On Sunday, 29 November, the verdict was reached: the Responsible Business Initiative is rejected. Much to SWISSAID’s regret, a majority of voters preferred a lax counter-proposal.
The opposing side had put millions into the voting campaign against the initiative, and the pressure from business circles was enormous. This was unfortunately enough – the Responsible Business Initiative is history. But the fight for greater respect for human rights and the environment at home and abroad in Swiss law continues. The fact that 50,7% of Swiss people said yes proves that our society is changing and that powerful corporations must be held accountable for their actions – in other countries as well.
SWISSAID will now closely monitor the implementation of the counter-proposal, particularly in a sector in which we are actively involved: the gold sector.