Together with EU representatives, representatives of EU Member States, legal experts, representatives of civil society organizations, trade unions and sustainable business, we want to discuss the links between the current developments at EU level and the proposals in the updated draft treaty and engage in a constructive discussion on the content and the way forward for an ambitious treaty on business and human rights. Negotiations on the EU Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) are in full swing and are expected to be concluded by the end of this year. The outcome will be a compromise between the European Parliament, the EU Commission and the EU Member States. The CSDDD will not only regulate companies based in the EU, but will also have an impact in non-EU countries. It remains to be seen whether the final directive will improve access to justice for people affected by human rights and environmental abuses by companies. At the same time, the work on the international legally binding instrument continues. The conclusion of the EU CSDDD will also provide a new context for the EU’s engagement in the treaty negotiations. We therefore invite representatives from UN Member States, legal experts, civil society organizations and trade unions to discuss how the future treaty can complement the CSDDD on EU level, if and how the CSDDD will impact the role of the EU in the treaty negotiations and what the next steps should be. Speakers include:
- Kemal Özkan, Assistant General Secretary, IndustriALL Global Union
- Ben Vanpeperstraete, Business and Human Rights Expert, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR)
- Humbertu Cantú Rivera, Professor and Director of Human Rights and Business Institute, School of Law and Social Sciences of the University of Monterrey
- Kinda Mohamadieh, Legal Advisor, Third World Network (TWN)
- François Gave, Special Representative for Corporate Social Responsibility and the Social Dimension of Globalization, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, France
- Michaela Dodini, Policy Officer Human Rights, European External Action Service (EEAS)
- Heidi Hautala, Vice President of the European Parliament
- Facilitator: Maddalena Neglia, Director of Globalisation and Human Rights Desk, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
Refreshments will be served. This event will be held in English with interpretation from and to Spanish.