Nothing to celebrate: Fifth anniversary of the “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights” – The urgency of a binding treaty

However, Friends of the Earth International considers there is nothing to celebrate, and will be present in Geneva to demand a binding treaty to bring transnational corporations that violate human rights to justice.

Real World Radio interviewed activist Anne van Schaik of Friends of the Earth Europe and representative at the Steering Group of the Economic Justice Program of Friends of the Earth International.

Anne explained why there are no reasons to celebrate these principles that are only voluntary and not legally binding and highlighted the new process of the “open-ended intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights”, also in the framework of the UN Human Rights Council.

The activist also made reference to the role of European countries in these official spaces and the agenda of social movements and organizations that support the creation of the treaty that holds corporations from numerous part of the world accountable for their human rights violations.