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The document outlines a legal case brought against Shell in The Hague, asserting that the company is responsible for approximately 1.8% of historical human-caused CO2 emissions and currently contributes around 1% of global annual emissions. The claimants argue that Shell has known about the dangers of climate change since the 1950s but continues to invest heavily in fossil fuels, including shale gas and tar sands, thereby breaching its legal duty of care under the Dutch Civil Code. The summons demands that Shell reduce its CO2 emissions by at least 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, based on IPCC scenarios, claiming that Shell's own 2017 ambition of a 50% reduction in carbon intensity by 2050 is inadequate.

The document highlights the 'corporate impunity' of global companies, citing examples of environmental destruction and human rights violations in Nigeria, Colombia, and El Salvador. It argues that voluntary corporate responsibility codes are insufficient and that existing international agreements, such as investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) processes, protect corporate profits over human rights. The text advocates for a binding UN treaty to close the gap in international law regarding cross-border corporate activities.

The fact sheet advocates for a legally binding international treaty to end corporate impunity, arguing that voluntary self-regulation is ineffective. It highlights severe environmental and social damages caused by transnational corporations in Nigeria, Colombia, Brazil, Mozambique, and El Salvador, specifically citing oil extraction, mining, and palm oil production as drivers of human rights violations and ecological destruction.

The document advocates for a transition to a low-carbon economy centered on social justice and human rights. It criticizes current climate policies for being too narrow and failing to address the systemic causes of the climate crisis, such as corporate greed and inequality. The text calls for a transition that ensures the rights of workers and marginalized groups are protected and that the costs of the transition do not fall on the poor.

Friends of the Earth International has established a policy to prevent and prohibit sexual violence and harassment across its federation. The organization views the dismantling of patriarchy and power relations as necessary for achieving social, environmental, and economic justice. The policy is built on five core principles: zero tolerance, prevention, victim-centering, confidentiality and protection, and transparency with clear timelines. It specifically highlights the vulnerability of women of color, indigenous women, migrants, and LGBTQ+ individuals to institutionalized and systemic violence.

Friends of the Earth International provides a template letter for organizations to urge embassies to pressure the Brazilian government to investigate the murders of activist Bruno Araújo Pereira and journalist Dom Phillips in the Vale do Javari indigenous territory. The document highlights the high risk faced by human rights and territorial defenders in Latin America and the Caribbean, specifically citing threats against the Union of Indigenous Organizations of Vale do Javari (UNIVAJA). It calls for the identification of the perpetrators, punishment for those invading indigenous territories, and the guarantee of territorial rights and self-determination for Indigenous peoples in Brazil.

The document provides a comprehensive list of requirements for a successful Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). It advocates for a rights-based approach, the adoption of a 'Whole Government Approach' to mainstreaming, and the prohibition of destructive activities like deep-sea mining and fracking. It argues against voluntary commitments, biodiversity offsetting, and the use of high-risk technologies such as geoengineering and synthetic biology, while calling for public finance from developed countries to support biodiversity conservation in developing nations.

The document provides a comprehensive guide for the Global Biodiversity Framework, emphasizing the need for binding rules over voluntary commitments and the integration of human rights, especially for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. It argues that biodiversity loss is driven by the current economic system and unsustainable consumption, calling for a 'Whole Government Approach' to integrate biodiversity across all sectors. Key recommendations include the elimination of harmful subsidies for industrial farming and aquaculture, the prohibition of high-risk technologies like geoengineering, and the rejection of biodiversity offsetting and market-based solutions. The text stresses that conservation must prioritize existing habitats and be supported by public funding, particularly from developed nations to developing ones.

The document analyzes the French corporate duty of vigilance law passed on March 23, 2017, which requires large companies to prevent human rights and environmental violations in their supply chains. It uses case studies involving Total's palm oil biorefinery, Société Générale's financing of LNG terminals in the US, and French supermarkets' banana sourcing in Ecuador to demonstrate the law's necessity. The report concludes by advocating for a binding UN treaty to internationalize these standards and ensure victims' access to justice globally.

The report argues that ArcelorMittal's operations in Liberia have failed to deliver promised development benefits due to systemic corruption and mismanagement of the County Social Development Fund (CSDF). It highlights how funds intended for affected communities were diverted to political projects in Gbarnga and criticises the company for complicity in this mismanagement. The document also details environmental risks to the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve and reports poor labour conditions and health services. Finally, it concludes that ArcelorMittal violated OECD guidelines by donating 100 pick-up trucks that were used by legislators rather than for agricultural purposes.

