"The state of remedy under the OECD Guidelines in 2019", 17 June 2020

As the OECD celebrates the 20th anniversary of its dispute settlement system of National Contact Points (NCPs) for the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises, our annual State of Remedy briefing paper shows that there is still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to providing effective access to remedy for the victims of corporate abuse. Cases concluded last year provided a mixed bag in terms of remedy, with too many NCPs still unjustifiably rejecting cases and hindering access to remedy, though also a few important bright spots to mention.

Throughout 2019, the rejection of complaints at an early stage remained a serious and persistent barrier to civil society complainants...

Six complaints ended in an agreement and some form of remedy for the complainants...


The mixed results at the NCPs clearly demonstrate that they stand at a crossroads at the start of the 2020s; for two decades they have largely failed to provide effective access to remedy for complainants, and the lack of alternatives for victims is contributing to the increasingly loud calls by advocates and governments alike for binding regulation of corporate conduct to strengthen remedy through courts. 



Yet the Guidelines still have value in setting standards...