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African Regional Indaba on the UN Binding Treaty kicks off this week

- AIDC, CALS and LHR

CALS, the Alternative Information and Development Centre and Lawyers for Human Rights host the 8th annual Indaba on 24 and 25 June 2026

“Crises, Capital, and Accountability: Advancing an African Agenda for a Binding Treaty in an Era of Global Conflict.”

Civil society organisations have been involved in the process of drafting a binding treaty on business and human rights since 2014, hosting platforms to ensure that the treaty process and the needs of communities are in harmony. They have also been instrumental in the process to safeguard the aims and objectives of the treaty, ensuring that the treaty will be effective and reflect the needs of the people.

Our two-day Indaba comes at a pivotal moment in the global movement for corporate accountability on human rights abuses by transnational corporations. As negotiations towards a United Nations legally binding instrument on business and human rights enter their twelfth year, the anticipated release of a revised treaty draft presents a critical opportunity for African stakeholders to influence the future of international corporate accountability. 

In the context of a global scramble for critical minerals and an escalating climate crisis, international attention has increasingly turned to the accountability of corporations operating across borders. The African Regional Indaba is thus integral to ensuring that African communities lived experiences and priorities shape the future of global business and human rights governance.  

The Indaba takes place against the backdrop of escalating global human rights violations, environmental degradation, and climate crises. Across the world, transnational corporations continue to profit from weak accountability mechanisms at the expense of affected communities that often face significant barriers in accessing effective remedies and justice for human rights abuses as hosts for these corporations. 

The Indaba seeks to strengthen Africa’s collective voice in the treaty negotiations by fostering strategic dialogue between civil society, affected communities, policymakers, and government representatives. Participants convene to develop coordinated regional positions to ensure that the proposed treaty delivers meaning and enforceable protection for communities affected by corporate human rights abuses. 

The discussions will focus on several key priorities, including: 

  • Civil society’s position in the binding treaty negotiations in Geneva; 
  • Corporate liability and access to effective remedy; 
  • Jurisdiction and accountability for transnational corporations; 
  • State responses to the anticipated new draft; 
  • Enhancing African states’ collective negotiation strategy;  
  • Developing a co-ordinated African roadmap ahead of the 12th session of the UN Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group (OEIGWG) scheduled for October 2026. 

The first day of the Indaba will bring together African civil society organisations and grassroots movements to consolidate advocacy strategies and identify priority treaty provisions. The second day will facilitate dialogue between civil society and African state representatives, focusing on strengthening regional cooperation and advancing a common African position in the international negotiations.  

The anticipated outcomes of the Indaba include a unified African strategy for engagement with the forthcoming treaty draft, strengthened collaboration between civil society and governments, and conceptualizing concrete recommendations to ensure that the treaty includes robust mechanisms for enforcement, corporate liability, and access to justice. 

The organisers once again call upon governments, CSO’s, the media, and affected communities to support efforts towards a legally binding international framework that can hold corporations accountable for human rights violations and environmental harm through dialogue in the 2026 Indaba. We believe that together we can advocate for a treaty that puts the vulnerable and marginalised groups (women, children, affected communities, human rights defenders) first before profits, and promotes accountability especially in the Global South. 

Our message is clear: human rights are not negotiable. Corporate accountability must be binding. The time for the UN binding treaty is now. 

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