UN Binding Treaty talks close with renewed calls to stop corporate impunity and centre affected communities

At the end of the 11th session of negotiations for a United Nations treaty to hold transnational corporations (TNCs) accountable for their human rights violations (Binding Treaty), the voices of those fighting for justice, accountability, and a peoples-centred multilateralism were heard throughout the halls of the UN.

As transnational corporations fuel the genocide in Palestine, displace communities through large-scale energy and extractive projects, and seize land and water with impunity, the urgency of a strong Binding Treaty has never been greater. This session focused on securing the rights and protection of victims and affected communities, establishing corporate liability across value chains, and warning against growing corporate capture of the process. Friends of the Earth International, alongside the Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples’ Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity, helped bring the voices of those most affected by corporate human rights violations forward:

“For more than 30 years, we have been waiting for reparations for the damage caused by transnational corporations like Chevron and corporate violations of the rights of Indigenous Peoples, which not only endanger our lives but those of future generations. To date, we have found no avenue for access to justice, let alone reparations. The crimes continue to be repeated, but we find hope in the Binding Treaty to not only help bring about justice but to prevent future violations.”

Maritza Criollo
UDAPT / Friends of the Earth Ecuador

As in many multilateral spaces today, the threat of corporate capture looms. In response to the presence and false solutions pushed by the representatives of corporate interests in the room, Friends of the Earth International and the Global Campaign took action. A movement, rising from their seats in a UN space in solidarity with those affected, was an intimidating sight for the corporate lobby and an important reminder of the affected communities at the heart of the treaty.

“To allow transnational corporations to be represented in any way in these negotiations is to allow the fox to plan the security system of the henhouse. Year after year, the corporate lobby is granted access to this space and given a seat at the table. The same table where communities that have been on the frontlines of atrocities backed by TNCs are trying to secure access to justice. This isn’t their space, and we’re here making sure they know how unwelcome they are while reminding states of the real threat they pose to the integrity of this process.”

Carmen Blanco
Friends of the Earth Europe

“In this session, once again, the Global South states took the lead in defending the process and the fundamental content of the work. Strengthening this alliance of the South is essential, given that Global North states continue to attempt to water down the text. A treaty that is specifically tailored to the realities faced in the South, and sensitive to how colonial patterns of plunder persist through corporate extraction, can help ensure respect for human rights and end the impunity that continues to prevail in our territories.“

Erika Mendes
Justiça Ambiental (JA!) / Friends of the Earth Mozambique

With the 11th session closed, Friends of the Earth International now looks to the upcoming COP30 and Peoples’ Summit to continue calling for an end to corporate impunity.

“Communities on the frontlines of human rights violations and the climate crisis are demanding justice and rules for corporations, not corporate greenwashing. As we move toward COP30, corporate capture undermining multilateral spaces must be confronted, and people and planet must be put before profit. At COP30, we’ll be blocking the false solutions pushed by corporations. Alongside communities and movements in the Peoples’ Summit, we’ll be building the real solutions.”

Letícia Paranhos
Friends of the Earth International

Closing the session, the negotiations are now going into their twelfth year, and FoEI, alongside the Global Campaign, are certain that a strong and effective legally binding treaty is closer than ever. The Binding Treaty process is a horizon of hope for thousands of peoples around the world who continue fighting within their territories for a world of peace and liberation, that centres life over corporate profits. 

Latest publications

On the corporate lobby → The TNC Lobby: Foxes in the Henhouse

On the climate crisis and the Binding Treaty → Environmental obligations for business and the Binding Treaty

Media contact

Ghislaine Fandel // ghislaine@foei.org // @FoEint // in Geneva 17-25 October