Kick-off Global Campaign against Corporate Power
A global campaign against the power of corporations widely violating, human rights was launched during the Peoples Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Both ENDS is one of the dozens of national and international organizations supporting the campaign and the contents of the press release below.
Persbericht:
'Global Campaign to Challenge the Power of Corporations Launched in Rio'
June 18, 2012, Rio de Janeiro- Dozens of civil society organizations from around the world have gathered today at the Peoples' Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to launch a global campaign to confront the power of corporations and their crimes against humanity. In the face of the failed official Rio + 20 process, which has been systematically co-opted and corrupted by transnational corporations, this campaign strives to unite hundreds of struggles, campaigns, networks, movements and organizations that are fighting the different ways transnational corporations are negatively impacting human rights and the rights of nature in every corner of the planet. The campaign denounces the corporate agenda of Rio + 20 to commodify nature. To put this campaign into action, there will be a rally at 6:00 PM, June 19th, from the Peoples' Summit toward Largo de Carioca to confront the abuses of Brazilian energy and mining giant Vale.
The campaign has been initiated by several national and international social movements, including campaign networks resisting transnational corporations. Over 100 groups from peasant, labour, women's, environmental justice and faith based movements from both the global South and the global North have joined the campaign. Nnimmo Bassey, the president of Friends of the Earth International commented that "this kind of global campaign is long overdue, and is essential when fighting contemporary transnational corporations who operate globally, moving from one country to another using the same strategies to generate profit at any cost."
According to the campaign call for mobilization, a primary focus of this campaign is to establish mechanisms of global solidarity and action between civil society and social movements to stop violations by transnational corporations and defend the rights of peoples, communities, and nature. Two of the main goals will be to develop binding obligations and regulations for TNCs and to build the foundations for an international mechanism to judge the ecological and economic crimes of corporations and impose sanctions. Brid Brennan from the Transnational Institute commented that "the process that we have launched here in Rio will set in motion a broad global debate on the illegitimacy corporate power, as well as to create the necessary tools and spur the mobilizations to challenge and ultimately eliminate the impunity of TNCs."
Henry Saraghi, General Coordinator of la Via Campesina said that "this campaign is especially important when we are witnessing the rebranding of capitalism through the design and implementation of the corporate green economy at Rio + 20, which has been devised as a clever way to cheat nature and continue business as usual." Campaign convenors stress that in order to confront corporate power and the system that protects and benefits TNCs, it is necessary to give a systematic response by uniting experiences and struggles, to establish food and energy sovereignty, reclaim public services, protect common goods and to advance solidarity economies. The call to action for the campaign firmly announces that "community resistance against a transnational corporation could be even more victorious if we are able to unite them with the efforts of other people in other countries, regions or continents."
Campaign website: Stop Corporate Impunity
or look at our Facebook-page
Read more about this subject
-
News / 3 juli 2024
-
Video / 3 juli 2024
Jonila Castro of AKAP KA & Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment
Jonila Castro works for AKAP KA Manila Bay and/or Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE). The livelihood of the majority of the Filipino people depends on the environment, on the seas and the lands and mountains.
-
News / 3 juli 2024
Illegal logging is devastating Suriname's forest: The Saamaka and their fight against deforestation
The Saamaka people of Suriname have long resisted the government's violation of their land rights. Despite a 2007 ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) against such violations, the government continues to grant logging and mining concessions on Saamaka territory without free prior and informed consent (FPIC). New report shows this has led to deforestation, land dispossession, and disruption of their livelihoods. A recent example includes a 42.7 km road built through their lands for logging access.
-
Publication / 2 juli 2024
-
Blog / 21 juni 2024
International coorperation - especially now!
This blog is written in Dutch
-
News / 19 juni 2024
Recognition for PROBIOMA from the Chamber of Deputies of the Plurinational State of Bolivia
PROBIOMA have received recognition from the Chamber of Deputies of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. The presentation of this tribute took place at the Museum of Natural History Noel Kempff Mercado, in the framework of the Environment Day.
-
Publication / 18 juni 2024
-
News / 18 juni 2024
Impact of oil extraction on women's health in Bayelsa
In the context of Shell's imminent divestment from onshore oil industry in the Niger Delta, Both ENDS partner Kebetkache publishes a new report showing severe health and environmental challenges faced by the women of Otuabagi in the Niger Delta due to Shell's crude oil exploration. -
News / 18 juni 2024
Dutch government threatens to put human lives at risk again in infamous TotalEnergies gas project in Mozambique
The Dutch government threatens to blunder again by providing export support for TotalEnergies' controversial gas project in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. This follows from an analysis of 9000 documents from FOI requests, commissioned by Milieudefensie and Both ENDS. Anne de Jonghe, Both ENDS: “When the export support was issued in 2021, critical voices were minimized, while TotalEnergies was heard and trusted. That should not happen again."
