24 September 2024 — Geneva, Quito
In an urgent call for action, an adhoc alliance of international organisations representing over 300 million people worldwide have voiced strong opposition to a recent decision by the Mission of Ecuador to the UN Geneva office that postpones what was to be the 10th session of negotiations for a legally binding treaty to hold transnational corporations (TNCs) accountable for their human rights violations.
The session, originally scheduled for 21-25 October 2024 in Geneva, has been unexpectedly rescheduled to late December, causing profound logistical and financial burdens on the attending civil society groups, communities affected by the activities of TNCs, social movements and trade unions. According to the Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity (Global Campaign), this is the latest attempt by the Chair of this UN process, the Mission of Ecuador, to disenfranchise these voices who have maintained a strong and decisive presence over the last nine years of negotiations.
For Iván González from the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), this speculative decision by the Ecuadorian presidency especially affects the voice of social movements and those affected in the Global South. “Changing the dynamics of the process in this way only favours northern governments and transnational corporations looking to continue influencing the pace of negotiations and the content of the Treaty, further limiting social participation and consideration for the demands of the peoples.”
In a letter to the Mission of Ecuador, the country that presides over the Open Ended Intergovernmental Working Group (OEIGWG) mandated to negotiate the so-called “Binding Treaty”, the alliance demands that this decision be reverted. They bring attention to the hypocrisy of the Mission’s unilateral step following the recent adoption of the UN Pact for the Future in New York which called for a revitalised multilateralism.
Maxine Bezuidenhout from the Alternative Information Development Center (AIDC) expresses deep concerns for marginalised groups and the Global South, “The decision to postpone the negotiations to December, in a time when majority of Global South peoples are celebrating the family holiday season and observing cultural activities, is deeply insensitive and exclusionary. It is a direct attack on Global South voices. We cannot allow the shrinking of civil space to engage on critical issues affecting us. It is Global South voices who have, for far too long, been marginalised at the seat of power. We demand that the October negotiations go ahead. There are alternatives and these must be explored and acted on.”
According to Anesu Dera from the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), “The rescheduling of these critical negotiations to December not only creates financial and logistical hurdles but effectively silences the voices of those from the African continent. Many civil society organisations, especially those representing marginalised communities, will be unable to attend due to the increased travel costs and the clash with holiday periods. This exclusion undermines the integrity of the process, leaving out perspectives that are essential in holding transnational corporations accountable for human rights violations.”
Such a decision to effectively silence the voices of the hundreds of millions of people represented by these groups undoubtedly brings into question the future of the UN and its negotiation spaces that seem to widen for corporations and shrink for civil society. In response, groups across Ecuador gathered to hand-deliver the letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who allegedly imposed this unilateral decision.
Pablo Fajardo from UDAPT / Friends of the Earth Ecuador states, “The peoples and communities affected by the flagrant violation of human rights at the hands of transnational corporations cannot accept that our participation in the negotiations be obstructed. We stand firmly against this wholly undemocratic decision by the Ecuador Mission and we’re seeing solidarity across peoples together with social movements, organisations and trade unions from around the world to demand that the Mission revert this decision.”
Note to editors
For further information or to arrange interviews with spokespersons you can contact:
Ghislaine Fandel, ghislaine@foei.org
