UN Treaty International Day of Action
Advance the Treaty on Transnational Corporations!
On March 15th, 2022, the Chairperson of the negotiations will present the report from the last session to the Human Rights Council. On this day, we call on social movements, NGOs, trade unions and civil society to act together to push the Treaty forward and ensure it is not derailed in the name of corporate interests! We need justice for those affected and rules for corporations!
What can your organisation do on the 15th of March?
- Be active on social media, targeting and tagging relevant media, institutions, and decision-makers in your countries. Whenever possible, disseminate information on cases you support, reports on corporate accountability, and your main demands for the treaty.
You can use the hashtags : #UNTreaty – #BindingTreatyNow – #StopCorporateCapture - Send letters to your government asking to be an active and constructive part in the Treaty negotiations, including in the talks and inter-sessional consultations.
- Organise events in your country to give evidence, and political visibility to the need for an international legally binding instrument to hold TNCs and Other Businesses Enterprises accountable.
- Get in contact with parliamentarians and other public figures in your country to publicly engage in helping the treaty process on 15th March and later – it is perfect if you find a good accredited testimonial for the binding treaty well beyond that day.
- Talk to media in your country and bring visibility to the Treaty through opinion pieces, articles, interviews with communities and human rights defenders or other public activities that might attract media attention.
Background information
Corporations represent one of the main threats to human rights and our planet. Examples of corporate abuse are plentiful. A small number of transnational corporations are to blame for most historical greenhouse gas emissions and are therefore objectively responsible for the climate crisis we are living in.
Daily, indigenous peoples see their ancestral lands appropriated in the name of resource extractions and profit-making; they fight against the destruction of valuable ecosystems and protect their cultures, identities and freedoms. Peasants, fishers, and pastoralists witness their lands, waters and seeds being grabbed by powerful private actors. Women are particularly hit and face additional barriers in accessing justice when corporations victimise them.
Workers worldwide are constantly confronted with human rights violations by corporations looking for cheap labour, quicker international shipping times and unprecedented profit margins.
That is why in 2014, States at the United Nations kicked off a crucial negotiating process concerning an international treaty aimed to secure justice for peoples and communities affected by corporate violations and prevent and address harmful behaviour by economic actors. Today, the COVID crisis has only exacerbated these systemic dynamics of unregulated globalisation while exposing once again the influence that big pharma exercises over governments and the international community. The People’s Vaccine Alliance reported Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna making $1,000 profit every second while the world’s poorest countries remain largely unvaccinated. In short, corporations prioritise profits over peoples’ health rights even amid a global pandemic.
Official information about the process available here: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/hrc/wgtranscorp/pages/igwgontnc.asp