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Global Witness reports that Mondelez has shifted from supporting the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to actively lobbying for its weakening and delay. The company has engaged with US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder, joined the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU, and targeted conservative MEPs and government officials in France, Germany, Ireland, and Luxembourg. This lobbying occurs despite Mondelez's lack of transparency regarding its deforestation-free cocoa supply and its links to forest destruction in West Africa.

Global Witness warns that the global push for electrification, highlighted by priorities for COP31 and plans in the EU and China, faces a critical bottleneck due to copper shortages. The organization identifies declining copper grades, supply chain disruptions of sulphuric acid (essential for processing), and export bans on concentrates in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, and Tanzania as primary threats. To prevent high-income countries from monopolizing resources, Global Witness proposes a UN-led multi-decade plan to ensure equitable access to minerals and prioritize climate goals over military or data center applications.

The report finds that Equinor's historical and planned production significantly exceed science-based carbon budgets. Since 1972, Equinor's assets have caused 8.66 GtCO2 in emissions, with the majority originating from Norway. The analysis argues that Equinor's current global portfolio and future expansion plans are incompatible with a 1.5°C pathway, overshooting the IEA NZE benchmark by 0.93 GtCO2 between 2024 and 2050. It further critiques Equinor's 'Bridges' scenario for relying on outdated carbon budget data and unproven carbon removal technologies.

Global Witness reveals that coltan from conflict-affected mines in the DRC is being smuggled into Rwanda, where it is laundered through traceability systems like ITSCI and Better Mining. The report identifies seven Rwandan companies dominating these exports, which are then processed by smelters in China, Kazakhstan, and Thailand, potentially reaching major global brands such as Apple, Microsoft, and Toyota.

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.

The document outlines a framework for responsible mining of transition minerals, focusing on protecting carbon-rich ecosystems, upholding Indigenous rights through Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), and implementing rigorous climate-integrated impact assessments. It advocates for standardized Scope 1-3 emissions reporting, digital traceability, and a shift toward a circular economy to reduce virgin metal demand. Additionally, it proposes equitable benefit-sharing models, such as co-ownership and sovereign wealth funds, to ensure a just energy transition.

The statement contends that the global fossil fuel system is inherently violent and volatile, citing 2026 conflicts in the Middle East and Venezuela as evidence. It advocates for the Santa Marta conference as a mechanism to move beyond the industry-influenced COP process to implement concrete actions, such as 'polluters pay' taxes on fossil fuel profits and grant-based climate finance for the Global South. The author asserts that the economic cost of fossil fuel price spikes outweighs the cost of transitioning to net zero, noting that 91% of new renewables projects are now cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives.

The Santa Marta conference on fossil fuel phaseout shifted the global conversation from whether to transition to how to implement it, establishing three workstreams for national roadmaps, financial restructuring, and trade alternatives. While the summit is praised for providing civil society and Indigenous Peoples more direct access to decision-making, the author warns that the process risks becoming 'consultation theatre' unless participation is substantive and roadmaps include accountability mechanisms and the engagement of major emitters.

Global Witness reports that Fabrizio Nuti, head of LVMH-owned Nuti Ivo and leader of the UNIC and COTANCE industry associations, is leading a campaign to exempt leather from the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The report alleges that Nuti's separate Paraguayan tannery, Lecom/Parpelli, sources hides from meat giants Minerva Foods and Frigorífico Concepción, which are linked to the deforestation of approximately 111,000 hectares in the Gran Chaco, including lands of the Indigenous Ayoreo Totobiegosode People. Despite LVMH's public zero-deforestation targets, the report finds that Nuti Ivo's Conceria Everest imported hides from Lecom/Parpelli as recently as December 2025, and that Nuti Ivo can only trace 45% of its hides to a specific slaughterhouse.

The report details how the Nsuta manganese mine in Ghana, operated by the Ghana Manganese Company (GMC) and controlled by China's Ningxia Tianyuan Manganese Industry Group (TMI), is causing severe health and environmental damage. Findings include the use of toxic mine pit water for dust suppression, leading to skin, eye, and respiratory issues among residents, and the existence of an unstable tailings dump that threatens local homes. The report also highlights the risk to the Neung Forest Reserve, a critical biodiversity hotspot, as mining operations expand to meet the rising demand for manganese in EV batteries for companies like Tesla, Ford, and General Motors.

The briefing asserts that shrinking civic space globally threatens the effectiveness and legitimacy of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). While EITI possesses a framework of tools—including the 'Protocol: Participation of civil society' and Requirement 1.3 of the 2023 Standard—the document argues these are often underutilized due to a lack of political will or knowledge. It calls for making the monitoring of civic space mandatory for multi-stakeholder groups (MSGs) and urges the EITI International Board and Secretariat to move from general commitments to concrete, time-bound actions, specifically targeting the June 2026 Global Conference in the Philippines.

