Not a day passes without new reports of human rights abuses caused by the activities of corporate business: from accounts of the denial of fundamental labor rights and repression of workers’ efforts at organization to indications of failure to adhere to minimum standards that lead to catastrophes that devastate environments and take lives.
But there is another tale, of civil society struggling to win rights and gain access to justice on behalf of the victims, and secure commitments from corporations to clean up their act.
Treaty Alliance
An important way these efforts manifest themselves is through litigation, which has been responsible for countless successes in the past.
But many more violations take place than can be dealt with in this manner, and the catch is that many of them are committed by transnational corporations and their subsidiaries, who now generate approximately a third of global GDP and two thirds of world trade and stand outside the reach of national jurisdictions.
Thus, the Treaty Alliance is a campaigning network organizing for a treaty that is formed to govern companies and put an end to human rights violations, environmental damage and corporate impunity. Its call for the establishment of an IGWG to work on the treaty was supported by more than 600 CSOs across the globe.
ESCR-Net members and allies organized actions in more than 20 capital cities and met with state representatives in Geneva. The UNHRC 2014 resolution establishing the IGWG came as a reward for these actions.
About Treaty Alliance
Treaty Alliance is a coalition of committed networks and campaign groups worldwide. They are organizing for a UN Treaty to put an end to corporate impunity and control over corporate actions towards human rights violations and abuses, and against environmental destruction.
The alliance has a lot on the line in the present year’s negotiation which is scheduled between October 26, 2025 and October 30, 2025, but it is engaging in a joint effort.
Why Does Treaty Alliance Exist?
The Treaty Alliance was established following Ecuador’s September 2013 presentation to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) of a proposal for a legally binding treaty to regulate transnational corporations (TNCs) and other companies on behalf of numerous states.
During the HRC session in June 2014, the Treaty Alliance organized in Geneva and many states to support the approval of 26/9, which required an Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group (OEIGWG) to draft such a treaty.
The Treaty Alliance has been leading a large mobilization of civil society before and during previous OEIGWG sessions, with over 1,000 civil society organizations and individuals at its disposal.
The Type of Treaty “Treaty Alliance” Wants
Treaty Alliance is advocating for an efficient binding treaty that:
- Obliges States to guarantee human rights by cooperating in the regulation and monitoring of business organizations including when those operate beyond States’ borders;
- Obliges States to cooperate to provide for legal responsibility of TNCs and other business organizations and for effective redress once they acquire jurisdiction to enforce territorial or extraterritorial obligations;
- Ensures an international monitoring and reporting mechanism;
- Guarantees the protection of human rights defenders, victims, and whistle-blowers and ensures their right to access information that is pertinent in this respect;
- Is free from corruption and was protected against improper interference by corporate players.
Key Reasons to Join “Treaty Alliance”
For mustering support to elaborate this treaty, the Treaty Alliance coordinates and manages advocacy work in the sessions of the OEIGWG and international forums and meetings. The Alliance also seeks to mobilize and educate national civil society on the treaty process and assist civil society in lobbying with national and regional decision-makers.
The creation of the OEIGWG was a historic milestone. It testifies to the fact that the United Nations is capable of being responsive to demands made by a resilient civil society and grassroots movement. A long way still remains to an effective treaty.
And this is where you step in: You are required to persuade your nation that the time has arrived to actually hold TNCs and other companies accountable in the interest of safeguarding human rights.
How Can You Support and Contact Treaty Alliance?
If, you want to raise your voice against the corporate abuses and put an end to it then you can join the Treaty Alliance. Thus, for contacting the Treaty Alliance, you can e-mail them at [email protected].
In addition, by signing the Treaty Alliance Statement, a person can support the movement initiated by the Treaty Alliance. In this way, you can protect human rights of corporate employees by holding Transnational Corporations and other organizations accountable.
A Force for Ambition
Civil society has been instrumental at each stage, from insisting that the process be started to keeping it ambitious as it went along and insisting that it remain on track for finishing.
Since its founding, the International Network for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net), a coalition of more than 280 CSOs, social movements, and activists from 75 countries working toward economic and social justice, has played a significant role.
The following demands for a human rights-based approach to business regulation were made by ESCR-Net members during its Peoples’ Forum on Human Rights and Business in 2013. This unified declaration served as the basis for the Treaty Alliance’s founding statement.