Das Narrenschiff (Ship of Fools): Upcoming 9th Session of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Workng Group to Produce that Bricolage to be Asssembled as an International legally binding instrument to regulate, in international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises

 

Saint Grobian, the Patron Saint of what is vulgar and coarse in Sebastian Brant's 1494 classic satire, Das Narrenschiff (The Ship of Fools)  continues to guide the voyage of the  damned through the weaknesses and vices of our times.

That voyage continues very much in evidence in the 9 year voyage of that ship charged with the concoction of an "international legally binding instrument to regulate, in international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises."

On 26 June 2014, the Human Rights Council adopted resolution 26/9, in which it decided "to establish an open-ended intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights, whose mandate shall be to elaborate an international legally binding instrument to regulate, in international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises."

Since, the open-ended intergovernmental working group (OEIGWG) has had eight sessions (see history of the process below). Between the eighth and ninth sessions, numerous activities took place that were taken into consideration during the development of an updated draft legally binding instrument (version in track changes) (see intersessional activities below). This instrument will serve as the basis for State-led direct substantive intergovernmental negotiations during the working group’s ninth session.

The ninth session of the OEIGWG will take place from 23 to 27 October 2023 in Room XX, Palais des Nations, Geneva.

 Details and documents can be found here; If you would like to watch any of the sessions, you can access the live streaming here. The programme is available here (and below) The sessions will also be recorded should you miss any of the sessions. 

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