ICAR, ECCJ, and Human Rights Watch Publish Open Letter on Potential Treaty on Business and Human Rights

The International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR), along with the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ) and Human Rights Watch today published an open letter to the Ecuadorian Mission to Geneva highlighting the potential of a binding treaty on business and human rights to address key access to remedy issues. 

The Government of Ecuador, as Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group (OEIWG) on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Respect to Human Rights, has been leading the treaty process since 2015, and is expected to release draft elements for the proposed treaty in the weeks leading up to the Third Session of the OEIWG. 

As the international binding treaty on business and human rights negotiations shift to substantive discussions around legal elements and draft language, ICAR, ECCJ, and Human Rights Watch urge the Government of Ecuador, as the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the OEIWG, to keep in mind the most significant governance gaps and focus on specific measures that will improve corporate accountability. We further urge that the negotiation process moving forward is conducted in a consultative and transparent manner.

ICAR, ECCJ, and Human Rights Watch look forward to reviewing the draft elements, and continuing to participate in meaningful discussions during future treaty negotiations.

The letter is available here.