Latest on Corporate Influence and Accountability (GPF) - Archive

Cover_UN treaty 9th session 2023
Cover_UN treaty 9th session 2023

From October 23 to 27, 2023, 76 states met at the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council to negotiate an international human rights treaty to regulate companies and their value chains (also known as the “UN Treaty”). Since the UN Human Rights Council adopted Resolution 26/9 in 2014 and mandated an intergovernmental working group to draft such legally binding instrument, it has met nine times. After a slow start, the process has emerged surprisingly stronger from the ninth round of [...]

A rapid analysis of the Rockefeller Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Cover_Private Foundations
Cover_Private Foundations

Private foundations play an increasingly important and influential role in global health; however, this role has been poorly monitored and largely unevaluated, prompting calls for greater accountability. At a minimum level, clear information should be provided about their grant-making activities. We describe the global health granting patterns of three private foundations: the Rockefeller Foundation (RF), the Wellcome Trust (WT), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), using data publicly available on their websites, for the years 2018 – 2020 [...]

The increasing fragmentation of the global health architecture through ever new multi-stakeholder initiatives

Cover_Pandemic Voluntarism_2023
Cover_Pandemic Voluntarism_2023

National and regional go-it-alone efforts characterized government action against the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO), as the overarching and coordinating health body, to ensure equitable and efficient distribution of vaccines and other necessary medical products to contain the pandemic was not heeded. Several governments, philanthropic foundations, and the WHO launched the global multi-stakeholder initiative (MSI) Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) at short notice, with participation of pharmaceutical industry and other MSIs, as a key [...]

From October 15-17, it’s time once again for the "who's who" of global health experts to meet in Berlin for the World Health Summit. More than 6,000 participants are expected over three days. But will the right lessons be learned from the experience of the Corona pandemic to build a sustainable global health architecture?

For decades, the global community has struggled with the challenges of a highly fragmented global health architecture. Numerous international organizations, among them the World Bank and [...]

An international agreement on business and human rights (“UN treaty”) in the sense of a feminist foreign and development policy

Cover_UN Treaty_Gender Justice
Cover_UN Treaty_Gender Justice

In spring 2023, guidelines for a feminist foreign and development policy were presented to the German Federal Cabinet. An international treaty on business and human rights, as negotiated in the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council since 2014, would address the discriminatory global power structures and structural causes of global inequality and contribute to a systemic change in the sense of a feminist foreign and development policy. Women and marginalized groups are particularly affected by exploitative business practices in global [...]

An EU mandate for negotiations on an international agreement on business and human rights

Cover_EU-CSDDD_UN-Treaty
Cover_EU-CSDDD_UN-Treaty

The European Union (EU) is on the verge of introducing an EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). An agreement among the EU institutions involved is to be reached by the end of 2023. This also brings the EU’s active participation in negotiations at the United Nations (UN) level on an international legally binding instrument on business and human rights, also known as a “UN treaty,” ever closer. After all, it is in the EU’s interest that high standards apply [...]

19 May, 2023

Geneva, Switzerland

At an online event held yesterday ahead of World Health Assembly’s 76th session, civil society experts raised concerns about the influence of private and philanthropic foundations during the COVID19 pandemic and the ongoing pandemic treaty negotiations at WHO and overall policy development on various human rights.

Experts highlighted that there is hardly any oversight and it can be often difficult to estimate scale of the influence of these unaccountable private foundations, including the likes [...]

EU flag
EU flag

Brussels, 6 March, 2023

 

Subject: Ensuring a gender-responsive Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence legislation

 

Dear President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen,

Dear Vice-President Vera Jourová,

Dear Commissioner Thierry Breton,

Dear Commissioner Helena Dalli,

Dear Commissioner Didier Reynders,

Dear Members of Parliament,

Dear Council of the European Union Representatives,

 

In the lead up to International Women’s Day we want to remind you that corporate accountability is a women’s rights issue, and EU legislation, including the Corporate [...]