-
Event / 17 juni 2024, 15:00 - 16:00
Environmental Litigation: An Underestimated risk for Investors
Extreme weather events, environmental degradation and stakeholder activism force companies to reconsider climate change as an aggravating risk with tangible impacts on global supply chains, business performance, brand reputation and ESG ratings. Business strategies that neglect adequate environmental action can lead to consumer boycotts, negative media attention, investor runs and even legal action.
-
Dossier /
Transformative Talks
At Both ENDS we aim to connect people for change. Together with environmental justice groups from the Global South, we work towards a sustainable, fair and inclusive world.
-
Pathway /
Promoting people-driven solutions
Our goal is a massive upscaling and mainstreaming of bottom-up, planet-friendly practices, supported by favourable governance systems and availability of financial resources. There are many examples of successful community-led livelihood models based on collective participation, healthy ecosystems, gender justice and a vision of wellbeing beyond individual wealth. Approaches such as Regreening focus on ecosystem restoration led by forest communities or local farmers in the Sahel. These initiatives recognise and respect the interdependence between human prosperity and healthy ecosystems. They help to empower women, youth and other groups that often lack access to decision-making processes and tend to be excluded from land, water and forest management to assert their agency and rights to self-determination.
-
Pathway /
Supporting a powerful civil society
Our goal is that civil society can work openly and safely, make their voices heard and influence decision-making on ecosystem challenges and matters of environmental justice and human rights. A strong civil society is indispensable to a healthy society. It checks the power of both state and corporate actors, holds decision-makers accountable, and defends the rights of those marginalised from positions of influence. A strong and independent civil society can advocate for fair and ecologically responsible policies as well as challenge structural inequalities in decision-making. It can also use accountability mechanisms to seek redress for the negative consequences of such inequitable decision-making, and instead promote, implement and upscale transformative practices.
-
Pathway /
Advocating for just governance worldwide
Our goal is to achieve systemic change at all levels of social, political and economic institutions, to ensure that these unconditionally respect human rights and planetary boundaries. This requires policy coherence and consistent decision-making across all sectors - from trade, finance and energy to food production, agriculture, climate action and water management - and across all sections of society - from individual to family, farm, neighbourhood, city, province and national levels.
-
News / 11 juni 2024
Stand in solidarity; sign the petition
Together with a vast majority of Dutch NGO's, political movements and other concerned professionals we have started a petition to call out to the Dutch new government to invest in international cooperation and stop the planned budget cuts (2,5 billion euros).
-
News / 5 juni 2024
Appeal by 70 parties: The Netherlands’ strategy for global food security works!
A broad coalition of Dutch companies, knowledge institutes and civil society organizations wants to work together with the new government to make a real difference in improving global food security. The main focus will lie on supporting farmers and consumers in the Netherlands and beyond, and promoting climate-proof food systems in low- and middle-income countries. The coalition believes that, with our knowledge, expertise, experience and reputation for international cooperation and trade, the Netherlands must adopt an ambitious strategy for making our food systems more sustainable, and so contribute to achieving the targets in the Paris Climate Accord and the Sustainable Development Goals.
-
News / 29 mei 2024
Serious questions about possible Dutch export support for Mozambique's LNG gas project
Members of Parliament Daniëlle Hirsch (PVDA-GL) and Christine Teunissen (PVDD) ask serious questions about possible Dutch export support for the Mozambique LNG gas project. Both ENDS has been advocating for the file for years.
-
Blog / 28 mei 2024
Democratic Values Under Attack in Europe: The Need to Look Beyond the Dutch Dikes and the Role of Philanthropy
Mid May, I read about the expected – yet still shocking – implications of the radical shift to the far-right in the Netherlands. The current coalition agreement includes measures previously adopted by other European countries with similar election outcomes, leading to a curtailment of democratic freedoms, an inward focus, and attempts to limit the role of civil society. With the European elections on the horizon and another rightward shift anticipated, it is more important than ever for philanthropy to join forces in advancing a just climate transition, promoting democratic values, and ensuring all voices are heard.
-
Video / 18 mei 2024
Charity Migwi of Oil Change International
Oil Change International is mainly focused on research, communication, and advocacy. Charity Migwi helps with campaigning to get fossil fuel companies to face out their production of oil and gas. In Africa, for instance Nigeria and Senegal, she works together with communities, especially where the projects are happening to see how they can collaborate and strengthen each other. And they are under pressure of time. Where advocacy takes patience and time, climate change impacts are rising daily. A personal talk about the importance of things that are worth fighting for. At Both ENDS, our aim is to connect people for change.
-
Video / 17 mei 2024
Muhammad Al Amin of WAHLI-Sulawesi
Muhammad Al Amin works as the executive director at WALHISulawesiSelatan. WALHI is an Indonesian environmental non-governmental organization, which is part of the Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) network and the biggest environmental non-profit organization in Indonesia.