Letter to European Embassies: In Support of CSDDD

ETAC joins 83 organisations in signing an open letter to European embassies highlighting the importance of a strong Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), urging the respective governments to vote in favour of it before the upcoming European Union elections.

The letter below:

Ambassador ________: 

 

The undersigned organisations are writing to urge your government to vote in favour of a strong Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) before the upcoming European Union elections. Within Europe, the CSDDD enjoys significant support from the public, businesses, church groups, academics and international institutions like the OECD, the ILO, and OHCHR. The undersigned organizations work primarily outside of Europe but have a vested interest in the passage of a strong Due Diligence Directive.

 

The CSDDD would have significant positive impacts on businesses that operate in the jurisdictions where we work. As it is currently structured, the CSDDD would apply to a large number of companies that are either headquartered outside of Europe (but conduct a sufficient amount of business in Europe to be covered by the Directive), or that are headquartered in Europe but do a significant amount of business outside of Europe.  This is an excellent feature of the Directive and would mean that companies across a variety of jurisdictions would need to undertake critical human rights and environmental due diligence. The Directive provides a real opportunity to transform the way European supply chains and the supply chains of goods headed to Europe operate, making them more humane and environmentally sustainable. 

 

This is especially important given that enacting the CSDDD would put Europe way out front in the effort to eliminate human rights abuses, labour rights abuses, and environmental destruction that result from corporate misconduct. The model that Europe has developed domestically -starting with the French Duty of Vigilance law and proliferating from there- has gained traction around the world. Civil society organizations like ours have developed or are exploring domestic legislation in our jurisdictions that take their cue from this model. If Europe were to abandon this effort now or take steps to dramatically weaken the Directive, this would send a signal to other jurisdictions that, even in Europe, legislation that enhances supply chains is too difficult to pass. While we would strongly disagree, the damage to the momentum created around the world in the wake of the effort to enact the CSDDD could be enormous.

 

The CSDDD will have far-reaching impacts on corporate activity that will be felt around the world. We strongly urge your government to vote in favour of the CSDDD in the upcoming vote. If you are interested in discussing this in further detail or have any questions, please contact _______________.

 

Signed by: 

 

United States

1. The International Corporate Accountability Roundtable
2. Heartland Initiative
3. Verite
4. The Human Trafficking Legal Center
5. Freedom United
6. Accountability Counsel
7. Corporate Accountability Lab
8. Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS)
9. The Clear Chain
10. Inclusive Development International
11. Oxfam
12. Eko
13. Investor Alliance for Human Rights
14. Transparentem
15. Bennett Freeman, Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
16. Joe W. Pitts
17. Advocacy for Principled Action in Government
18. Organization for Identity & Cultural Development
19. Global Labor Justice-International Labor Rights Forum (GLJ-ILRF)
20. Action on Smoking and Health
21. Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility

 

Canada

22. Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability
23. Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
24. Maquila Solidarity Network
25. IMPACT
26. Above Ground (a project of MakeWay)
27. Centre international de solidarité ouvrière (CISO)

 

Mexico

28. Project on Organizing, Development, Education, and Research (PODER)
29. Proyecto de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales (ProDESC)

 

Ecuador

30. Alianza de Organizaciones por los Derechos Humanos del Ecuador

 

Peru

31. Programa Laboral De Desarrollo (PLADES)
32. Centro de Políticas Públicas y Derechos Humanos (Perú EQUIDAD)

 

Chile

33. Somos la Plataforma Chilena de Sociedad Civil sobre Derechos Humanos y empresas
34. Fundacion Acue
35. Defensoria Ambiental ONG
36. Centro de Derechos Humanos Universidad Diego Portales
37. Central Unitaria de Trabajadores de Chile
38. Fundacion Libera

 

United Kingdom

39. Corporate Justice Coalition
40. Labour Behind the Label
41. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
42. UNISON
43. Fauna & Flora International
44. The Freedom Fund
45. ABColombia
46. Anti-Slavery International

 

Australia

47. National Council of Jewish Women of Australia
48. Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
49. Josephite Counter Trafficking Project
50. Australian Human Rights Institute, UNSW Sydney
51. Human Rights Law Centre
52. Project Respect Incorporated
53. Walk Free
54. Project Didi Australia
55. Be Slavery Free
56. International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC)

 

South Korea

57. GongGam Human Rights Law Foundation
58. Supporters for Health and Rights of People in Semiconductor Industry (SHARPS)
59. Korean House for International Solidarity
60. KTNC Watch

 

Japan

61. Human Rights Now

 

Taiwan

62. Environmental Rights Foundation
63. Environmental Jurists Association
64. Taiwan Labour Front
65. Youth Labor Union 95
66. Taiwan Laborers Association
67. Taiwan Transnational Corporations Watch (TTNC Watch)
68. Taiwan Association for Human Rights

 

India

69. Anukatham
70. Social Awareness and voluntary Education (SAVE)

 

Bangladesh

71. Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity- BCWS

 

Pakistan

72, Foundation for Rural Development
73. Home Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF)
74. National Trade Union Federation (NTUF)

 

Kyrgyzstan

75. The Human Rights Movement Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan

 

Turkiye

76. Minerva Business and Human Rights Association

 

Nigeria

77. African Law Foundation
78. Foundation For Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development

 

Uganda

79. Uganda Consortium on Corporate Accountability
80. Disability Peoples Forum Uganda
81. Uganda Consortium on Corporate Accountability (UCCA)

 

Kenya

82. Jamaa Resource Initiatives

 

Global

83. OECD Watch Network
84. Publish What You Pay