The report documents a coordinated strategy in Guatemala where social media disinformation is used to delegitimise Indigenous leaders and land activists, facilitating their criminalisation by the state. It highlights the roles of Attorney General Consuelo Porras and networks of 'fake news' accounts in targeting figures like Luis Pacheco and Leocadio Juracán. The document argues that social media giants—Meta, X, and TikTok—are complicit by failing to moderate hate speech and disinformation, which often precedes legal persecution.

A Global Witness investigation reveals that 17 of the world's least developed countries and largest US aid recipients have signed lobbying contracts worth over $21 million since November 2024. The report highlights a trend where nations facing humanitarian crises and aid freezes—such as Pakistan, the DRC, and Somalia—are bartering preferential access to critical minerals, oil, gas, and strategic ports for US political or military assistance. Many of these deals involve firms and individuals closely linked to Donald Trump's inner circle, creating a transactional 'America First' dynamic that Global Witness argues risks resource exploitation in fragile, conflict-affected states.

Global Witness reports that 92% of surveyed environmental defenders have suffered online abuse, with Meta-owned platforms (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram) being the most frequent sites of harassment. The report highlights a direct link between digital attacks and offline violence, noting that 75% of those harmed offline believe online abuse contributed to it. It criticizes social media algorithms for promoting polarization and argues that inadequate moderation resources, particularly in Africa and Asia, leave defenders vulnerable to doxxing, cyberattacks, and criminalization. The document concludes that these digital threats create a chilling effect on the climate movement, leading to productivity loss and, in some cases, the cessation of activism.

The report documents a systematic campaign in Guatemala where social media platforms—specifically Facebook, X, and TikTok—are used to disseminate disinformation to justify the criminalisation of Indigenous leaders and land defenders. It highlights the role of Attorney General Consuelo Porras and the Prosecutor's Office in pursuing charges of terrorism and sedition against activists like Luis Pacheco and Leocadio Juracán. The document identifies a network of 'net centres,' including the Foundation Against Terrorism (FCT) and fake news sites like XelaNews, that coordinate with state authorities to delegitimise defenders by labelling them as 'terrorists' or 'puppets' of foreign interests. It further details the criminalisation of the Maya Poqomchi’ communities of Washington and Dos Fuentes in land disputes with Agropecuaria Pananish, and calls on social media giants to improve content moderation to protect vulnerable activists.

The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) is a Brazilian-led initiative designed as an investment fund to provide financial incentives for tropical forest nations to protect their forest cover. By pooling public and private capital—with a target of $125 billion—the fund intends to generate annual payments of up to $4 billion, distributed at a rate of $4 per hectare of standing forest. While the TFFF aims to support Indigenous Peoples and local communities with a proposed 20% allocation of national payments, Global Witness emphasizes the need for direct fund access, legal land tenure, and stricter financial regulations to prevent private capital from continuing to fund deforestation.

Global Witness reports that 92% of surveyed land and environmental defenders have suffered online attacks, with Meta-owned platforms (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram) being the most frequent sites of abuse. These digital attacks often precede or contribute to real-world violence, including physical assaults and criminalization. The report argues that profit-driven algorithms and inadequate moderation resources facilitate this harassment, particularly targeting women through sexualized threats and defenders in the Global South through political criminalization.

Global Witness reports that Veolia may be causing severe health complications, including congenital malformations, by pumping toxic leachates from a landfill into a protected Colombian wetland. Secret videos and sediment tests showing mercury levels 25 times higher than safe Canadian limits contradict Veolia's claims of environmental compliance. The contamination threatens the drinking water of 300,000 people in Barrancabermeja and impacts the Ciénaga San Silvestre ecosystem. The report also highlights the danger faced by environmental defenders in the region and argues for the strength of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) to hold multinationals accountable.

Global Witness reports that Veolia is discharging untreated toxic leachate from a landfill into protected wetlands in Colombia, with sediment analysis showing mercury levels 25 times higher than safety limits. The report links this pollution to congenital malformations in the local population and the degradation of the San Silvestre swamp, which provides drinking water for up to 300,000 people in Barrancabermeja. While Veolia denies causality and claims its internal controls show no mercury, independent experts argue the company's sampling methods were flawed. The document also highlights the extreme danger faced by environmental defenders in the Santander region and argues that the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive is essential for holding such companies accountable.

Global Witness conducted a global survey of 204 land and environmental defenders, finding that 92% have experienced online abuse or harassment. The report highlights a strong link between online attacks—such as doxxing and cyberattacks—and offline harms, including physical violence and criminalisation. Meta's platforms (Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram) are identified as the most common sites of abuse. The report argues that profit-driven business models, polarising algorithms, and inadequate content moderation resourcing exacerbate these threats, creating a chilling effect on climate activism.