PARTICIPANTS’ ‘VOTING WALL’ AT THE PEOPLES’ FORUM ON HUMAN RIGHTS & BUSINESS
This statement has been endorsed by a wide alliance of international networks, organizations and social movements, listed below.[1] It represents the collective expression of a growing mobilization of global civil society calling for further enhancement of international legal standards to address corporate infringements of human rights. It welcomes the recent initiatives by States in the United Nations Human Rights Council, presented by Ecuador in the session of September 2013, to develop an international treaty on legally binding rules for TNCs on human rights issues.
We, the undersigned organisations,
Concerned about the continuing abuses and violations of human rights occurring all over the world which directly or indirectly engage the responsibility of business enterprises;
Concerned also that such abusive conduct often disproportionately impacts women, who comprise the majority of workers in the most vulnerable sectors, peasants, indigenous peoples, persons living in poverty, children among others, and especially concerned by the fact that justice is denied to those who suffer harm,
Considering the invaluable work done by human rights defenders and organisations, trade unions, indigenous rights and women rights defenders and others defending and protecting human rights in the face of corporate- related abuses,
Concerned at the incidence of attacks, harassment, restrictions, intimidation and reprisals against these human rights defenders,
Considering the initiatives taken by some States within and outside the United Nations human rights bodies as well as the action and work undertaken by human rights experts and bodies of the United Nations to provide better protection of human rights in the context of business operations,
Recalling existing States’ obligations under global and regional human rights treaties and the need to implement and complement those treaties to make them effective in the context of business transnational operations,
Convinced of the need to enhance the international legal framework, including international remedies, applicable to State action to protect rights in the context of business operations, and mindful of the urgent need to ensure access to justice and remedy and reparations for victims of corporate human rights abuse,
1. Call upon the States to elaborate an international treaty that:
- Affirms the applicability of human rights obligations to the operations of transnational corporations and other business enterprises;
- Requires States Parties to monitor and regulate the operations of business enterprises under their jurisdiction, including when acting outside their national territory, with a view to prevent the occurrence of abuses of human rights in the course of those operations;
- Requires States Parties to provide for legal liability for business enterprises for acts or omissions that infringe human rights;
- Requires States Parties to provide for access to an effective remedy by any State concerned, including access to justice for foreign victims that suffered harm from acts or omissions of a business enterprise in situations where there are bases for the States involved to exercise their territorial or extraterritorial protect- obligations;
- Provides for an international monitoring and accountability mechanism;
- Provides for protection of victims, whistle-blowers and human rights defenders that seek to prevent, expose or ensure accountability in cases of corporate abuse and guarantees their right to access to information relevant in this context.
2. Call on the United Nations Human Rights Council to take step towards the elaboration of this treaty, and to that end establish an open ended inter-governmental working group tasked with a drafting mandate.
3. Call on civil society organisations to take measures towards the establishment of a joint initiative to achieve the objective of a legally binding instrument within the United Nations without delay.
[1] This statement was originally drafted by participants in the first annual Peoples’ Forum on Human Rights and Business. The Forum was convened jointly by ESCR-Net and Forum-Asia from 5 to 7 November in Bangkok, Thailand.
List of Signatories
Accountability Counsel, USA
ADC Memorial, Russia
ADHOC (Cambodia)
AGORA Espacio Civil, Paraguay
Afghanistan Watch
African Law Foundation (AFRILAW), Nigeria
Al-Haq
Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (Alt-SEAN Burma)
Alyansya Tigil Mina – Alliance Against Mining (Philippines)
Anti-POSCO People’s Movement, India
APRODEH, Peru
Armanshahr/OPEN ASIA (Afghanistan)
Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD)
Associação Mama Mater/IBFAN, Portugal
Association of Religious Liberty & Languages of Sri Lanka
Avocats Sans Frontieres
Burma Partnership
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Egypt
CAJAR (Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo), Colombia
Canada Tibet Committee
CAOI
Casa y Ciudad
CCS, Panama
CEDAL- Centro de Derechos y Desarrollo
CEDH (Centre Oecuménique des Droits Humain), Haïti
CEDHU (La Comisión Ecuménica de Derechos Humanos)
CENIDH, Nicaragua
Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
Center of Concern, USA
Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), South Africa
Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos ‘Segundo Montes Mozo S.J.’ (CSMM)
