UN urges EU to ensure CSDDD revisions protect human rights standards

May 16, 2025

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has urged the European Union (EU) to ensure any changes made to its Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) maintains its alignment with international human rights standards.

The EU parliament and Council is presently debating an “omnibus” proposal that plans to revise key EU sustainability laws. The CSDDD, passed last year, is a landmark legislation under which large companies must take reasonable steps to identify and address ways their global operations and global chains may adversely affect human rights and the environment. It has been widely recognised as a major factor in progressing global ESG and carbon neutral frameworks.

“The CSDDD, by far the most ambitious business and human rights regulatory initiative anywhere in the world, has rightly been welcomed by companies, policy makers, civil society, and national human rights institutions alike, and a large number of businesses have already taken steps to ensure they comply with it,” said Türk.

Türk warned that these proposed amendments could significantly dilute the CSDDD’s main provisions, weakening its alignment with ESG principles and globally accepted human rights standards. The UN human rights also warned that the revisions could negatively impact existing safeguards and result in more complex compliance responsibilities for businesses.

“While some streamlining of the EU corporate sustainability regime could be advantageous, it would be counterproductive to water down its alignment with international standards, in particular the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights,” he added.

The EU initiative comes as part of a package of proposed reforms aimed at simplifying sustainability rules - not only the CSDDD, but also the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the EU Taxonomy Regulation. Earlier this year, the European Commission called for the Omnibus package to be “fast-tracked”, which would enable them to go the plenary meeting without requiring a committee vote.

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