UNHRC votes on business and human rights resolutions

At the 26th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, June 2014, two resolutions were adopted by the Council. The first, drafted by Ecuador and South Africa, directs “to establish an open-ended intergovernmental working group with the mandate to elaborate an international legally binding instrument on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with respect to human rights.” The second resolution drafted by Norway received support from 22 other countries from all regions. It includes a request that the UN Working Group prepare a report considering, among other things, the benefits and limitations of legally binding instruments.

Ecuador and South Africa’s resolution split the vote: 20 in favour, 14 against (including France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, UK and USA) and 13 abstentions.

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