The Feminists for a Binding Treaty

Early this month, January 2019, thousands of employees from Bangladesh factories making clothing apparels for global retail giants such as H&M, Walmart and many others went on strikes over low wages. The protest was marred with violence and repression by the police leading to reports of loss of lives and several others injured. Bangladesh’s USD$30 billion clothing industry is the world’s second largest apparel manufacturer, just behind China. The sector employs approximately 3.5 million workers and of these, 85 percent are women.

Campaigners dressed as wolves invade Davos in protest against ISDS 'corporate courts’

Press release: Davos, Switzerland

*Action is taking place on January 23rd at 1 pm, in front of the Davos Library*. Campaigners dressed as corporate wolves will invade the streets of Davos, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF), to protest the rights of corporations to sue governments under controversial “Investor State Dispute Settlement” (ISDS) provisions.

CIDSE at the Thematic Social forum on Mining and Extractivism

The first “Thematic Social forum on Mining and Extractivism” is taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa, 12 - 15 November 2018.

CIDSE Highlights Sept-Oct 2018

CIDSE Highlights No.37, September - October 2018

Pressure growing for a UN Binding Treaty with or without the EU’s support

This week has been a milestone in advancing negotiations of the open-ended intergovernmental working group (OEIGWG) for the elaboration of an International Legally Binding Instrument on Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises with respect to human rights, also known as the Binding Treaty.

Civil society proposal for the Conclusions and Recommendations of the Report of the 4th session of the OEIGWG

Civil society members of the Treaty Alliance, The Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity, and Trade Unions proposal for the Conclusions and Recommendations of the Report of the 4th session of the OEIGWG

EU civil society organisations call on the EU to contribute substantively to the negotiations on the Zero Draft Treaty on Business and Human Rights

Today civil society groups from the EU member states have gathered at the UN in Geneva to support the Intergovernmental Working Group tasked with developing a binding instrument to ensure that businesses respect human rights. Last year valuable time and energy was wasted by attempts to hold up the process. We look forward to being able to get to grips with the real challenges, in the light of the very real dangers that communities, workers, activists and human rights defenders face now if they challenge business interests.

A crucial year for the UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights

CIDSE is advocating for a UN Treaty as a key instrument to protect human rights around the world. As part of its commitment, CIDSE attended the fourth session of the open-ended intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights (IGWG), which took place in Geneva from 15 to 19 October.

What can the zero draft Treaty text offer to people negatively affected by business operations?

Blog article originally published by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre as part of their Reflections on the Zero Draft blog series on the proposed binding treaty on business and human rights.

CIDSE contribution to the 4th session of the IGWG

CIDSE contribution to the Open-ended intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights for their fourth session (Geneva, 15-19 October 2018)