Last month saw the conclusion of the latest round of UN
negotiations concerning a proposed treaty on business and human
rights.
These negotiations took place during the eighth session of the
intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and
other business enterprises with respect to human rights (the
Working Group). They focused on proposed
amendments to the third iteration of the proposed treaty, released
by the Working Group in August 2021 (the Third
Draft) (see our previous posts
here and
here).1
The Working Group's eighth session highlighted the
significant disagreements which persist regarding the content of
the proposed treaty. Although the negotiations did not produce a
new consolidated text advancing on the Third Draft, they serve as a
notable record of States' divergent positions concerning the
overall treaty project, as well as the Third Draft's
provisions. This post outlines some of the key areas of
contention.
