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Who buys Rwanda’s smuggled coltan?
Global Witness reports that conflict coltan from the DRC's Rubaya mines is being smuggled into Rwanda and laundered into global supply chains through failed due diligence systems like ITSCI and Better Mining. The investigation identifies seven Rwandan companies responsible for 85% of exports, five of which are directly linked to conflict coltan. This material is processed by smelters in China, Kazakhstan, and Thailand, eventually reaching global brands such as Apple, Microsoft, and Toyota via tantalum capacitors.
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Document type: Report
Climate and Biodiversity in Freefall
The report details how climate change drives biodiversity loss through mechanisms like ocean acidification and species range shifts, while biodiversity loss weakens the planet's carbon sinks. It critically assesses 'false solutions'—including monoculture tree plantations, carbon offsetting, and geoengineering—arguing that these policies often cause further ecological damage and land grabbing. The document calls for a systemic shift toward agroecology, energy sufficiency, and the protection of Indigenous Peoples' land rights to address the polycrisis holistically.
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Document type: Report
JETP’s Shadow in the Green Energy Supply Chain Conflict on Rempang Island
The report examines the Rempang Eco City project, a National Strategic Project (PSN) in Indonesia's Riau Islands, which is promoted as a green industrial zone for solar panel glass manufacturing. It argues that the project, linked to the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) framework, has resulted in forced evictions, human rights violations, and the marginalization of indigenous Malay, Orang Laut, and Orang Darat communities. The analysis reveals a lack of transparency in the PSN designation process and suggests that the project is driven by a network of global and local elites, specifically citing the involvement of Xinyi Group and the use of shell companies in the British Virgin Islands to obscure beneficial ownership. The report concludes that the transition to green energy is being used as a cover for land grabbing and corruption, calling for the recognition of customary land rights and a re-evaluation of JETP's social justice criteria.
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Document type: Report
The Risks of Geoengineering Accelerating Biodiversity Loss and Compounding Planetary Crises
The document examines the ecological and human rights risks of various geoengineering approaches, asserting that these speculative technologies could lead to ecosystem collapse and perpetuate neocolonialism.
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Document type: Policy brief
Climate of fear
The report details a 'climate of fear' in Uganda and Tanzania, where TotalEnergies and state actors are accused of using intimidation, inadequate compensation, and criminalisation to silence opposition to the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). It documents the arrest of at least 47 defenders in Uganda and the forced exile of activists in Tanzania, arguing that such repression undermines the global energy transition.
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Document type: Report
PETISI
The document is a petition addressed to Japanese government officials, banks, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) regarding the Cirebon coal-fired power plant projects in Indonesia. The authors demand the immediate suspension of loan disbursements for Cirebon 2 (1,000 MW) and a responsible, rapid early retirement of Cirebon 1 (660 MW). They argue that these projects have caused severe damage to the livelihoods, health, and culture of local coastal communities, specifically affecting small-scale fishing and salt production. The petition highlights allegations of corruption, noting that a former Cirebon Regent was indicted by the KPK for receiving bribes from Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd. and Cirebon Energi Prasarana (CEPR) to expedite permits for Cirebon 2. The authors criticize the use of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as an inadequate solution and call for a 'just' energy transition that includes environmental restoration and genuine community participation, rather than technical fixes like biomass co-firing.
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Document type: Statement
AUDIT COMMUNAUTAIRE DES IMPACTS ENVIRONNEMENTAUX ET SOCIAUX DE LA SOCIÉTÉ MINIÈRE DE BOKÉ EN GUINÉE
The report documents widespread environmental degradation and human rights violations resulting from SMB's bauxite mining in Guinea. Key findings include severe air and water pollution, illegal land dispossession, inadequate compensation, and negative health outcomes for local communities. The audit concludes that SMB has violated multiple Guinean laws and international standards, leading to a loss of livelihoods and food security. The affected communities demand a restoration plan for livelihoods, rehabilitation of water sources, and the abandonment of a proposed coal-fired power plant for an alumina refinery.
