This session, held on 18 November at the 2015 UN Forum, examined the outcomes of the first meeting in July of the Intergovernmental Working Group (OEIWG) charged with drafting the UN treaty on business and human rights; the priorities of business and other stakeholders with regard to the treaty process; and ways to ensure that the treaty process and the implementation of the UNGPs reinforce each other. The panel discussed the challenges and opportunities of a treaty, including business considerations and concerns on the treaty process; the extent to which a treaty and the UNGPs could reinforce each other; and whether the first meeting of the OEIWG met the demands and needs of business and other stakeholders and where improvements could be made.
The session, coordinated by IOE, GBI and BDA, included contributions from GBI Executive Director Mark Hodge regarding the importance of continued company engagement with the UNGPs during the treaty process, and the need to be mindful of potential unintended consequences as the process proceeds.
Access a summary of Mark Hodge’s talking points here.
Access the session concept note here.
Chaired by Mthunzi Mdwaba, IOE with panellists:
- Sharon Burrow, ITUC
- Douglass Cassel, Notre Dame
- María Fernanda Espinosa, Permanent Representative of Ecuador
- Mark Hodge, GBI
- Linda Kromjong, IOE
- Geneviève Paul, FIDH