Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government took to support steps towards a binding global treaty on corporate responsibility at the recent negotiating round in Geneva.

We have engaged with the UN Working Group looking at proposals for a new international treaty on business and human rights since 2015 through to the seventh session, which took place on 25-29 October 2021. At the seventh session the UK actively engaged, setting out the UK's position via a statement which built on our substantive statement made during the sixth session, and participating in discussions chaired by Ecuador on next steps.

The UK Government has consistently supported the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on business and human rights, which are widely regarded as the authoritative international framework to steer practical action by Governments and businesses worldwide on this important and pressing agenda. Implementation of the UNGPs will support access to justice and remedy for victims of business-related human rights abuses, wherever these occur, and encourage businesses to voluntarily adopt due diligence approaches to respecting human rights.

The Government is clear that it expects all UK businesses to respect human rights throughout their operations, in line with the UNGPs. In response to the Guidelines, the UK was the first State to produce a National Action Plan (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/522805/Good_Business_Implementing_the_UN_Guiding_Principles_on_Business_and_Human_Rights_updated_May_2016.pdf). We continue to develop our approach in line with the Modern Slavery Act 2015.