Brussels, 18 February 2025 – Today, 75 NGOs from the Global South release a joint statement expressing deep concern over reports that the European Union (EU) may weaken its key corporate accountability law, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). They caution that the opaque process, driven by corporate interests, has excluded communities in the Global South who are most impacted by corporate abuse.
For decades, multinational corporations have profited from business practices that are associated with human rights violations, labour rights abuses, and harms to the environment. Voluntary initiatives to address these harms have been insufficient.
Because of this, Global South organisations have been calling for mandatory due diligence laws such as the CSDDD, that compel multinational corporations to respect human rights and the environment across their global value chains and hold them accountable for failure to do so.
By adopting the CSDDD, the EU positioned itself as a world leader. It showed its commitment to shifting the global economy toward a model that prioritised shared prosperity and respect for human rights and the environment.
The signatories of the joint statement released today are extremely concerned the EU may reopen the CSDDD before it comes into force, through a rushed process that has so far had no meaningful input from Global South organisations and communities. In contrast, the initial draft of the CSDDD was proposed by the European Commission with the contribution of over 174,000 people and organisations from outside the EU.
Joseph Byomuhangyi, Project Coordinator at the Uganda Consortium on Corporate Accountability said:
“Rolling back the CSDDD through a backdoor deal that leaves out the Global South is unacceptable. Europe’s businesses shouldn’t depend on practices that harm our communities and environment.”
Adrià Cots Fernandez, Business & Human Rights Partnerships Coordinator at Anti-Slavery International said:
‘Everyone deserves to work and live in freedom. But there are over 21 million people being exploited in forced labour all around the world, producing the products and providing the services we use every day. The CSDDD is an important step towards eradicating forced labour from global supply chains, and it sets a global precedent for other countries to follow. But to make it a reality, the EU must follow through on its commitment to protecting people and the planet. We stand with the voices of the Global South in urging the EU to preserve this groundbreaking law.’
The signatories urge the European Commission to ensure full and timely implementation of the CSDDD. The EU should not prioritise corporate interests over human rights and environmental protection, and signatories urge that Europe’s economy should not be built on the exploitation of the Global South.
###ENDS###
Notes to editors
Read the full statement
For more information or media inquiries, please contact:
Yasmina Silva, Communications Officer at Anti-Slavery International
Anti-Slavery International is the world’s oldest human rights organisation. It has existed since 1839 to ensure that all people everywhere are free from slavery, challenging slavery in all its forms.