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. On 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:
FIAN International
Transnational Institute
Center of Concern
Friends of the Earth International (FoEI)
La Via Campesina
World March of Women
World Rainforest Movement – WRM
Food & Water Watch
Third World Network
CADTM International
World Forum for Alternatives
Global Social Justice
ETC Group
Transnational Migrant Platform
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
Amigos da Terra America Latina e Caribe (ATALC)
Food & Water Europe
Alianza Social Continental
Focus on the Global South
Comité de Mujeres de la Alianza Social Continental
Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) – Philippines
Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) – Philippines
REDES – Uruguay
Polaris Institute – Canada
Red Mexicana de Acción frente al Libre Comercio
Ecuador Decide
Instituto Equit – Brasil
Justiça Global – Brasil
Hegoa Instituto de Estudios sobre Desarrollo y Cooperación Internacional
Friends of the Landless – Finland
ATTAC – Argentina
groundWork, Friends of the Earth – South Africa
AIDC – South Africa
Trust for Community Outreach and Education – South Africa
Democratic Left Front – South Africa
ATTAC Austria
Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement
Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos “Segundo Montes Mozo S.J.”
(CSMM) – Ecuador
Entrepueblos del Estado Español
Fronteras Comunes de Canada
Ecologistas en Acción
Col·lectiu RETS: Respostes a les Transnacionals
War on Want
Economic Justice Network of FOCCISA (Fellowship of Christian Councils of Southern
Africa)
Coordinación por los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas (CODPI) del Estado español
SHALIN – Finland
Latinamerikagrupperna (SAL) – Suecia
Attac France
ATTAC VLAANDEREN
Comité du Forum Social Lémanique, Geneva
Consumers Association of Penang, Malaysia
Friends of the Earth Malaysia
ATTAC Portugal
Colectivo Ecologista MadreSelva – Guatemala
Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) – España
Federación Unidad Ecologica Salvadoreña UNES
Amigos da Terra Brasil
Council of Canadians
Colectivo Revuelta Verde de México
Rede Brasil sobre Instituições Financeiras Multilaterais
MiningWatch Canada/Alerta Minera Canadá
Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ)
Asociacion Raxch’ och’ Oxlaju Aj (Tierra Verde 13 Aj) – Guatemala
ILSA – Instituto Latinoamericano por una sociedad y un derecho alternativos –
Colombia
Campaña de Afectadas por Repsol
Ongd AFRICANDO – España
KASAPI HELLAS – Greece
ATTAC Spain
SOMO, Centre for Research on Multinationals from the Netherlands
Organic Agriculture Association – Albania
Centro Operacional de Vivienda y Poblamiento (Copevi) – México
Les Amis de la Terre France
FOCO – Foro Ciudadano de Participación – Argentina
Alianza Mexicana por la Autodeterminación de los Pueblos (AMAP)
Movimiento Social Nicaraguense Otro Mundo es Posible
Ingeniería Sin Fronteras Asturias
Observatorio de la Deuda en la Globalización (ODG)
Otros Mundos AC/Amigos de la Tierra México
Coordinadora Asturiana de ONGD – Spain
Centro de Documentación e Información Bolivia (CEDIB)
Monitoring Sustainability of Globalisation (MSN)
Ekologistak Martxan (Euskal Herria/Basque Country)
Ecosistemas de Chile
CADTM – AYNA
Both ENDS
KRuHA (People’s Coalition for the Rights to Water)
Kilusang Maralita sa Kanayuna (KILOS KA)
SOLdePaz.Pachakuti
Unión Universal Desarrollo Solidario
Democracy Center
Friends of the Earth – England, Wales and Northern Ireland
JA! Justiça Ambiental/FOE Mozambique
France Amérique Latine
Fundación Solon – Bolivia
Observatorio de Multinacionales en América Latina
Red de Educación Popular entre Mujeres Latinoamerica y Caribe REPEM-LAC
Plataforma Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, Democracia y Desarrollo
Coordinadora Andina de Organizaciones Indígenas – CAOI
Terra de Direitos – Brazil
European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ) – Europe
Conectas Direitos Humanos – Brazil
Network for Transformative Social Protection in Asia (NTSP)
Red WIDE PLUS (Mujeres y desarrollo en Europa)
Welthaus Diözese Graz-Seckau – Austria
VCÖ – Mobilität mit Zukunft – Austria
Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence – Austria
Centre for Sustainable Development (CENESTA) – Iran
Österreichische Liga für Menschenrechte – Austria
Active Unemployed Austria
SÜDWIND – Austria
Housing and Land Rights Network India
Human Rights Foundation New Zealand
Frauensolidarität – Austria
Welthaus Wien – Austria
WIDE – Network for Women´s Rights and Feminist Perspectives in Development –
Austria
KULU-Women and Development – Denmark
Sociedad Economica de Amigos del Pais – Cuba
Fresh Eyes – UK
FIAN Austria
ÖBV – La Via Campesina Austria
Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
DECA Equipo Pueblo – México
Espacio DESC – capitulo mexicano PIDHDD – Mexico
Inclusive Development International
IPP / UPGRADE / OUR Landlord / Egi Families in Aklaka – Nigeria
BIOS ARGENTINA
Proyecto de derechos económicos, sociales y culturales AC (ProDESC) – Mexico
Associación Ambiente y Sociedad – Colombia
Philippines Indigenous Peoples’ Links
Jus Semper Global Alliance
Equitable Cambodia
Project on Organizing, Development, Education and Research (PODER) – Americas
Citizens for Justice – Malawi
Center for Women’s Global Leadership – USA
Geneva Infant Feeding Association GIFA – Switzerland
Consulting and Research for early child development – Macedonia
Initiativ Liewensufank – Luxembourg
Pradzia – Lithuania
Borstvoeding vzw’ Belgium
Mothers’ source – Ukraine
IBFAN-ICDC, Malaysia
IBFAN Italia – Italy
IBFAN
Germanwatch – Germany
Urgewald – Germany
Women and Mothers against Violence, IBFAN Bulgaria
African Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies – Africa
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights – Egypt
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) – Egypt
Network on Corporate Accountability CorA – Germany
Institute for Ecology and Action Anthropology infoe – Germany
Associaçao Mama Mater – IBFAN Portugal
Adéquations
Plataforma española de WIDE+ (WIDE+E) – Spain
Cooperacció – Spain
Centro de Estudios e Investigación sobre Mujeres (CEIM) – Spain
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd
Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples International Centre on Policy Research and Advocacy)
Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF)
Christliche Initiative Romero – Germany
