Side event at the UN business and human rights treaty negotiations: Priorities, red lines and pathways to convergence

More than a decade after the establishment of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group (OEIGWG) on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights, negotiations have reached a decisive point.

The insights of legal experts and the intersessional consultations have contributed to a deeper understanding of the current draft text and different States’ proposals. The upcoming period presents an opportunity to identify pathways towards greater convergence, while safeguarding the mandate to elaborate a legally binding instrument and ensuring that it effectively addresses accountability gaps and barriers to access to justice and remedy for affected individuals, communities and peoples.

With this side event during the 12th session of the OEIGWG we aim to explore the substantive priorities that should inform the further development of the negotiating text and the intersessional process leading towards the 13th session in 2027.

Representatives of affected communities, human rights defenders and trade unionists will discuss which elements should be preserved or strengthened in future revisions of the text, drawing on lived experiences. We will also explore how the new text might best be drafted and how to ensure meaningful participation by stakeholders and affected communities.

Speakers:

• Katharina Cândido, Children's Rights Advocate at the Human Rights Clinic, Federal University of Minas Gerais
• Ramona Margarita Domingo Díaz, Political Leader and Coordinator of the Maya People’s Council
• Refiloe Joala, Program Manager Food Sovereignty at Southern Africa Regional Office Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (RLS)
• Ruwan Subasinghe, Legal Director at the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF)
• Opening statement from a Global South state requested

Moderator: Celia Sudhoff, Program Director at Global Policy Forum (GPF) Europe

The event will also be livestreamed for those joining remotely. 

Spanish translation will be available - La traducción al español estará disponible