According to a press release from “Law without Borders”, the petition for a responsible corporate policy submitted in June of this year is having its first effect. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of States (FAC-S) has not yet shelved the petition. According to the APK-S, the discussion on the campaign’s concerns should be deepened “in view of the complexity of this issue and the high number of signatures.
With 135,285 signatures, we can speak of a clear signal. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council of States (APK-S) has also received this signal and would like to take a closer look at the demands of “Law without Borders” (RoG). According to RoG, the Committee of the Council of States is planning hearings on this. The alliance of over thirty non-profit organizations that have joined forces in the “Rights Without Frontiers” campaign not only sees the desire for an in-depth discussion of the demands as positive, but also the fact that this step is being taken just four months after the petition was submitted.
Companies should take responsibility
The petition calls on the Federal Council and Parliament to adopt binding provisions to ensure that internationally active companies based in Switzerland must respect human rights and environmental regulations worldwide and that those affected can seek redress. Time and again, Swiss companies are involved in incidents that show that voluntary measures by companies are not enough to prevent the violation of fundamental rights.