Centro de Estudios Sociales y Culturales Antonio de Montesinos (CAM)
Centro de Investigación y Promoción Social (CIPROSOC)
Centro de Reflexión y Acción Laboral de Fomento Cultural y Educativo
(CEREAL)
CIDSE
International Indian Treaty Council – CITI
Citizens for Justice-(CFJ), Malawi
Citizens Watch Russia
Coalición de Organizaciones Mexicanas por el Derecho al Agua (COMDA)
Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos
(CMDPDH)
Comité Permanente por la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (CPDH), Colombie
Community Resource Centre (CRC), Thailand
Conectas Direitos Humanos
Consultoría Especializada en Justiciabilidad de los DESC (CEJUDESC)
CorA Network for Corporate
Accountability
Defenders of Human Rights Centre – DHRC (Iran)
Defensoría del Derecho a la Salud
Dejusticia
Democracy Center
DESCA Equipo Pueblo, México
Development and Civilisations Lebret-IRFED (DCLI)
DKA Austria – Hilfswerk der Katholischen Jungschar, Austria
Due Process of Law Foundation
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights,
EOHR – Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights
Equitable Cambodia
Espacio de Coordinación de Organizaciones Civiles sobre Derechos
Económicos, Sociales y Culturales (Espacio DESC)
European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ)
FIAN International
FIAN Sección México
Fiery Hearts Club, Uzbekistan/France
Finnish League for Human Rights
Franciscans International
Freedom from Debt Coalition-FDC, Philippines
Friends of the Earth US
Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Global Rights: Partners for Justice, USA
Gong Gam Human Rights Law Foundation, South Korea
Green Advocates International
Gulf Civil Society Association Forum, Bahrein
Habi Center for Environmental Rights
Housing International Coalition (HIC)
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan – HRCP (Pakistan)
Human Rights Foundation of Aotearoa New Zealand
Human Rights Movement ‘Bir Duino – Kirgizstan’
Human Rights Online Philippines (Philippines)
HRD-Pilipinas (Philippines)
IBFAN-GIFA
Inclusive Development International
Indigenous Peoples Links (PIPLinks), UK
Institute for Ecology and Action Anthropology (INFOE)
Instituto de Derechos Humanos Ignacio Ellacuria (IDHIE)
Instituto Mexicano de Derechos Humanos y Democracia (IMDHD)
Instituto Mexicano para el Desarrollo Comunitario (IMDEC)
International Campaign for Tibet – ICT (Tibet)
International Commission of Jurists
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
International Service for Human Rights
Justiça Global
Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay (KAMP) – Campaign for Life of Dignity for All-Philippines (Philippines)
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law
Kenyan Human Rights Commission
KILOS KA (Kilusang Maralita sa Kanayunan), The Philippines
KontraS (Indonesia)
Korean House of International Solidarity (KHIS)
La Comisión Nacional de los Derchos Humanos
La Oficina Jurídica Para la Mujer de Cochabamba, Bolivia
LAHRA (Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates, The Philippines
Lao Movement for Human Rights – MLDH (Laos)
Lauri Tanner
Lawyers without Borders
League for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran -LDDHI (Iran)
Legal Aid Society, Uzbekistan
Liga lidských práv / League of Human Rights, Czech Republic
Liga Mexicana por la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (LIMEDDH)
Ligue algérienne pour la défense des droits de l’Homme (LADDH)
LuaLua Center for Human Rights (LCHR), Bahrein
Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement (MPPM), The Philippines
Mindanao Tripeople Women Resource Center (MTWRC), The Philippines
MiningWatch, Canada
National Centre For Advocacy Studies, India
Network for Justice and Development, Sierra Leone
NGO Citizens’ Watch
Norwegian People’s Aid
O Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens, Brazil
Observatorio Ciudadano, Chile
Odhikar (Bangladesh)
Oficina Regional para América Latina y el Caribe de la Coalición
Internacional para el Hábitat (HIC AL)
Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates – PAHRA (Philippines)
Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PHILRIGHTS)
Plataforma Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, Democracia y Desarrollo (PIDHDD)
POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (Anti-POSCO peoples movement), India
Pradžių pradžia (Promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding), Lithuania
Project on Organizing, Development, Education, and Research (PODER), Mexico
PUMC-UNAM; Mexico
Radar-Colectivo de Estudios Críticos en Derecho
RAID, UK
Réseau national de défense des droits humains (RNDDH), Haití
Russian Research Center for Human Rights
Sakum Teang Tnaut (STT)
Salam Bahrain for Human Rights
Society for Environmental Actions, Re-Construction & Humanitarian Response, Pakistan
SOMO
SUMPAY Mindanao, Inc., The Philippines
Task Force Detainees of the Philippines – TFDP (Philippines)
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
The Jus Semper Global Alliance
Traidcraft, UK
Transnational Institute
Vietnam Committee on Human Rights – VCHR (Vietnam)
Welthaus Diözese Graz-Seckau, Austria
WIDE – Network for Women´s Rights and Feminist Perspectives in Development (Austria)
WUNRN – Women’s UN Report Network
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
YAC Nepal
