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421 results
La contaminación por mercurio y los derechos humanos
The document details how mercury exposure—through industrial emissions, artisanal gold mining, and contaminated food sources—causes severe neurological and systemic health damage, particularly in fetuses and children. It links these health outcomes to violations of international human rights frameworks and provides case studies of mass poisoning in Japan, Iraq, and South Africa.
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Document type: Report
States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) issued climate-related recommendations or questions to 35 out of 43 States considered in 2023. The Committee primarily focused on the differentiated impact of climate change on women, emphasizing the need for gender-responsive strategies in adaptation and disaster risk reduction, as well as the increased vulnerability of rural, Indigenous, migrant, and refugee women. While less frequent than adaptation, the Committee also addressed mitigation policies, fossil fuel extraction—specifically criticizing Norway's expansion of oil and gas permits in the Arctic—and the necessity of women's participation in the UNFCCC loss and damage fund.
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Document type: Briefing
invest_statement_mar03-71f41d76dfc0c4e4.pdf
The statement, signed by several international NGOs, contends that the WTO is an inappropriate forum for investment negotiations because it would limit the ability of developing nations to regulate foreign direct investment (FDI) for development goals. It highlights risks such as the erosion of performance requirements and the imbalance of the WTO's dispute settlement system, which it claims favors industrialized nations. The authors argue that the 'Doha Development Agenda' should prioritize existing issues like agriculture and TRIPS over new investment rules, calling for a halt to negotiations until developing countries have the resources to evaluate the implications.
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Document type: Statement
iprights-16495bb85cf19bbd.pdf
The document highlights a conflict between the TRIPS Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), noting that current intellectual property frameworks fail to recognize traditional knowledge. It discusses proposals by developing countries to require disclosure of origin and evidence of prior informed consent in patent filings. The brief emphasizes the limited participation of indigenous communities in WTO and WIPO processes and recommends amending international IP agreements to prevent patents on naturally occurring genetic resources while supporting national sui generis protection systems.
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Document type: Policy brief
The Role of the World Bank in Strengthening Civil Society, Improving Governance, and Protecting Human Rights
The document examines the World Bank's historical reluctance to integrate non-economic factors—specifically governance, civil society, and human rights—into its development mission. It argues that the Bank's adherence to a strict interpretation of its Articles of Agreement leads to an ad hoc approach to governance and a failure to protect civil and political rights. While noting progress in 'mainstreaming' public participation and the creation of the Inspection Panel, the author contends that these efforts are often superficial or undermined by an institutional 'culture of approval' that prioritizes loan volume over project quality.
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Document type: Research paper
El párrafo 19 de la Declaración de Doha hacia Hong Kong: ¿Un paso adelante para el respaldo mutuo entre el Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC y el Convention sobre la Diversidad Biológica?
The author analyzes the growing consensus among developing nations and some developed entities regarding the need for a 'disclosure of origin' requirement in the patent system to prevent the misappropriation of genetic resources and traditional knowledge. This effort is framed within the context of Paragraph 19 of the Doha Declaration, which tasks the TRIPS Council with examining the relationship between the TRIPS Agreement and the CBD. While countries like Brazil, India, and others advocate for mandatory disclosure and proof of prior informed consent and benefit-sharing, opposition remains from the United States and Japan, though the European Union and Switzerland have shown varying degrees of openness to such systems.
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Document type: Research paper
Tenurial Rights and Community-based Conservation
The report examines the critical role of land and resource tenure in community-based conservation, contrasting the often-destructive nature of state-owned 'public' tenure with the adaptive and sustainable characteristics of community-based systems. It argues that when states delegitimize local tenure, they often create 'open access' conditions that lead to biodiversity loss and resource pillaging. Conversely, secure community tenure—characterized by flexible, overlapping rights and deep ecological knowledge—tends to support long-term resource stability. The authors advocate for the official state recognition of community perimeters rather than the detailed codification of customary laws, which can disrupt local flexibility. While acknowledging that tenure alone does not guarantee conservation success, the text concludes that the erosion of community rights is a primary driver of environmental degradation in many developing nations.