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Document type: Report
SUMMARY BOOKLET OF THE COMMUNITY AUDIT REPORT ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACTS OF THE SOCIÉTÉ MINIÈRE DE BOKÉ (SMB)
The report details extensive violations of human and environmental rights caused by the Société Minière de Boké (SMB) in Guinea's Boké region. Key findings include severe air, soil, and water pollution leading to respiratory diseases and agricultural decline, illegal land dispossession with inadequate compensation, and a lack of community participation in environmental impact assessments. The document concludes with demands for SMB to implement resettlement and livelihood recovery plans and for the Guinean state to conduct independent impact studies.
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Document type: Executive summary
LIVRET SYNTHÉTIQUE DU RAPPORT D’AUDIT COMMUNAUTAIRE DES IMPACTS DE LA SOCIÉTÉ MINIÈRE DE BOKÉ (SMB)
The document details how bauxite mining by the Société Minière de Boké (SMB) has led to severe environmental degradation, health crises, and systemic human rights violations across 24 villages in the Boké region. Key findings include widespread air and water pollution, the illegal dispossession of customary lands with inadequate compensation, and a lack of community participation in environmental and social impact assessments. The report concludes with demands for the SMB to implement resettlement and livelihood restoration plans and for the Guinean state to conduct independent impact studies and finalize regulatory frameworks.
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Document type: Executive summary
How Europe’s meat industry drives human rights abuses in Paraguay
The report documents systemic human rights violations in Paraguay's soy-growing regions, linking these abuses to major US commodity traders (ADM, Cargill, and Bunge) and European meat processors (2 Sisters and Danish Crown). It argues that voluntary sustainability certifications, specifically 'mass balance' schemes, act as accounting tricks that allow tainted soy to enter European supply chains. The document calls for mandatory due diligence legislation in the EU and UK to replace ineffective voluntary initiatives.
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Document type: Briefing
Comidas contaminadas
Global Witness reports that the expansion of soy monocultures in Paraguay is driving illegal land grabs, forced evictions of indigenous and peasant communities, and toxic pesticide poisoning. The report traces these products through global traders like ADM, Cargill, and Bunge to major European meat producers 2 Sisters and Danish Crown, and numerous high-street retailers. It argues that voluntary sustainability certifications, such as 'mass balance', act as 'accounting tricks' that mask the origin of 'tainted' soy, and calls for mandatory human rights due diligence legislation in the EU and UK.
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Document type: Executive summary
Compliance Review Report Case C-0006-Nicaragua FP146: Bio-CLIMA: Integrated climate action to reduce deforestation and strengthen resilience in BOSAWÁS and Rio San Juan Biospheres
The IRM found that the Bio-CLIMA project in Nicaragua failed to comply with GCF safeguards regarding conflict sensitivity, human rights due diligence, and informed consultation and participation (ICP). Specifically, the project did not adequately assess recurrent violent conflicts between indigenous communities and non-indigenous settlers, nor did it conduct meaningful consultations on key project components like Peaceful Co-habitation Regime Agreements (PCRAs). The IRM warns that the current design may reward illegal land occupation and exacerbate violence. It recommends conducting a macro-level conflict sensitivity analysis, a human rights due diligence report, and a framework-level ICP process before any project activities commence.
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Document type: Report
Heavy rare earths supply chain risks
The document argues that as China tightened regulations on domestic heavy rare earth mining, production shifted to Myanmar, specifically Kachin Special Region 1. This illicit industry is controlled by armed militias and Chinese interests, leading to severe environmental degradation, human rights abuses, and labor violations. Because China controls the vast majority of global processing, these minerals enter the supply chains of major international companies producing electric vehicles and wind turbines. The report recommends that companies and governments implement strict due diligence and import restrictions to prevent the green transition from fueling harms in Myanmar.
