Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 and 53 together.

This is somewhat linked to one of the questions I answered earlier. I will happily focus on the UN element of it. As the Deputy will appreciate, it would not be appropriate for the European Council to consider this matter at such an early stage in the process. The appropriate Council working group is engaged on the matter. Ireland participated in a range of discussions, both in Brussels and Geneva, relating to the EU's approach to the sixth session of the open-ended intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises, which took place from 26 to 30 October 2020.

As I mentioned in my response to an earlier question, the Union delivered a statement and separately raised specific concerns relating to the draft text on behalf of Ireland and other member states. The EU statement is publicly available on the website of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The statement welcomed some of the changes in the latest draft of the proposed treaty, highlighted further necessary changes, and outlined the many measures under way within the EU and across member states to give greater protection to human rights in the context of business activities.

The statement set out continuing concerns including the need for any such instrument to cover all businesses in a non-discriminatory manner; be consistent with the UN guiding principles on business and human rights; be realistically implementable and enforceable; and be supported by a critical mass of UN members.

The EU continues to develop its approach to the proposed legally binding instrument and Ireland continues to support a constructive and engaged approach.

The Deputy may know, separately, that the UN working group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises is reviewing implementation of the UN guiding principles on business and human rights and next year, on the tenth anniversary of the unanimous adoption of the principles by UN member states, it will set out proposals for a “decade of action on business and human rights” more generally.

See this speech in context