CORPORATE IMPUNITY

This fact sheet by Friends of the Earth International argues that large corporations often escape accountability for human rights and environmental abuses due to the lack of binding international rules. It advocates for a new UN Human Rights Treaty to close the gap in international law, contrasting the lack of corporate accountability with the strong legal protections corporations enjoy through free trade and investment agreements.

• The document argues that corporations often avoid punishment for human rights abuses because they are more powerful than the states regulating them and local legal systems are corrupted.
• In Nigeria, the French company Total is cited for continuing the illegal practice of gas flaring and for the forced acquisition of land from the Egi clan without compensation.
• The El Cerrejón open pit coal mine in Colombia, partially owned by Anglo American, is accused of severe water mismanagement; the mine uses 17 million litres of water daily while nearby residents in Alta Guajira average only 0.7 litres per day.
• Wilmar International is accused of deforestation and land-grabbing in Nigeria since 2010, supported by financiers including HSBC, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation, and BNP Paribas, despite the existence of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria.
• Investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) processes allow corporations to sue governments over policy changes; for example, a mining company is suing El Salvador for 301 million dollars after the president stopped issuing mining permits to protect water supplies.
• A proposed UN Human Rights Treaty to hold corporations legally responsible for crimes is supported by the UN Human Rights council, the Vatican, and governments including China, India, Indonesia, Ecuador, and South Africa.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (n.d.). CORPORATE IMPUNITY. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/foe-corp-treaty-bookletFINAL-spreads.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. CORPORATE IMPUNITY. n.d. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/foe-corp-treaty-bookletFINAL-spreads.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=CORPORATE IMPUNITY |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/foe-corp-treaty-bookletFINAL-spreads.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternationalndcorporate, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{CORPORATE IMPUNITY}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/foe-corp-treaty-bookletFINAL-spreads.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }