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CIEL argues that the World Bank's Draft Guidance Notes for the ESF are 'severely lacking in substance' and often merely reiterate standards without providing actual implementation guidance. The submission provides specific recommendations across several standards, including labor conditions, pollution prevention, indigenous peoples' rights, and stakeholder engagement. Key demands include the integration of international conventions (such as ILO 169 and UNDRIP), the adoption of a 1.5-degree pathway for greenhouse gas accounting, and the explicit protection of human rights defenders against reprisals. CIEL also emphasizes that the World Bank must ensure Borrowers disclose the existence of the Inspection Panel to affected communities and that project-level grievance mechanisms must be independent, transparent, and rights-compatible.

The document expresses absolute concern over the European Union Election Observation Mission's (EU EOM) acceptance of the 2017 Honduran general election results, which saw Juan Orlando Hernández proclaimed president. The authors argue that the EU EOM minimized electoral irregularities, such as the suspension of results disclosure on November 29, and ignored the brutal state repression of peaceful protesters, which resulted in over 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The statement highlights the illegality of Hernández's candidacy and the harassment of environmental and human rights defenders, including Berta Zuñiga of COPINH. It concludes by demanding a final report from the EU EOM that acknowledges the government's violent strategies, recognizes electoral fraud, and calls for the protection of human rights and environmental defenders.

Friends of the Earth Europe and Latin America and Caribbean denounce the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) for legitimizing the 2017 Honduran general election results. The organization argues that the EU EOM minimized electoral irregularities and ignored the brutal state repression of peaceful protesters. They contend that President Juan Orlando Hernández's candidacy was unconstitutional and call for the EU EOM's final report to document human rights violations and the role of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) in the alleged fraud.

The document expresses deep concern that the EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) legitimized Juan Orlando Hernández as the winner of the 2017 Honduran elections. The authors argue that the EU EOM minimized election day irregularities and ignored the 'brutal state repression' against citizens protesting electoral fraud. They highlight that Hernández's candidacy was 'illegal and unconstitutional' due to a ban on re-election and report that state violence during protests resulted in more than 20 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The statement calls for a final EU EOM report that acknowledges the violent repression, recognizes electoral irregularities—such as the suspension of results dissemination on 29 November—and refuses to recognize Hernández as president.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) criticizes the World Bank's draft Guidance Notes accompanying its 2018 environmental and social policy, stating that most notes lack tangible recommendations and fail to reference international human rights and environmental laws. While CIEL notes positive elements in the guidance regarding resource efficiency, pollution prevention, and core labor standards, it argues that the overall framework relies on vague language and excludes civil society from the creation process. CIEL calls for the Bank to develop robust, specific guidance and allow further civil society feedback to avoid reputational risks and ensure sustainable development.

The document criticizes the ZEDE law in Honduras for creating autonomous corporate enclaves with minimal oversight, undermining democratic governance and constitutional protections. It highlights risks to indigenous communities, specifically the Garífuna, and warns that the Inter-American Development Bank's potential $20 million loan to support these zones contradicts its own safeguards.

The document examines the role of infrastructure contracts in achieving sustainable development. It defines sustainable infrastructure as projects that are economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable, and argues that traditional project finance often ignores long-term risks and co-benefits. The author critiques the World Bank Group's 2017 Guidance on PPP Contractual Provisions for prioritizing private sector interests over public policy. To remedy this, the report provides a comprehensive framework of contractual approaches, including requirements for impact assessments, local content obligations, human rights safeguards, and the limitation of stabilization clauses, to ensure that infrastructure projects deliver genuine public value.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) asserts that the European Commission's consultation on the Multilateral Investment Court failed to meet democratic standards of public participation. CIEL's analysis of nearly 200 narrative comments revealed that nearly two-thirds of respondents opposed the court or demanded fundamental ISDS reforms first, contradicting the Commission's claim of 'broad support'. Consequently, CIEL urges EU Member States to reject the court's mandate and instead cancel or renegotiate existing agreements containing investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms.

The document analyzes a proposed $20 million IDB loan to Honduras for the creation of ZEDEs, highlighting severe risks to governance, human rights, and environmental standards. It argues that ZEDEs, which are privately governed autonomous zones, undermine the Honduran Constitution and violate multiple IDB operational policies regarding transparency, indigenous rights, and involuntary resettlement.

