN negotiations amidst growing consensus
on
the need for binding regulations on transnational corporations
and
human rights</b></p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
25 October 2021, Geneva:</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
Today, United Nations member states resume negotiations in the
seventh session of the <font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">Open-ended
intergovernmental working group (OEIGWG)</font> mandated to
elaborate
an international legally binding instrument to regulate, in
international human rights law, the activities of transnational
corporations. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms
Michele
Bachelet, opened the session remarking that the world is
witnessing a
“growing consensus on the need of binding regulations on business
and human rights”.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
Global South countries intervened in strong support of the Binding
Treaty process - South Africa, Namibia, India, Indonesia,
Pakistan,
Philippines, Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba and Palestine among others.
For
the first time delegates from all major global economies shared
their
views on the Binding Treaty process and content. All of which goes
to
show that after seven rounds of negotiations states cannot ignore
the
urgent need for an effective instrument such as the UN Binding
Treaty. </p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
The Ecuadorian Chair of the <font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">OEIGWG
opened the seventh session by affirming </font>that the
negotiations
must be “State-led”, which raises concerns about how civil
society´s contributions will be included.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
The continuous broad participation of communities affected by
transnational corporations’ activities, civil-society
organisations, trade unions and social movements makes it one of
the
most strongly supported processes in the history of UN <font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">OEIGWGs</font>.
The Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle
Corporate Power and Stop Impunity (Global Campaign)<sup>1</sup>,
representing 260 million people globally affected by Transnational
Corporations has, once again, a strong presence in Geneva
providing
vital recommendations and critical analysis.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
<b>Tchenna Masso</b>, from the Movement of Peoples Affected by
Dams
(MAB), La Via Campesina and the Global Campaign, remarked during
the
opening session, “Let me remind you of the basic problem that
brings us together here. At the heart of the matter is the fact
that,
although the human rights violations committed by transnational
corporations through their chains are obvious, States are usually
unable to punish the culprits or to make reparations to the
victims.”</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
<b>Ubrei-Joe Mariere</b>, from Friends of the Earth Africa spoke
on
behalf of the Global Campaign, “The climate, biodiversity and
Covid
crises are results of a socio-economic model that favours
corporate
profit over the protection of human rights and the environment.
Travel restrictions due to the pandemic, unequal access to
vaccines,
financial barriers, digital connectivity and differing time zones
limit the participation of the Global South, including States and
affected peoples. For the Binding Treaty negotiations to be
inclusive
and fair, we must ensure that civil society - especially those
most
affected by the impunity of transnational corporations - are able
to
follow, intervene and influence the direction of the
negotiations.”</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
<b>Mary Ann Bayang</b>, from the Indigenous Peoples Rights
International in the Philippines, declared that, “The peoples,
citizens, affected communities and social movements place great
hope
in the success of the process initiated in this <font style="font-size:12pt" size="3">OEIGWG</font>
to bring transnational corporations under the law. States also
have
an interest in the adoption of such a treaty that will allow them
to
recover their lost sovereignty. It is in this spirit that the
Global
Campaign has been engaged in the process of negotiating this
Binding
Treaty. We note with great regret that the current draft treaty
falls
far short of the OEIGWG’'s mandate. It is essential that this
situation be rectified and the process put back on track.”</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
Participants in the negotiations emphasized the urgent need for
binding regulations for Transnational Corporations in light of the
Covid19 pandemic.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
The <b>Brazilian AIDS Interdisciplinary Association</b>, member
of
the Global Campaign said, “Adopting a Binding Treaty is urgently
needed to bring justice to people denied access to health
technologies, and whose lives have been taken away by corporate
greed. The treaty must include the primacy of Human Rights as a
fundamental principle. Thus, interests included in trade and
investment agreements must be subordinated and subjected to
mandatory respect for Human Rights.”</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
A broad coalition of elected representatives, the <a href="https://bindingtreaty.org/" target="_blank"><font color="#1155cc"><u>Global
Interparliamentary Network</u></font></a> (GIN) supporting
the UN
Binding Treaty, also advocates for an ambitious and effective
legally
binding instrument.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
<b>Miguel Urbán</b>, Member of the European Parliament for The
Left
and member of the Global Parliamentarian Network in support of the
Binding Treaty added, “The absence of clear and binding
international norms for the respect of human rights feeds the
impunity and abuse of global corporate power.”</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
The Global Campaign will be in Geneva all week working to ensure
that
its proposals for the UN BInding Treaty are taken into account and
included in the current drafting process.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%">
<b>NOTE TO EDITORS</b></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%;page-break-inside:auto;page-break-after:auto">
<font size="2" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">For further
information or to arrange interviews you can contact:<br>
<br>
<b>Sol Trumbo Vila</b>, Email: <font color="#1155cc"><font style="font-size:11pt"><u><a href="mailto:soltrumbovila@tni.org" target="_blank">soltrumbovila@tni.org</a></u></font></font></font></p>
<font size="2" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">
</font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in;line-height:100%;page-break-inside:auto;page-break-after:auto"><font size="2" face="Helvetica,
Arial, sans-serif">
<font style="font-size:11pt"><b>Julia García,</b></font><font style="font-size:11pt">
+55 71 9246-2696 Email: <a href="mailto:facilitation@stopcorporateimpunity.org" target="_blank">facilitation@stopcorporateimpunity.org</a>
</font></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><br>
<font style="font-size:10pt">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. </font></font></p>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">
</font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%" align="justify"><font style="font-size:10pt" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">This
round of negotiations is revising the third draft of the binding
treaty, <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/WGTransCorp/Pages/IGWGOnTNC.aspx" target="_blank">published
on August 17, 2021</a>, which fits in the negotiation process
started
in 2014 with the adoption, by the Human Rights Council, of
Resolution
26/9. UN information on the Mandate of the OEIGWG<a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/WGTransCorp/Pages/IGWGOnTNC.aspx" target="_blank"></a></font>
</p>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">
</font>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.14in;line-height:115%"><font style="font-size:10pt" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">The
global campaign <a href="https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/comunicadotercerborradordeltratadovinculante/" target="_blank">published
this statement in September 2021</a> in response to the
release of
the third revised draft.</font></p>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">
</font>
<p style="margin-top:0.17in;margin-bottom:0.17in;line-height:100%">
<font style="font-size:10pt" face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">The
<a href="https://bindingtreaty.org/" target="_blank">Global
Interparliamentary network in support of the Binding Treaty</a><a href="https://bindingtreaty.org/" target="_blank">
</a>is a global network of National Parliaments and the European
Parliament members supporting the UN Binding Treaty.</font></p><br>
</div></div></div>