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Document type: Report
Reform Options for ISDS
The document argues that ISDS is an asymmetrical system that often undermines state sovereignty and public interest. It suggests reforms including the multilateral termination of bilateral investment treaties (BITs), allowing state counterclaims, creating 'public interest carve-outs' to protect the right to regulate, implementing 'clean hands' clauses to bar bad-actor investors, requiring the exhaustion of local remedies, and granting third parties full legal standing in proceedings.
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Document type: Briefing
Demandas presentadas por empresas mineras contra países de América Latina
The report examines 38 cases of international arbitration brought by mining companies against Latin American states, highlighting a pattern where corporate legal protections are used to bypass national courts and penalize governments for implementing public health, environmental, or indigenous rights policies. It identifies Canada as a primary source of mining investment and litigation in the region and argues that the current ISDS framework creates a 'chilling effect' on democratic regulation. The document details specific cases in countries such as El Salvador, Colombia, and Venezuela, and proposes a shift toward a legal framework that prioritizes human rights and environmental protection over investor profits.
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Document type: Report
WHA78 and the Climate-Health Intersection: Progress, Gaps, and Way Forward
The report evaluates WHA78 as a period of broadening dialogue and significant policy adoption, notably the Global Action Plan on Climate and Health (GAP) and the first pandemic agreement. While it celebrates the inclusion of youth, persons with disabilities, and mental health in the agenda, it highlights critical shortcomings, including the absence of fossil fuel phase-out language and uncertainties regarding the implementation and funding of the GAP. The document advocates for a shift in narrative, framing climate action as a strategic health investment rather than a cost, and calls for greater inclusion of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Global South in leadership and R&D.
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Document type: Report
AMAZON: THE FIRST FOSSIL FUEL NON-PROLIFERATION ZONE
The fact sheet advocates for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to stop the expansion of coal, oil, and gas, specifically proposing that the Amazon biome become the first non-proliferation zone. It highlights the environmental and social damage caused by extractive activities in the region and outlines four key measures for the Amazon States: suspending new hydrocarbon exploration, guaranteeing indigenous participation and consent, generating local economic alternatives, and transitioning to a fair energy model. The document notes that a significant percentage of the Amazon rainforest in several countries overlaps with oil lots, with Ecuador having the highest overlap at 51.5%.
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Document type: Fact sheet
AMAZÔNIA: A PRIMEIRA ZONA DE NÃO PROLIFERAÇÃO DE COMUSTÍVEIS FÓSSEIS
The fact sheet advocates for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to stop the expansion of coal, oil, and gas, specifically proposing that the Amazon become the first such zone. It highlights the environmental and social damage caused by extraction in the region and calls for the suspension of new hydrocarbon research, the protection of indigenous rights through prior consultation, and a just energy transition supported by the Global North.
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Document type: Fact sheet
AMAZONÍA: LA PRIMERA ZONA DE NO PROLIFERACIÓN DE COMBUSTIBLES FÓSILES
The fact sheet advocates for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to stop the expansion of coal, oil, and gas, specifically proposing that the Amazon region become the first zone to prohibit such activities. It highlights the severe environmental and social impacts of extraction in the Amazon, noting that a significant percentage of the biome in several countries overlaps with oil blocks, with Ecuador having the highest proportion at 51.5%. The document calls for the suspension of new hydrocarbon exploration, the protection of indigenous rights through prior consultation, and a just transition to a new energy model supported by international financial cooperation.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Principios para una recuperación justa ante la crisis del COVID-19
Friends of the Earth International argues that the COVID-19 pandemic is a result of a neoliberal economic system prioritizing profit over people and the environment. To achieve a 'just recovery,' the organization proposes four principles: abandoning neoliberalism and austerity in favor of ecological limits and wealth redistribution; fostering multilateral cooperation and international solidarity, including the cancellation of Global South debt; strengthening democracy and human rights; and addressing systemic crises—including climate, biodiversity, and food—through a total system change. Key demands include transitioning to 100% renewable energy under state or community control, implementing food sovereignty via agroecology, and ensuring public services like health and energy are guaranteed rights funded by fair fiscal policies.