The document critiques the European Commission's proposal for a Multilateral Investment Court, asserting that it merely rebrands the controversial investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system without addressing its substantive flaws. It argues that ISDS allows corporations to challenge public interest laws—including those related to health, environment, and human rights—through biased tribunals, often resulting in massive taxpayer-funded payouts. The report claims the proposed court would further institutionalize this imbalance, undermine national judiciaries, and create a parallel legal system accessible only to foreign investors. It concludes by advocating for the termination of bilateral investment treaties and the adoption of a UN treaty to regulate transnational corporations.

The paper analyzes the UN's efforts to create global frameworks for migration and refugee management via the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) and the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). It highlights that while the GCR benefits from established international law and the leadership of the UNHCR, the GCM is a more politicized, state-led process lacking a foundational legal base. The author expresses concern over the minimal participation of African states and the African Union in the GCM process, arguing that this lack of engagement may lead to a framework that favors Global North interests, such as border security and return policies, over the socio-economic needs and mobility of African citizens.

ClientEarth proposes a formal complaint procedure for EU trade agreements, modeled after the Trade Barriers Regulation, to allow NGOs, trade unions, and the public to report breaches of sustainable development commitments. The proposal argues that current informal processes are ineffective, citing examples in Korea, Peru, and Cambodia. The recommended mechanism would include a 'substantiated' complaint phase, a formal examination period of 5-7 months, and a final Commission decision subject to judicial review by EU courts. ClientEarth emphasizes that while this tool increases accountability and transparency, it must be accompanied by stronger substantive obligations in future trade deals to be truly effective.

The document argues that coal mining in Mpumalanga, South Africa, disproportionately harms women and girls by polluting water and air, destroying arable land, and increasing poverty, which in turn leads to higher rates of sexual exploitation and health crises.

A coalition of international organisations recommends that a proposed legally binding treaty on transnational corporations include mandatory gender impact assessments, gender-sensitive justice and remedy mechanisms, and specific protections for women human rights defenders. The statement argues that corporate activities are not gender-neutral and often cause disproportionate harms, such as gender-based violence in extractive industries, which require transformative reparations and the removal of structural barriers to justice.

This report by Friends of the Earth International documents systemic human rights and environmental violations by transnational corporations (TNCs) across eight Latin American and Caribbean countries. It highlights cases of corporate impunity, the use of investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms to challenge public health and environmental policies, and the violent suppression of territory defenders. The document advocates for a legally binding international treaty to hold TNCs accountable and the creation of an International Tribunal on Human Rights and Transnational Corporations.

This report by Friends of the Earth International documents systemic human rights and environmental violations by transnational corporations across eight Latin American and Caribbean countries. It argues that a 'architecture of impunity'—composed of free trade agreements, investment protection treaties, and the ICSID arbitration system—shields corporations from accountability while allowing them to challenge public health and environmental policies. The report advocates for a legally binding UN treaty on transnational corporations and human rights, including the creation of an International Court to ensure justice for affected communities.

The document argues for a UN binding treaty that removes the legal immunity of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and establishes criminal and civil liability for transnational corporations (TNCs). It highlights environmental disasters in the Philippines and Indonesia, such as the Marcopper mining spill and large-scale peatland fires, to illustrate the failure of current voluntary safeguards. The report specifically calls for the protection of environmental and human rights defenders, noting the gender-specific violence faced by women defenders.

The report advocates for a binding UN treaty to hold transnational corporations and International Financial Institutions (IFIs) accountable for human rights and environmental abuses. It highlights the problematic immunity of IFIs, the environmental destruction caused by palm oil and paper plantations in Indonesia, and the systemic violence faced by environmental defenders, particularly women. The authors argue that current voluntary guidelines are insufficient and that legal liability must extend across entire supply chains.

The report details various cases in Latin America where transnational corporations in mining, energy, agribusiness, and tobacco have violated human rights and caused environmental destruction. It highlights the 'architecture of impunity' created by bilateral investment treaties and the ICSID arbitration system, which allow companies to sue states over public interest policies. The document advocates for a binding international treaty and an independent international tribunal to ensure corporate accountability and the supremacy of human rights over commercial interests.

The report details cases of corporate abuse in Latin America, including mining disasters in Brazil, the assassination of environmental defenders in Mexico and Honduras, and legal battles over public health and water in Uruguay and Argentina. It argues that current international investment frameworks, such as the ICSID, protect corporate profits over human rights and national sovereignty. The authors call for a binding UN treaty to end corporate impunity and the establishment of an international tribunal to hold transnational companies accountable for environmental and social crimes.