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Why does the European Union fear a binding human rights treaty on transnational corporations?
Friends of the Earth International criticizes the European Union for delaying and derailing UN negotiations for a binding treaty to regulate transnational corporations. While civil society and some European nations push for corporate accountability and legal obligations across supply chains, the EU is accused of attempting to reduce the working group's mandate and favoring voluntary mechanisms over binding law.
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Document type: Statement
Pourquoi l’Union européenne redoute-t-elle un traité contraignant les entreprises multinationales à respecter les droits humains?
Friends of the Earth International criticizes the European Union for hindering the UN process to create a binding treaty for multinational corporations. The author contends that the EU is attempting to reduce the mandate of the UN working group and prefers voluntary guidelines over legal accountability. The document advocates for a treaty that includes civil and criminal liability for corporate executives, supply chain transparency, and the establishment of an International Human Rights Court to ensure justice for affected communities and the protection of land defenders.
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Document type: Statement
Public Private Partnerships – Can They Deliver Better Value for Money?
The document examines the systemic failures of public-private partnerships (PPPs), citing the collapse of Carillion in the UK and concerns over the US 'Rebuilding Infrastructure' plan. It argues that PPPs often fail when used primarily to keep debt off public balance sheets, leading to poor project preparation and skewed risk allocation. To improve outcomes, the author suggests moving toward systemic master planning, enhancing public sector negotiation skills, and adopting procurement strategies that prioritize lifecycle value over the lowest bid. The paper emphasizes that for PPPs to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, they must be designed with transparent, equitable contracts and a focus on sustainable development rather than just financial returns.
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Document type: Research paper
Integrating a gender perspective into the legally binding instrument on transnational corporations and other business enterprises
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.
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Document type: Statement
TREATY TEXT PROPOSAL GLOBAL CAMPAIGN TO RECLAIM PEOPLES SOVEREIGNTY, DISMANTLE CORPORATE POWER AND STOP IMPUNITY
The Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity proposes a comprehensive international treaty to hold transnational corporations (TNCs) and their managers legally accountable for human rights violations. The proposal argues for the primacy of international human rights law over trade and investment agreements, the establishment of an International Court on Transnational Corporations, and the creation of a Monitoring Centre. It outlines specific obligations for TNCs, States, and International Financial Institutions (IFIs), emphasizing the need to pierce the corporate veil and ensure access to justice for affected communities, particularly in the Global South.
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Document type: Statement
PROPUESTA DE TEXTO CAMPAÑA MUNDIAL PARA RECLAMAR LA SOBERANÍA DE LOS PUEBLOS, DESMANTELAR EL PODER CORPORATIVO Y PONER FIN A LA IMPUNIDAD
This draft treaty proposes a comprehensive international legal framework to hold transnational corporations (TNCs) and their managers accountable for human rights violations. It argues for the supremacy of international human rights law over trade and investment agreements, establishes the responsibility of 'home states' to regulate TNCs extraterritorially, and proposes the creation of an International Court on Transnational Corporations and an International Monitoring Center. The text details specific obligations for TNCs—including bans on forced labor, protection of indigenous land rights, and environmental compliance—and mandates that states ensure access to justice and reparations for affected communities.
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Document type: Statement
POUR LA SOUVERAINETÉ POPULAIRE
The document is a draft proposal for a 'Treaty on Transnational Corporations and their Value Chain on Human Rights,' submitted by a global campaign to the UN Human Rights Council. It argues that the globalization of the economy has created power asymmetries that allow TNCs to violate human rights with impunity, particularly in the Global South. The proposed treaty establishes direct legal obligations for TNCs and their executives, mandates states to protect human rights through territorial and extraterritorial legislation, and proposes the creation of an International Court on Transnational Corporations and an International Monitoring Centre. It emphasizes the primacy of human rights law over trade and investment agreements and demands the recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples and affected communities to free, prior, and informed consent.
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Document type: Statement
Creating the Space for SDG Innovation: A Geneva case study
The document argues that achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires moving beyond the status quo by incorporating innovation—defined as altering the dynamics of complex systems—into sustainable development practices. It highlights the Geneva 2030 Ecosystem, an IISD-facilitated initiative involving over 80 individuals from UN organizations, NGOs, academia, the private sector, and social entrepreneurs. This ecosystem serves as a 'safe space' for experimentation, including an 'Innovation Sprint' utilizing design thinking and rapid prototyping to develop and scale ideas for SDG implementation.
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Document type: Case study
CIEL Statement on the 8th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the Stockholm Convention
The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the EU is undermining environmental and health protections by securing long-term exemptions for the use of the toxic flame retardant DecaBDE in the automotive and aerospace sectors, and by proposing similar loopholes for biocides and pesticides in its endocrine disruptor criteria.
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Document type: Statement
IISD Speech: IISD President and CEO Scott Vaughan at the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region, Geneva
In a speech at the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region, IISD President and CEO Scott Vaughan emphasizes that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are fragile and require a shift toward holistic measurement of national well-being. He argues that GDP fails to reflect the anxieties of citizens regarding wages, health, and the environment, and advocates for a framework based on human, natural, produced, and social capital. Vaughan calls for the alignment of green and climate finance with the SDGs to support sustainable infrastructure and highlights gender equality as a prerequisite for achieving all SDG targets.