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) provides a detailed critique and set of proposals to amend the first draft of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. FoEI argues for more ambitious targets, such as increasing the goal for ecosystem area gain from 15% to 20% and reducing invasive species introduction by 90% instead of 50%. The organization emphasizes the need to halt biodiversity loss entirely rather than just slowing its rate, and advocates for the explicit inclusion of human rights, the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), and the phasing out of highly hazardous pesticides. FoEI also proposes a new 'Goal E' focused on a comprehensive implementation mechanism and suggests that financial resources for biodiversity should be significantly increased, citing a need to address 4-6 trillion USD in harmful incentives.

The report critiques neoliberalism for causing environmental destruction and inequality, advocating for a transition to a sustainable economy. It proposes five key pillars: expanding public services through tax justice, scaling up cooperatives and solidarity economies, supporting local markets and fair trade, adopting wellbeing-based economic indicators instead of GDP, and establishing binding international regulations to curb the power of transnational corporations.

The document argues that community forest management (CFM) is a highly effective strategy for forest conservation and poverty reduction, yet it remains under-supported by governments. It identifies seven key rights—state obligations, self-determination, consultation, territorial rights, livelihoods/economic development, women's rights, and cultural/traditional knowledge—and maps these against international legal frameworks to provide advocates with tools to pressure governments for the legal recognition of community-led forestry.

The document is a sample letter designed for human rights organizations to urge the Brazilian government to investigate the 'Guapoy Massacre' and protect the territorial rights of the Guarani and Kaiowá peoples in Mato Grosso do Sul.

Friends of the Earth International argues that the proposed EU corporate sustainability due diligence legislation must move beyond procedural requirements to establish substantive obligations and strict liability for companies. The document asserts that EU law should complement a legally binding UN instrument to end corporate impunity, ensuring that parent companies are held administratively, civilly, and criminally liable for damages caused by their subsidiaries and value chains globally. Key demands include the inversion of the burden of proof, the recognition of the right to free, prior and informed consent for affected communities, and the provision of effective legal remedies in EU courts for victims, including those in the Global South.

The document examines the contradiction between the EU's reluctance to support a binding international mechanism for corporate accountability and its promotion of the Investment Court System (ICS) and a proposed Multilateral Investment Court (MIC). It details how the EU has hindered UN Treaty negotiations through procedural complaints and budget challenges while entrenching investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms in agreements with countries such as Canada, Mexico, and Chile.

The fact sheet advocates for a binding UN Human Rights Treaty to close the gap in international law where corporations escape accountability for cross-border activities. It contrasts the strong legal protections afforded to corporate rights via free trade agreements and investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) with the lack of legal recourse for victims of corporate abuse. The document provides examples of corporate misconduct in El Salvador, Nigeria, Colombia, and Indonesia, highlighting issues such as water pollution, gas flaring, land-grabbing, and deforestation, while arguing that voluntary corporate responsibility codes are insufficient.

The FSD Africa Supplier and Grantee Code of Conduct mandates that all partners act with integrity, transparency, and value for money. It implements a two-tier compliance structure: Level 1 for contracts of £500,001 or more, requiring rigorous policies and annual declarations, and Level 2 for smaller contracts, focusing on overarching principles. Key requirements include adherence to environmental and net-zero policies, human rights protections, anti-money laundering laws, and the support of MSMEs within the delivery chain.

The document outlines FSD Africa's commitment to integrating ES&I considerations into its financial operations to avoid harm and create positive development impact. It details a systems approach via an Environmental and Social Performance Management (ESPM) system, a gender-intentional lens for investing, and a comprehensive exclusion list for prohibited activities, including specific fossil fuel restrictions.

The report assesses the alignment of Kenyan legislation and regulations with international ESG standards, specifically GRI and FTSE Russell. It identifies significant gaps in environmental areas such as protected area conservation and water footprint analysis, and in social areas including data protection and specific gender-sensitive training. While Kenyan law broadly aligns with international labour and human rights conventions, the report notes discrepancies in maternity leave duration and minimum employment age. In governance, it highlights a lack of mandatory requirements for board-level ESG risk training and detailed executive compensation ratios, recommending that companies adopt international best practices to attract investment.