How German Members of the European Parliament are adopting the demands of the business lobby for the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

Cover Copy Paste
Cover Copy Paste

The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) offers a unique opportunity to prevent human rights violations and environmental damage in value chains of European companies and to finally give those affected a real chance to claim compensation. In February 2022, the EU Commission presented a proposal for a corresponding directive. It goes beyond the German Supply Chain Act in several respects. However, it also contains numerous loopholes, largely as a result of pressure from business lobby groups. In [...]

Report on the eighth session of the UN open-ended intergovernmental working group on a legally binding instrument on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights (”treaty“)

Cover UN treaty 8th session
Cover UN treaty 8th session

Since 2014, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Coun­cil in Geneva has been negotiating an internationally binding agreement on business and human rights – also known as the UN Treaty. From October 24–28, 2022, the intergovernmental working group on a legally binding in­strument on transnational corporations and other busi­ness enterprises with respect to human rights (OEIGWG) met for the eighth time. The countries of the global South as well as the major industrialized nations were present at the meeting. New [...]

8. Tagung Treaty
8. Tagung Treaty

Not if, but when - Commentary on the 8th round of negotiations on the UN treaty on business and human rights

Since 2014, an intergovernmental working group at the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in Geneva has been negotiating an international binding instrument to regulate, in international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises - also known as the UN Treaty. The eighth of the responsible intergovernmental working group took place from October 24 [...]

Bild UN Treaty
Bild UN Treaty

Thank you Mr. Chair!

I am speaking on behalf of Brot für die Welt, FIAN Germany, MISEREOR, Women Engage for a Common Future and Global Policy Forum and as coordinator of the Treaty Alliance Germany, an alliance of twenty-eight civil society organizations in Germany.

Today we celebrate UN Day and the Charter and the Declaration of Human Rights – giving special impetus for this week of negotiations.

For us, this process towards a legally binding instrument is complementary to [...]

Trade Union Rights in the Treaty and the Role of Trade Unions for its Effective Implementation

SIDE EVENT TO THE 8th SESSION ON THE UN TREATY ON BUSINESS & HUMAN RIGHTS

Trade Union Rights in the Treaty and the Role of Trade Unions for its Effective Implementation

In many countries, trade unionists face repressions and are unlawfully prevented from representing workers' interests: Freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining as well as the right to strike are in many cases denied to workers and trade unionists all over the world.  According to the ITUC [...]

How the UN Opened Its Doors to Private Funding and Networked Multilateralism

Briefing_UN we need
Briefing_UN we need

On 11 March 2022 at United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York City, Secretary-General António Guterres addressed an audience of Member States, UN staff and other stakeholders at the final consultation meeting on his proposed Our Common Agenda. He urged Member States: “The process surrounding Our Common Agenda is an opportunity to recommit to our fundamental enduring principles while overhauling the practices of multilateralism for a new age.” The report details this new multilateralism to be “an inclusive, networked [...]

EU flag
EU flag

Brussels, 31st of March, 2022.

 

Subject: Ensuring a gender-responsive and effective Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence legislation

 

Dear President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen,

Dear Vice-President Vera Jourová,

Dear Commissioner Thierry Breton,

Dear Commissioner Helena Dalli,

Dear Commissioner Didier Reynders,

Dear Members of Parliament,

Dear Council of the European Union Representatives,

 

On March 8th, we celebrated International Women’s Day and paid tribute to the women who defend human rights and the environment across the world [...]

Report on the seventh session of the UN open-ended intergovernmental working group on a legally binding instrument on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights (“treaty”)

Cover Briefing 7th session UN Treaty
Cover Briefing 7th session UN Treaty

From October 25-29, 2021, the UN open-ended intergovernmental working group on the elaboration of a legally binding instrument on Business and Human Rights met for the seventh time at the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in Geneva. Two developments provided a new dynamic compared to previous sessions. For the first time since the intergovernmental working group’s establishment in 2014, the United States and Japan participated in its meeting. Germany expressed its views for the first time. In addition, the [...]

