The current draft of the #BindingTreaty makes progress, but still falls short of ensuring real access to justice for victims of corporate abuse

CALS calls for stronger, victim-centred provisions to dismantle barriers that keep justice out of reach

There are still significant disagreements about the text of the treaty, with business-friendly states seeking to weaken its binding obligations

African states and civil society have a key role to play in advocating for an effective #BindingTreaty at the UN this October

This process of drafting could take several more years before a consensus is reached

Once the #BindingTreaty is finalised, it will be adopted by the UN Human Rights Council

Then, countries can elect to sign on to the treaty in order for it to apply in their jurisdictions

In 2018, the working group published the first draft of the #BindingTreaty for discussion

Since then, four drafts of the treaty have been published and six rounds of negotiations have taken place at the United Nations

In 2014, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution sponsored by Ecuador and South Africa

This resolution created a working group to develop a #BindingTreaty on business and human rights

The treaty was supported by a number of nations in the Global South

It can be difficult to hold multinational corporations accountable for their role in human rights violations across borders

Existing mechanisms are voluntary and inadequate

What is needed is a legally binding international mechanism to bring companies to account