Time’s up: The Council of Europe Must Put The Right to a Healthy Environment in Law
On its 75th anniversary, over 400 civil society organizations urge the Council of Europe to keep up with the times by recognizing this vital right.
2024 World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings: A Crucial Moment for Economic Decolonization and Climate Action
Published April 10, 2024 By Aubrey Manahan, Campaigner, and Lani Furbank, Communications Campaign Specialist As the World Bank Group (WBG) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) prepare to convene their 2024 Spring Meetings from April 15 to 20 in Washington, DC, the growing call to decolonize economic and financial institutions as a fundamental part of the … Read More.
The Global Coalition for the Right to a Healthy Environment: Making History & Protecting Our Collective Future
Published February 2, 2024 By Sébastien Duyck, Senior Attorney & Human Rights & Climate Campaign Manager, and Lani Furbank, Communications Campaign Specialist. On the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a diverse, people-powered, global coalition made history at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The Global Coalition of Civil Society, Indigenous … Read More.
What to Expect at the 2023 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund
Published October 5th, 2023 *Note: The World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, together with the Moroccan Government, made the decision that this year’s Annual Meetings in Marrakech will continue as planned after the recent earthquake in Morocco. CIEL will continue to monitor the evolving context and support local and regional partners who have … Read More.
Will Canada Stand Up for Indigenous Rights or Continue Supporting Big Oil?
This article by Whitney Gravelle, Lindsay Bailey, Tamara Morgenthau, and Marco Simons was originally published on Just Security. One day in July 2010, residents of Marshall, Michigan, smelled something toxic in the air and called 9-1-1. It took over 17 hours for Canadian oil giant Enbridge to detect that its Line 6b pipeline had ruptured. In that time, … Read More.
Litmus Test for the Council Of Europe: Time to Recognize and Protect the Right to Healthy Environment at the Reykjavik Summit
The Reykjavik Summit provides a historic opportunity for Member States to recognize the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment through the drafting of a dedicated protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights.
What to Expect at the 2023 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund
Next week, the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will host their Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, from April 10 to April 14. These yearly events are a combination of official closed-door meetings among World Bank and IMF leadership, public seminars on global economic development, and high-level events featuring prominent officials. … Read More.
Escazú, Environmental Democracy, and Development Finance
By Carla García Zendejas It has been a year since the landmark Escazú Agreement entered into force (April 22, 2021), and while the Agreement was envisioned in a pre-COVID world, it is critical to take stock of the context in which it will be implemented. This week, States are gathering in Santiago, Chile, to do … Read More.
Does Divestment by Multilateral Development Banks Leave Communities in the Lurch?
When exiting investments, MDBs must address negative impacts of projects on communities What happens when the private sector arms of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) exit their investments without addressing negative impacts and project-related harms, thus leaving project-affected communities without proper remedial actions? We examine seven IFC and IDB Invest cases to draw specific recommendations for … Read More.
Panama’s Supreme Court recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ land rights and role as guardians of the environment
(Español abajo) In a key decision paving the way for the creation of the long-awaited Naso Tjër Di Comarca, Panama’s highest court confirmed the State’s obligation to secure Indigenous collective rights to land and emphasized the critical role of Indigenous Peoples in protecting biodiversity, natural resources, and the climate. The decision joins a growing chorus … Read More.
The Maipo Valley’s Hydroelectric Nightmare: When “Clean” Development Harms People and their Environment
Chile’s last-minute decision not to host this year’s COP undercuts efforts by local communities and Indigenous Peoples to expose climate-related injustices happening in Santiago’s backyard. In response, CIEL is working with Chilean partners to make sure that Chilean voices are still heard and that human rights concerns remain at the center of the climate negotiations. … Read More.
Amid Climate Crisis, Will Governments Deliver Ambitious Climate Action in Madrid?
Against the backdrop of increasing climate destruction and mass mobilizations calling for climate leadership, COP-25 must deliver urgent, rights-based climate action. Climate change dominated the headlines throughout 2019. There were stories of the startling reality of living in a world with 1ºc of warming: climate change-fueled storms like Hurricanes Idai and Kenneth devastated Mozambique, unprecedented … Read More.
Investors Spend US Tax Dollars on Fracking. Again.
Fracking destroys communities, endangers health, and perpetuates our addiction to fossil fuels. Yet, US tax dollars are still being poured into these destructive projects. Recently, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) voted to exacerbate the climate crisis, approving over $450 million of US taxpayer dollars to finance two large fracking projects in the region of … Read More.
Under Threat, Land Has a Critical Role to Play in Addressing Climate Crisis
“Land provides the principal basis for human livelihoods.” With this statement the IPCC begins the Summary for Policy Makers of its new Special Report on Climate Change and Land. In the report, the IPCC sends a clear message that we need urgent action to combat the climate crisis. Only by achieving “compatibility between specific land … Read More.
Why Climate Campaigners Should Care about the UN Human Rights Monitoring Bodies
Across the planet, people are increasingly feeling the impacts of climate change on their enjoyment of human rights. From loss of human life brought about by climate-related disasters, to threats to food security and access to clean water, no country is immune. The urgency of action to address climate change — and the scale of … Read More.
Environmental Human Rights Defenders in the Spotlight at the Human Rights Council
On March 21, the 40th session of the Human Rights Council has adopted a first-of-its-kind resolution recognizing the importance of environmental human rights defenders and their protection. Over the last three weeks, the Human Right Council (HRC) has rolled up its sleeves to further promote and protect human rights around the world. During this session, … Read More.
