The Corporate Accountability Working Group of ESCR-Net (CAWG) participated in the final day of discussions towards the proposed treaty. The majority of the morning was devoted to a session on ‘The voices of the victims'...

...While civil society welcomed the reiteration by a number of states on the need to protect human rights defenders, it was apparent that we need to also continue to encourage stronger focus on the underlying systemic human rights abuses that prompt such [attacks ] in the first place.

As the Chair-Rapporteur of the IGWG put forward proposals regarding the next steps in the process, various states put forward counter-proposals and civil society acted to encourage states to take positive steps towards progress in 2018. CAWG made a final statement supporting the positive process so far and calling for the continuation of an autonomous process, a draft text in 2018 and intermediary sessions to evolve the process. The Chairperson-Rapporteur welcomed the participation of 60 states in the first session of the IGWG, 80 in the second and 101 in the third session, and concluded the 3rd session with recommendations and conclusions, with a full report to follow.