EU flag
EU flag

Brussels, November 29, 2021

 

Subject: Urgent request to ensure a gender-responsive and effective legislation on human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD) and corporate accountability 

 

Dear President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, 

Dear Vice-President Vera Jourová, 

Dear Commissioner Thierry  Breton, 

Dear Commissioner Helena Dalli, 

Dear Commissioner Didier Reynders, 

Dear Members of Parliament, 

Dear Council of the European Union Representatives,

 

November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) Day, is a day to pay tribute [...]

Statement of the Treaty Alliance Germany on the Third Revised Draft for a legally binding Treaty on Business and Human Rights („Third Revised Draft“)

In 2014, the Human Rights Council of the United Nations (UN) mandated an intergovernmental working group to draft an international treaty for the protection of human rights in the global economy. Since then, the intergovernmental working group, which consists of governments, representatives of civil societies and business, has been meeting annually to negotiate the current status of the draft. The third revised draft constitutes the basis for negotiations during the seventh meeting of the working group from October 25 to [...]

How can self-regulatory corporate approaches and a binding UN treaty on business and human rights lead to a fairer global economy?

A variety of approaches exists so far that attempt to ensure multinational enterprises’ compliance with human rights in all their business relationships. Workers’ representatives and their trade unions have agreed on more than 300 Global Framework Agreements with transnational corporations to strengthen workers' rights along global supply chains. Also, other corporate approaches such as CSR, social auditing and sector-specific approaches at national level have contributed to improved working conditions in particular in countries where there is only weak employee representation [...]

Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2021

Cover spotlight 2021
Cover spotlight 2021

Time to overcome contradictions and hypocrisy in the COVID-19 crisis

Policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis have greatly exacerbated national and global inequalities. Blatant examples are the unfair distribution of care work, relying mainly on women and poorly remunerated if at all, and the global disparity in the distribution of vaccines.

So far more than 60 percent of people in high-income countries have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, but less than 2 percent [...]

CSO-Forum event on occasion of the WB/IMF-Spring Meetings

Arab NGO Network for Development and Global Policy Forum - Session

IFIs have been promoting the role of the private sector in job creation and sustainable development, through limiting the role of the public sector, incentivizing PPPs and promoting the creation of an enabling environment for businesses and investments. Meanwhile, civil Society has been advocating for holding the private sector, as a development actor, accountable for human rights. Additionally, the current health crisis revealed more challenges related to the role [...]

Women workers
Women workers

A gendered approach to the upcoming EU corporate accountability law will help protect women's rights in global supply chains of European companies. Here’s how.

When the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, ceremoniously launched the Gender Equality Strategy: Striving for a Union of Equality last March, she declared that “gender equality is a core principle of the European Union, but it is not yet a reality.”

This much-anticipated strategy planned to integrate a gender perspective in all [...]

Report on the sixth session of the open-ended intergovernmental working group on a binding instrument on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights (“treaty”)

Cover_on standby
Cover_on standby

From October 26 to 30, 2020, the open-ended intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights (OEIGWG) met for the sixth time at the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in Geneva. The discussions were based on the second revised draft presented by the Ecuadorian Chair of the working group in August 2020. The session was overshadowed by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was held in a hybrid format, i.e. with [...]

Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2020

Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2020
Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2020

Lessons from the global COVID-19 crisis

This is the fifth edition of the report Spotlight on Sustainable Development. Since 2016, we have published this report annually to assess not only the implementation of the 2030 Agenda but also the structural obstacles in its realization.

When we started to plan for this year’s report in Autumn 2019, mass protests were shaking a growing number of countries in various regions of the world. In Ecuador, Brazil, Chile and Argentina, in Egypt, Lebanon [...]

Patents kill
Patents kill

The world has become a patient. The new corona virus is a global medical riddle that governments, pharmaceutical companies and international organizations are trying to decipher in a unity rarely seen before. The level of cross-border exchange of data, research methods and evidence underlines the crucial role played by transnational communities of scientists* and experts*. With the development and the clinical testing of a vaccine, many hope that the virus will be all but contained, the rest a matter of [...]