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Document type: Policy brief
Where Have All the Houses Gone? Private Equity, Single Family Rentals, and Americas Neighborhoods
The document details the rise of the institutional single-family rental (SFR) industry following the 2008 financial crisis, highlighting how private equity firms like Blackstone, Pretium Partners, and Cerberus Capital Management have acquired hundreds of thousands of homes. It argues that these firms outcompete individual homebuyers with cash offers and impose high rents and fees on tenants. The report provides evidence of widespread eviction filings during the COVID-19 pandemic, often targeting majority-Black communities, and documents systemic failures in property maintenance. It also critiques the National Rental Home Council (NRHC) as a lobbying tool for the industry's largest players and recommends legislative protections including rent caps, 'Just Cause' eviction laws, and beneficial ownership disclosure.
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Document type: Statement
Un anillo letal de carbón: El regalo envenenado de VALE a Mozambique
The report details systemic abuses by VALE Moçambique, including forced displacements of thousands of families, police violence against protesters, and severe environmental pollution. It highlights the lack of fair compensation for local brickmakers and farmers, the contamination of water and air exceeding international limits, and the company's refusal to disclose environmental monitoring reports despite court orders. The text argues that these extractive activities exacerbate the climate crisis in a region already vulnerable to extreme weather events.
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Document type: Research paper
Formosa Plastics Group: A SERIAL OFFENDER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS
The report details a multi-decade pattern of environmental degradation, safety failures, and human rights abuses by the Formosa Plastics Group (FPG) across Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the United States. It highlights specific disasters, such as the 2016 marine life catastrophe in Vietnam and toxic dumping in Cambodia, alongside chronic pollution and safety lapses at US facilities in Texas, Louisiana, and Delaware. The document specifically critiques FPG's planned 'Sunshine Project' in St. James Parish, Louisiana, as an act of environmental racism. It concludes that the petrochemical industry's inherent risks, combined with FPG's corporate obfuscation and history of noncompliance, necessitate a halt to new plastics plants and a shift away from fossil-fuel-based petrochemicals.
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Document type: Case study
Joint Summary of the Amicus Curiae Briefs submitted in support of Petitioners, Greenpeace Southeast Asia et al.
This document is a cover letter accompanying a Joint Summary of Amicus Curiae Briefs submitted to the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines. The submission supports petitioners Greenpeace Southeast Asia et al. in a national inquiry into the impact of climate change on the human rights of the Filipino people, specifically focusing on the responsibility of 'Carbon Majors' companies for human rights violations.
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Document type: Statement
EL ACUERDO CALIFORNIA - ACRE - CHIAPAS
The document critiques the 2010 MOU between California, Acre, and Chiapas, which aimed to link California's cap-and-trade system with jurisdictional REDD+ programs in Brazil and Mexico. It argues that these market-based mechanisms lead to human rights violations, territorial conflicts, and the marginalization of indigenous peoples. In Acre, the report highlights methodological flaws in emission baselines and the failure of social projects. In Chiapas, it notes the rise of land-grabbing for African palm monocultures and significant public debt to the World Bank and IDB. The report concludes that REDD+ serves as a tool for capital accumulation rather than a genuine solution to climate change, recommending a shift toward recognizing land tenure and autonomous territorial management.
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Document type: Report
THE CARBON MARKET AND CALIFORNIA-ACRE-CHIAPAS COOPERATION
The report critiques the 2010 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between California, Acre, and Chiapas, which aimed to link jurisdictional REDD+ programs to California's cap-and-trade system. It argues that these mechanisms prioritize market logic over structural climate causes, leading to land grabbing, the criminalization of traditional practices, and the marginalization of indigenous peoples. In Acre, the report identifies methodological flaws in emission accounting and failures in community-level projects. In Chiapas, it highlights the expropriation of territories for agrofuel monocultures and increasing public debt. The document concludes that REDD+ safeguards are largely rhetorical and recommends the exclusion of carbon markets and offsets from environmental policy.
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Document type: Report
Solicitud de apoyo a los pueblos indígenas en peligro de daño grave e inminente por el proyecto hidroeléctrico Santa Rita en Guatemala
A coalition of organizations requests UN intervention regarding the Santa Rita hydroelectric project in Guatemala, alleging severe human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings and state-sponsored violence, and criticizing the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) for registering the project despite a lack of genuine indigenous consultation.
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Document type: Statement