“Today high income countries are vaccinating 25 times faster than the lowest income countries,” warned the Coordinator of the Development and Intellectual Property Programme at Third World Network (TWN), Sangeeta Shashikant, on Thursday. “Intellectual property waivers are a must in the context of a pandemic,” she added in an interview with Real World Radio. This Friday, the World Trade Organisation…
The African Peoples Tribunal, organised in Lagos and online by Friends of the Earth Africa, saw testimonies on cases from 10 African countries. The 24-28 November event ended with a call on governments to urgently ensure that human rights are respected and protected. It also denounced the collusion between governments and transnational corporations as objectionable and unacceptable. “This was probably…
“The world is currently facing a series of existential and interlocking crises… But as we know from the long history of inequality that exists in the world, people won’t suffer these crises equally, some are already bearing the brunt much more than others, and it is predominantly those in the Global South who are the ones at the forefront of…
Mama Fikile Ntshangase was shot dead at her home in Mtubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal province, by four gunmen on 22 October. She was Vice-Chairperson of a sub-committee of the Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice Organisation (MCEJO) and actively opposed the expansion of the Tendele coal mine near her home. “We feel that she was actually the target, and in killing her, the aim…
The Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group that is negotiating a Binding Treaty on transnational corporations and human rights at the United Nations Human Rights Council ended its sixth round of negotiations on 30 October in Geneva, Switzerland. According to the social movements and organizations from all continents that are working for its adoption, the Binding Treaty should seek to ensure access to justice…
This was the title of a virtual press conference held on Tuesday which urged States to engage to put an end to the impunity of transnational corporations. The press conference (a recording of which is available below) - hosted by the Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity - took place after the start of…
Friends of the Earth EWNI´s special bonus episode comes hot on the heels of Friends of the Earth's historic win in the Court of Appeal. On Thursday 27 February, government plans to expand Heathrow airport were ruled illegal, on the grounds that they did not full consider the climate impacts of the project. But what happens now, and what does…
Environmental federation Friends of the Earth International reaffirms its concern over the lack of ambition in the new framework currently under negotiation at the UN, which will set the basis for the protection of biodiversity globally from 2020 to 2030. A Friends of the Earth International delegation will participate in the second meeting of the Open Ended Working Group of…
A vibrant and protected civic space is an essential part of a healthy democracy - but it´s under attack. 16 Friends of the Earth member organisations have told us they are facing restrictions, intimidation, harassment and attacks - what we collectively call 'shrinking space'. In this episode we hear how it is affecting our members in Austria and in Cyprus,…
A new round of negotiations began at the UN in Geneva on Monday, to agree on a legally Binding Treaty that would force transnational corporations to respect human rights. The negotiators will now begin discussing the text of the articles of this future legal tool. “We want to reaffirm once more the historical importance of this process for a Binding…
