Over 25 ESCR-Net member organizations from the Corporate Accountability Working Group (CAWG) gathered at the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council this past October 15-19, to advocate for a strong treaty on human rights and transnational corporations and other business entities at the 4th session of the Open-Ended Inter-Governmental Working Group (IGWG). Members organized and engaged in several side-events and intervened in numerous discussions on the content of the Zero Draft Treaty based on collective advocacy positions. At the week’s conclusion, the treaty process emerged with apparent momentum toward a First Draft Treaty and a 5th session of the IGWG in 2019.

Looking forward, it would be important to begin organizing towards collective advocacy at the regional level ahead of the IGWG session. Here are several opportunities to engage regionally in the upcoming couple of months:

Latin America

• The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will be holding its 172nd Period of Sessions from May 3 to 10 in Kingston, Jamaica. At least a few members will already be present to do thematic hearings, please let us know if you are planning to attend.

Exploring regional opportunities

• Building on regional consultations at the outset of the treaty process through 2016, as well as renewed efforts to strengthen advocacy at the regional level emerging from the 2018 People’s Forum on Human Rights and Business in Manila, we will be organizing regional calls to identify openings at the regional level both to use and reinforce the treaty process, discuss evolving country positions and set several advocacy goals to pursue regionally in the months ahead of the IGWG session. Please feel free to reach out to CAWG Coordinator, Mona at msabella@escr-net.org, if you are interested in taking part in these calls. Engagement would be most welcomed!

On 3 April, the Corporate Capture Project Advisory Group (PAG) broadcasted a live webinar to introduce corporate capture to a wider set of members and allies. We invite you to watch the webinar here in English, Spanish, Arabic and French:   https://www.escr-net.org/news/2019/webinar-what-corporate-capture. We would also very much appreciate your feedback on the webinar, if you have a moment – please feel free to let us know what you thought by answering this short survey in English, Arabic, French, or Spanish.

The PAG has also developed a call for cases in your countries on interference in the legislative and policy processes nationally as a way to combat corporate capture. If you have cases relevant to the following questions, please send responses to Mona at msabella@escr-net.org:

• Do you have information on policy and/or legal mechanisms employed in these regions to regulate corporate lobbying of politicians / government officials?
• Do you have information about policy and/or legal mechanisms to govern the financing of political parties / candidates during elections?

For examples of legislative and policy reforms that govern corporate lobbying, please feel free to refer to this summary.

Over the next few months, a groups of members will continue to develop indicators for the different manifestations of corporate capture as a basis for a community documentation tool, begin work on a second animated video focused on community manipulation, and explore concrete advocacy and campaigning openings; please let us know if you are interested in being part of any of these next steps.

Over the last couple of months, ESCR-Net took solidarity actions following two serious cases of corporate abuse that required international attention.

The first case took place in Brumadinho, Brazil on 25 January 2019 – where a dam built by Brazilian multinational corporation Vale exploded, unleashing a wave of toxic mud that killed or disappeared more than 300 people, the deadliest mining tragedy of its type that the world has seen in half a century. This was a preventable and forewarned disaster. .CAWG members joined an urgent solidarity action by reviewing, collectively and individually endorsing and helping to disseminate letters initiated by members Justiça Global and FIDH, in alliance with Justiça nos Trilhos.

The second case took place in Sahn Malen Chiefdom in Pujehun District, Sierra Leone, on 21 January 2019 following a violent incident between local communities and military personnel deployed to protect  the palm oil plantations of the agribusiness Socfin Group in the area. As a result of the incident and ensuing raids in local communities, two civilians were shot dead, allegedly by military personnel. Further 15 people were arrested, including a member of parliament, and more than 2,500 people were forcibly displaced. Via the System of Solidarity, ESCR-Net sent a collective letter to the President of Sierra Leone to express concern regarding this incident, which is part of a wider land conflict between local communities and Socfin Group. The secretariat has facilitated initial contacts between members facing Socfin violations in different countries.  This or the Brumadinho case could evolve into a request for more coordinated strategic case support via CAWG.

ESCR-Net mobilizes the collective strength of members to provide solidarity in moments of threat or imminent violations affecting fellow members, their communities and allied human rights defenders via the System of Solidarity (SOS). Please feel free to contact Ruben at rkondrup@escr-net.org if SOS urgent action is needed.

In addition, any member of CAWG is welcome to post requests for member-to-member support via our shared Google Group: escr-net-cawg@googlegroups.com. Finally, members are welcome to request more coordinated and robust strategic case support via CAWG, through the following criteria and process: https://www.escr-net.org/node/366374.

Since our last update, four representatives of CAWG member organizations were invited to join the Corporate Capture Project Advisory Group (PAG), representing an effort by the current PAG to strengthen regional balance and the centrality of social movements. Weclomed new members include:

• Maha Abdallah from Al-Haq (Palestine)
• Radiatu Sheriff from Natural Resource Women Platform (Liberia)
• Renzo García Parra from Comité Ambiental en Defensa de la Vida (Colombia)
• Shayda Naficy from Corporate Accountability (United States)

An advisory group of members has been set to deepen analysis around the intersections between conflict and ESCR and to support the integration of that analysis into existing areas of collective action. Over the last two years, ESCR-Net members have been holding a series of webinars to discuss key aspects of this issue. In 2019, the advisory group will focus on producing shared analysis around two topics: corporate capture of government institutions and decision-making in conflict affected areas, and women’s ESCR—including sexual and reproductive health and rights—in conflict. Two webinars will be organized to discuss these topics.

If you are interested in receiving updates or engaging with the Conflict and ESCR area of work, please send an email to our membership and program facilitator, Sally Sami, at ssami@escr-net.org.

Would you like to see better data?

Data — especially official data — should align with human rights standards and obligations. It should be available and accessible to human rights advocates and communities in ways that makes it truly useful and relevant for informing decisions that affect their lives. We also believe that communities should play a central role in determining what data is important and how it is collected, ensuring that it reflects different identities and perspectives. In gathering and using data, particular consideration should be placed on the privacy and security of those who might be affected in the process.

Towards this end, members of the Monitoring Working Group wish to support and work with other members who want to raise similar issues around ESCR and data in their advocacy. 

If you are interested in advocating for better data on ESCR issues and would like input from or collaboration with Monitoring Working Group members, please contact the WG Coordinator Francesca: fferuglio@escr-net.org.