12th session of negotiations for a Binding Treaty to hold transnational corporations accountable for human rights violations start in Geneva
12 October 2026, Geneva, Switzerland
Today the 12th session of negotiations of the UN Treaty to regulate transnational corporations under Human Rights law starts at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
Unlike voluntary frameworks like the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights or Codes of Conduct, the UN Binding Treaty, as the process is known, focuses on obligations, not pledges. It is grounded in the principle that transnational corporations must be held legally accountable for human rights violations and environmental destruction throughout their operations and value chains.
The consistent participation of communities affected by activities of transnational corporations, civil society organisations, trade unions and social movements makes it one of the most strongly supported processes in the history of UN human rights negotiations.
Groups gathered to take action ahead of the 12th session of Binding Treaty negotiations at the United Nations, launched the #Checkmate campaign, which seeks to mobilize people globally in order to make these demands a reality and ensure that these calls for justice cannot be ignored.
“For a treaty to be effective, it is essential to ensure that its scope covers transnational corporations and those operating on a transnational basis. This will put an end to the lack of specific regulations governing these companies, which resort to corporate lobbying to undermine the laws of countries in the Global South, violate human rights and benefit from impunity in order to increase their profits.”
Moisés Borges (Brazil), representative of communities affected by dams in Brazil, La Vía Campesina
“The World Forum of Fisher Peoples is here to represent fisher people at this crucial moment for the Global Campaign and a strong binding treaty. Fisher communities in South Africa and worldwide suffer the consequences of the impunity of transnational corporations in industrial aquaculture, fisheries, extractives and projects profiting the few and violating fishers’ human rights, encroaching on our territories and polluting our waters in the name of Blue Economy and Blue Transformation. We need a strong binding treaty placing human rights above trade agreements and holding them accountable. Dismantling corporate power is key to fishers’ food sovereignty, and the time is now!”
Sibongokuhle Gumede (South Africa), Masifundise/World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP)
“Europe is facing an incredible deregulation and militarisation campaign, fully driven by corporate interests. The result is a Europe that is unable to confront the power of a handful of transnational corporations and hold them accountable for the violations they commit. That is why we need this binding treaty”.
Rudi Kennes (Belgium), Member of the European Parliament and the Global Interparliamentary Network (GIN) in support of the Binding Treaty
“Digital infrastructures are rapidly entrenching and concentrating private control over public resources and institutions. A strong Binding Treaty can be a pivotal step in tackling these new architectures of corporate impunity under international law.”
Shobhit S. (India), IT for Change, which serves the Secretariat of the Global Digital Justice Forum
“Why do transnational corporations get international secret courts to protect their profits while communities remain without a single binding multilateral framework to protect their rights? States have a historic opportunity: create an International Tribunal with real power to hold TNCs to account. The time has come for life to prevail over profits and for a checkmate on corporate impunity.”
Juliana de Senna (Brasil), Transnational Institute
NOTE TO EDITORS
For further information or to arrange interviews with spokespeople you can contact:
Sol Trumbo Vila: soltrumbovila[a]tni.org
Ghislaine Fandel: ghislaine[a]foei.org
Raffaele Morgantini: raffaele[a]cetim.org
This press release is issued by 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, trade unions and communities affected by the activities of transnational corporations, representing 260 million people globally.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- UN library of official documents for the 12th Session
- Human Rights Council Procedural Decision A/HCR/56/116 adopted in July 2024 providing additional resources to the process.
- 26/9 Resolution that started this process adopted in 2014.
- Website Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples’ Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity.
- “Frontiers of an effective Binding Treaty”. Key arguments the Global Campaign puts forwards for an effective Binding Treaty
- Website Global Interparliamentary Network in support of the Binding Treaty
- Social Media: Content will be posted in EN and SP throughout the week via the Global Campaign Bluesky and Instagram accounts, focusing on live updates from Global Campaign spokespeople, actions, interventions and side events. Follow also #BindingTreaty #CheckMate
Global Campaign gathers at the Broken Chair square in front of the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Photo: Real World Radio / Friends of the Earth International