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Document type: Statement
Internationalist Solidarity with the resistance of the Honduran people in defence of peoples and environmental rights
The statement by Friends of the Earth International denounces the installation of a 'narco-state' in Honduras following a 2009 coup d'état, highlighting the systemic violence against environmental and human rights defenders. It specifically cites the assassinations of Berta Cáceres and Margarita Murillo and threats against the Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña (OFRANEH). The document advocates for internationalist solidarity to protect defenders fighting against mining, hydroelectric dams, and African palm exploitation, while praising the Internationalist Solidarity System (ISS) for its role in pressuring governments and supporting local groups.
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Document type: Statement
Principes pour une reprise juste de la crise du COVID-19
The document argues that the COVID-19 pandemic and other socio-ecological crises stem from a capitalist and neoliberal system. It proposes a recovery based on four principles: abandoning neoliberalism and austerity in favor of state-led justice and ecological limits; fostering multilateral cooperation and international solidarity, including debt cancellation for the Global South; strengthening democracy and human rights; and addressing systemic crises—including climate and biodiversity loss—through transformative change, such as transitioning to agroecology and renewable energy managed by local communities.
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Document type: Statement
Principles for a Just Recovery from COVID-19 crisis
Friends of the Earth International argues that the COVID-19 pandemic shares root causes with climate and biodiversity crises, stemming from a capitalist and neoliberal system. The organization proposes a recovery based on four principles: abandoning neoliberalism and austerity in favor of state-guaranteed rights; enhancing multilateral cooperation and international solidarity, including Global South debt cancellation; strengthening democracy and human rights; and pursuing a transformative system change that shifts from industrial agriculture and fossil fuel dependency toward food sovereignty and community-owned renewable energy.
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Document type: Statement
FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT
The document provides the technical annexes for the Forest Declaration Assessment, detailing the definitions and methodologies used to measure deforestation, forest degradation, and restoration potential. It establishes a 'gross zero' deforestation benchmark for 2030, requiring a linear 10 percent annual reduction in loss relative to a 2018-2020 baseline. The methodology incorporates satellite data and econometric models to estimate GHG emissions from forest loss and identifies 'cost-effective' restoration potential based on a carbon price threshold of USD 100/tCO2eq. A provided table lists the 30 countries with the highest absolute levels of deforestation in 2021, showing varied trends such as a 3% increase in Brazil and a 25% decrease in Indonesia compared to the baseline.
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Document type: Report
Why we are leaving the Kimberley Process
Global Witness has withdrawn from the Kimberley Process (KP), stating that the international certification scheme has become an 'outdated' and 'cynical corporate accreditation scheme'. While the KP initially helped break links between diamonds and conflict, the organization argues it now lacks integrity due to a failure to hold governments accountable and a lack of independent verification in the diamond industry's 'system of warranties'. Specific failures cited include the KP's inability to address conflict diamonds from Côte d'Ivoire, rule breaches by Venezuela, and state-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe's Marange region. Global Witness advocates for a transition from voluntary schemes to legally mandated international standards for minerals supply chain controls, including third-party audits and public disclosure.
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Document type: Statement
Europe's Venezuelan oil imports could give leverage against US aggression
Global Witness reports that European countries, specifically the Netherlands and the UK, imported at least $565 million worth of diesel in 2025 from Valero's St. Charles refinery in Louisiana, which processes significant volumes of Venezuelan oil. The document asserts that this trade supports US 'imperialist' actions in Venezuela and urges the EU and UK to implement a ban on US-controlled Venezuelan oil and refined products until democratic reforms and transparency are established in Venezuela.
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Document type: Statement