In the past few hours, different international media have reported about the end of the rescue works after the terrible earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck the central region of the Indonesian island of Celebes (also known as Sulawesi), on September 28th. The official death toll nears 2000. There are 10,000 injured people and around 5000 remain missing. After the…
With 33 votes in favor by the countries present at the 39th round of sessions, the UNHRC passed a resolution in Geneva, Switzerland, to adopt the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants that will now be discussed at the General Assembly of the multilateral body. The General Assemby needs to make a final decision before the end of the year…
Ana María Suárez Franco, permanent representative of FIAN International in Geneva, Switzerland shares an update on the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and its process of approval at the UN´s Human Rights Council that is expected on Friday September 28. “To protect, respect and fulfil the rights of peasants”, who defend territories, is the aim of the Declaration, which…
Law Professor at Valencia University, Adoración Guaman, considered that the “Zero Draft” of the binding treaty on transnational corporations and human rights, under negotiation at the UN “turns its back on three years of negotiations and it fails to respect the spirit of resolution 26/9”, which gave way to these international negotiations. “The Draft has thrown out the main red…
Re: Publication of the “Zero Draft” text for the negotiation of a Legally Binding Instrument to Regulate, in International Human Rights Law, the activities of Transnational Corporations (TNCs) and other Business Enterprises. (1) We welcome the recent publication of the “Zero Draft” text for the negotiation of a legally binding instrument on Transnational Corporations (TNCs) with regard to human rights…
The negotiations of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), involving 16 Asia-Pacific countries, are failing international standards of transparency and public participation, according to a study titled “RCEP: A secret deal” conducted by several international organizations. “It is quite shocking how representatives of the governments are able to hide behind secrecy, saying that it is necessary for effective negotiations” said…
In an interview with Real World Radio, Mauro Vay, founder and General Coordinator of the Peasant Development Committee (CODECA) said that the kidnapping, torture and murder of Juana Raymundo “is a sign of what we´ve been denouncing for quite some time: we are under a criminal government”. “The Ministry of Government plans extrajudicial killings against all human rights defenders, because…
Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi, who was detained by the Israeli regime in December in the context of her struggle for the freedom of her country, was released on Sunday, together with her mother Nariman, who had also been imprisoned since then. The teenager, who was 16 years old when she was detained, became an icon of the Palestinian resistance and…
Milieudefensie – Friends of the Earth Netherlands launched a report where they warn that Dutch Banks ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank have to take responsibility for the disastrous environmental and social consequences of providing finance to the palm oil sector at large scale. These banks should pull out of this sector, demands the organization. "What we wanted to show is…
At the end of June, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which gathers actors from several sectors of the palm oil industry, reported that they had suspended Swiss company Nestlé´s membership for failing to follow the RSPO´s Statutes and Code of Conduct. However, Nestlé “doesn´t seem to care”, warned Friends of the Earth International. “Voluntary certification has no means…