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Document type: Statement
economic justice resisting neoliberalism
The briefing advocates for a binding UN treaty to end the impunity of transnational corporations (TNCs) in Africa. It details systemic environmental degradation and human rights abuses by companies like Shell in Nigeria, Vale in Mozambique, and ArcelorMittal in South Africa, arguing that national legal systems are often insufficient to provide justice and reparations.
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Document type: Briefing
PROPUESTAS DE LA CAMPAÑA GLOBAL PARA REIVINDICAR LA SOBERANÍA DE LOS PUEBLOS, DESMANTELAR EL PODER DE LAS TRANSNACIONALES Y PONER FIN A LA IMPUNIDAD
The document argues for a legally binding international treaty to end the impunity of transnational corporations (TNCs) regarding human rights violations. It proposes the creation of an International Tribunal on Transnational Corporations and Human Rights to counter the 'architecture of impunity' created by private arbitration systems like ICSID. The proposals emphasize the extraterritorial obligations of home states, joint and several liability across corporate value chains, and the need to reform International Financial Institutions (IFIs) like the IMF and World Bank. It further advocates for the supremacy of human rights over investment treaties and the establishment of accessible, free legal remedies for affected communities.
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Document type: Statement
PROPOSITIONS DE LA CAMPAGNE MONDIALE POUR REVENDIQUER LA SOUVERAINETÉ DES PEUPLES, DÉMANTELER LE POUVOIR DES TRANSNATIONALES ET METTRE FIN À LEUR IMPUNITÉ
The document argues for a legally binding international treaty to end the impunity of transnational corporations (TNCs) and dismantle their systemic power. It proposes the creation of an international tribunal for TNCs and human rights, the establishment of joint and several liability across corporate value chains, and the reform of international financial institutions and trade regimes to prioritize human rights over investor profits. The text emphasizes the need for extraterritorial obligations for home states and the guarantee of free, collective, and swift legal recourse for affected communities.
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Document type: Report
ATT MONITOR REPORT 2016
The ATT Monitor 2016 report reviews the first year of the Arms Trade Treaty as international law, noting a rise in membership to 82 States Parties as of June 1, 2016. It highlights a significant gap between procedural progress and substantive compliance, particularly regarding arms transfers to conflict zones like Yemen. The report provides a detailed analysis of African states' engagement, the development of a 'Risk Watch' tool to monitor weapon misuse, and an evaluation of the first tranche of Initial and Annual Transfer Reports, noting inconsistent reporting rates and a lack of transparency in several regions.
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Document type: Report
Remarks of Dr. Daniel A. Reifsnyder
Dr. Daniel A. Reifsnyder describes the iterative process of drafting the Paris Agreement, emphasizing the shift toward a 'Party-driven' approach and the breakdown of the 'firewall' between developed and developing nations. He highlights the importance of the October 5 non-paper as a template for the final deal and details the agreement's core goals, including temperature limits and a robust transparency system.
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Document type: Briefing
UN Treaty proposals by the Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity 2016
A briefing outlining six points submitted by the Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity to the 2nd Session of the Open-ended intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights (OEIGWG).
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Document type: Briefing
Propositions de la Campagne mondiale pour revendiquer la souveraineté des peuples, démanteler le pouvoir des entreprises et mettre fin à l’impunité – Traité ONU 2016
A briefing by Friends of the Earth International presenting six proposals to the UN Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group (OEIGWG) during its second session in October 2016, advocating for a legally binding instrument to address the systemic power and impunity of transnational corporations.
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Document type: Briefing
Elephants in the room: time to trumpet the need for emissions cuts from aviation and shipping
The author contends that international aviation and shipping, which together account for approximately 5% of global CO2 emissions, are being overlooked in Paris negotiations despite projected emission growth of up to 270% by 2050. The text criticizes the removal of references to the '2C objective' and levy schemes for the Adaptation Fund from draft texts and calls for the ICAO and IMO to provide transparent annual emissions data.
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Document type: Statement
Back to the Start? A brief analysis of the Bonn Climate Change Conference (ADP 2-11)
The ADP 2-11 session in Bonn was characterized by a loss of consensus and a reversal of previous progress due to dissatisfaction with the Co-Chairs' proposed negotiating text. Instead of advancing toward a final agreement for COP 21, parties spent the session re-compiling a more comprehensive but fragmented text, reverting to positions held earlier in 2015. The meeting was further hampered by procedural disputes over the use of closed spin-off groups and a lack of progress on the accompanying decision text, leaving the Paris negotiations with a complex and unrefined basis for agreement.
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Document type: Briefing
CDBC’S GREEN AND SMART URBAN DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES
The guidelines establish a 'first green, then smart' approach, where smart technologies are used to optimize the outcomes of sustainable urban design. The framework covers six smart categories: telecommunications, mobility, governance, energy management, safety, and public services, supported by global case studies to demonstrate economic and environmental viability.
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Document type: Guide