Feminist realities must be reflected in corporate accountability mechanisms
This week, feminists and human rights defenders from around the world will gather in Geneva to push for action on a matter of great urgency – the 8th session of negotiations for a UN Binding Treaty on Business & Human Rights, legislation at the international level that would hold corporations accountable for their business impacts...
In policy-making spaces, it is even more crucial to ask: Who is setting the agenda? Who has a seat at the table? Who benefits, and who hurts? What does access to remedy look like? Feminists for a Binding Treaty (F4BT) is a coalition of over 30 human rights organisations, representing a large and diverse network of women’s lived experiences, shared analysis and expertise from around the world in the Binding Treaty process.We are resolute in ensuring that a global human rights framework to regulate corporations is gender-sensitive and just...
In the weeks to come, feminists will take their year-round campaigns, experiences and demands for justice to Geneva, to amplify the voices of millions of women and gender-diverse people across the world. Even as corporations and other vested interests argue against the process, and the very need for regulation, the bottom line is clear. The Binding Treaty is a tool that can strengthen protections for communities and human rights defenders in every part of the world, and close off the avenues of escape for corporate elites. It is a step forward – an urgently needed one...