Global campaign statement on the 3rd draft of the binding treaty

The Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples’ Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity issued a statement on August 17, 2021, criticizing the third revised draft of a proposed binding treaty to regulate transnational corporations (TNCs). The campaign argues that the draft is an ineffective instrument that fails to establish direct obligations for TNCs and risks becoming a 'normative trap' by relying on voluntary frameworks and state-centric obligations.

• The Global Campaign views the third revised draft of the binding treaty as a "toothless" instrument that fails to meet the objectives of Resolution 26/9, specifically regarding the regulation of transnational corporations (TNCs) to prevent human rights violations and end corporate impunity.
• The draft is criticized for focusing exclusively on the obligations of States rather than establishing direct obligations for TNCs, which the campaign asserts is necessary to hold corporations directly accountable for human rights violations.
• The campaign expresses concern that the scope of the treaty has been extended to all business enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises, which they argue dilutes the treaty's purpose of addressing the specific obstacles to holding TNCs with "transnational character" accountable.
• The document identifies several critical gaps in the draft, including the lack of a strong international enforcement mechanism or tribunal, the absence of a clear primacy of international human rights law over trade and investment law, and weak provisions based on the concept of due diligence.
• The Global Campaign describes the current negotiation process as lacking transparency and argues that the Chair Rapporteur is steering the process toward a treaty that is overly accommodating to corporate interests and aligned with ineffective corporate self-regulation.

APA

Prak, C. (2021). Global campaign statement on the 3rd draft of the binding treaty. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/global-campaign-statement-on-the-3rd-draft-of-the-binding-treaty/

Chicago

Prak, Caroline. Global campaign statement on the 3rd draft of the binding treaty. Friends of the Earth International, 2021. https://www.foei.org/global-campaign-statement-on-the-3rd-draft-of-the-binding-treaty/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Prak |first1=Caroline |title=Global campaign statement on the 3rd draft of the binding treaty |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=7 September 2021 |url=https://www.foei.org/global-campaign-statement-on-the-3rd-draft-of-the-binding-treaty/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{prak2021global, author = {Prak, Caroline}, title = {{Global campaign statement on the 3rd draft of the binding treaty}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://www.foei.org/global-campaign-statement-on-the-3rd-draft-of-the-binding-treaty/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }