Corporate Accountability – Netzwerk für Unternehmensverantwortung

Corporate Accountability – Netzwerk für Unternehmensverantwortung (CorA) is a German civil-society network that campaigns for binding, legally enforceable corporate responsibility. It was founded in September 2006, when 37 non-governmental organisations joined forces to strengthen the public debate on the economic and political conduct of transnational corporations and to advocate for corporate accountability. The network is based in Germany and operates primarily in German and European policy arenas, while also engaging internationally through the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ). CorA brings together more than 60 member organisations from human rights, development, environmental and consumer protection groups, trade unions, and church-based organisations. Its members share the goal of a common-good-oriented, binding corporate responsibility that goes beyond voluntary Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) principles. The network's vision is a world in which economic activity serves human welfare, where states consistently protect human rights, the environment and the climate in the context of global economic activity, and where companies are held accountable for human rights violations or environmental damage along global value chains. CorA's work is organised around several thematic fields: better regulation for people and the environment; due diligence and corporate liability; the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights; the UN Treaty process; transparency obligations; and public procurement. The network publishes position papers, press releases, documentation, newsletters and annual reports. Its founding declaration dates from 2006, and a revised basic declaration was adopted in 2023. CorA is active as a member of the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ) at the European level. Its advocacy has focused on German and EU supply chain due diligence legislation, including the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, LkSG) and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. The network also campaigns on corporate taxation, public procurement standards, and the UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights.

Corporate Accountability – Netzwerk für Unternehmensverantwortung (CorA) was founded in September 2006, when 37 non-governmental organisations came together to form a network for corporate responsibility. The founding organisations sought to strengthen the societal debate about the economic and political actions of transnational corporations and to advocate for corporate accountability. In CorA's understanding, corporate accountability means binding instruments that oblige companies to respect human rights and internationally recognised social and environmental norms and standards, and to create transparency. These ideas and demands, set out in CorA's founding declaration, built on long-standing trade union and civil-society initiatives for greater corporate responsibility. From the outset, CorA formulated a set of political demands: accountability and publicity obligations for companies regarding the environment, social issues and human rights; linking the award of public contracts to societal requirements; anchoring corporate obligations in international economic agreements and in economic promotion; fair corporate taxation; effective sanctions and liability rules for companies; and strengthening product responsibility and promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns. CorA's approach draws on the broad range of activities and expert knowledge of its member organisations. Work within the network takes place in various working groups that conduct campaigns on different topics. One major campaign area concerns public procurement: building on existing discussions about social and ecological public procurement, CorA aims to define a common political direction and conduct cross-product public relations and lobbying work. The network seeks to expand the legal framework for sustainable procurement and to prevent low standards in the application of social and ecological criteria from prevailing in current political debates. The medium- to long-term goal is to enshrine and monitor the most far-reaching social and ecological criteria, covering the entire international supply chain, as legally binding. Further campaigns address accountability and corporate taxation. Over time, the network has grown. While it started with 37 founding organisations, the CorA network today brings together more than 60 member organisations from human rights, development, environmental and consumer protection groups, trade unions, and church-based organisations. At the time of the German Wikipedia article, 40 organisations were actively supporting the network. CorA is internationally active as a member of the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ). In 2023, CorA adopted a revised basic declaration (Grundsatzerklärung), updating its founding declaration of 2006. The network continues to publish position papers, press releases, documentation, newsletters and annual reports. Its current thematic priorities include better regulation for people and the environment, due diligence and corporate liability, the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, the UN Treaty process, transparency obligations, and public procurement. CorA has been closely involved in debates around the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, LkSG) and European due diligence legislation.

• 2023

  CorA adopts a revised basic declaration (Grundsatzerklärung), updating its 2006 founding declaration.

• 2006

  37 NGOs found the Netzwerk für Unternehmensverantwortung – Corporate Accountability (CorA) in September.

Civil-society advocacy network for binding corporate accountability, human rights and environmental due diligence, and corporate liability.

1. 1CorA – Corporate Accountability – Netzwerk für Unternehmensverantwortungcora-netz.de
2. 2Über uns – CorA – Corporate Accountabilitycora-netz.de
3. 3Corporate Accountability – Netzwerk für Unternehmensverantwortungde.wikipedia.org
4. 4Corporate Accountability – Netzwerk für Unternehmensverantwortungwikidata.org