Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 November 2020
230. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position of Ireland on the draft legally binding instrument to regulate in international law the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises as they relate to human rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35981/20]
View answerWe are currently implementing our first National Plan on Business and Human Rights and seeking to play a constructive role at both the EU and the UN on this important issue.
The second revised draft of the proposed legally binding instrument to regulate, in international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises was circulated by the Open-Ended Inter-governmental Working Group (IGWG) on 06 August 2020 and was discussed at the meeting of the IGWG from 26-30 October 2020.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the proposed legally binding instrument covers matters for which the EU is competent, and accordingly, Ireland, along with other EU Member States, contributed to the European Union statement given at the session in Geneva.
This statement welcomed the modest progress made in the drafting of the treaty and highlighted remaining difficulties and further issues that need to be addressed in the development of a further draft of the proposed legally binding instrument. It also underlined some of the many initiatives underway through both the EU Commission and Member States to enhance protection of the human rights of those vulnerable in a business and human rights context.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the UN in Geneva have both met with the Irish Coalition for Business and Human Rights in respect of its submissions on the draft treaty and agreed to keep in close contact with the Coalition, many of whose members we work with on a regular basis to advance implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
We will continue to work closely with fellow EU Member States to develop the EU’s approach to the proposed treaty.