A Win for Advocacy: Court Dismisses SLAPP Suit Against Environmental Activists
Around the world, threats against those who speak out to defend their environment and human rights are growing. In 2018, 321 human rights defenders were killed — a rate of six people every week. Environmental and human rights activists are also criminalized and face trumped-up criminal charges, defamation, and arbitrary detentions. And corporations are diversifying their … Read More.
Cheers to Accountability! Happy 25th!
Twenty-five years ago today, the answer to the question, “Where do we go if we are harmed by the World Bank?” changed from nowhere to the Inspection Panel. We live in an ever changing and more complicated world, where corporations have investors, managers, shareholders, and oversight from all over the world, and operations are owned … Read More.
A Day in the Life: The Early Warning System in Action
As I wrote in a previous post, the Early Warning System (EWS) helps make development work for everyone by offering communities the opportunity to have a say in projects that might impact them. But how does this play out in everyday life? (Or, in other words, what do I do all day besides read bank … Read More.
The Time is Now: Latin American and Caribbean Countries Must Seize the Opportunity and Bring the Escazu Agreement into Force
In March, we celebrated the adoption of the Escazú Agreement, a legally binding regional agreement guaranteeing access to information, participation, and justice in environmental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean. This marked the end of a five-year process led by the UN Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean to codify the “access … Read More.
European Commission Public Consultation Process Rationalizes Special Privileges for Corporations
CIEL and Friends of the Earth filed a complaint to the European Ombudsman about the problematic public consultation on the Multilateral Investment Court, which was too little and too late to allow the public to provide meaningful input. The Multilateral Investment Court is an EU-proposed global court for corporations — one that would deepen … Read More.
Promoting Public Participation in Climate Action: Not Just Good Practice, but a Legal Duty of European Governments
European governments have the opportunity (and the legal duty) to promote public participation in the implementation of climate action, yet some fail to do so. The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement was celebrated not only for bringing together all countries around the urgency of climate action, but also for emphasizing the importance of people-centered climate action. … Read More.
Open to the Public: Independent Body Begins Reviewing Complaints about Enforcement of US & Peru Environmental Laws
In 2006, the United States and Peru signed the first bilateral trade agreement to recognize and seek to address the pervasive issue of illegal logging. Among other innovative provisions, the US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA) included a forestry section that allows the US to detain questionable shipments of Peruvian timber and created an independent oversight … Read More.
Trading Secrecy for Transparency: Why Environmental Democracy is Essential in Trade and Investment Policymaking
When it comes to trade and investment policy, environmental democracy is still an emerging idea — an aspiration for some, a foreign concept for others, and a reality for almost no one. What is environmental democracy? It’s the concept that when governments make laws and policies that affect human rights or the environment, they must … Read More.
Propaganda or Participation? Offshore Drilling and the Democratic Decision-Making Process
On January 4, the US Department of the Interior (DoI) released a new offshore drilling proposal. The proposal, formally called the Draft Proposed Program for the Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2019-2024, follows Mr. Trump’s April 2017 Executive Order to open much of the United States’ oceans to offshore drilling exploration. … Read More.
Public Participation & Rights a Priority at Upcoming Climate Meeting
From April 30 to May 10, countries will come together for a United Nations climate meeting, to continue to make progress toward implementing the Paris Agreement and meeting key goals at this year’s COP24 climate conference in Poland. To ensure positive climate outcomes that benefit both the planet and communities across the world, we must … Read More.
Rights for Ambition: Talanoa Dialogue presents opportunity to increase climate ambition while respecting rights
When countries adopted the Paris Agreement in 2015, they agreed to convene a “facilitative dialogue,” which would allow countries to come together to evaluate the world’s progress toward the goals of the Agreement. At last year’s climate talks, countries adopted the Talanoa Dialogue as the concept for this facilitative dialogue. The Talanoa Dialogue platform provides … Read More.
$600 Million Loan from Inter-American Development Bank will Support Controversial Energy Reform in Mexico
In 2013, Mexico’s president Enrique Peña Nieto Peña Nieto touted the country’s energy reform as a “historic opportunity” to “transform and elevate the quality of life of all Mexicans.” The constitutional changes, which ended decades-long monopolies on oil, gas, and electricity held by two state-owned companies, have both Mexican and foreign private competitors salivating at … Read More.
Protecting Rights through a Transnational Corporate Accountability Treaty
At a time when a number of States are working to accelerate negotiations of international trade and investment agreements, an open-ended intergovernmental working group (IGWG) is working to draft a legally binding instrument (a transnational corporate accountability treaty) to address the legal imbalance between the rights and obligations of global businesses and those of the … Read More.
Strengthening Civil Society Participation in Environmental Treaty Compliance
What role can NGOs play in the enforcement of environmental treaties? How can compliance and implementation bodies encourage civil society participation in their reviews? What, if any, is the value of involving members of the public in the process? These are some of the questions presented at a roundtable discussion of compliance committee representatives at … Read More.
Aarhus Task Force on Access to Justice Should Address Problems with Investor-State Dispute Settlement
The Aarhus Convention is a multilateral environmental treaty, ratified by 47 States throughout Europe and Central Asia, that commits States Parties to effectively protecting three fundamental rights that are critical to effective environmental governance: the right of access to information, the right of public participation, and the right of access to justice with regard to … Read More.
Honduran Special Economic Zones Legalize Secretive Corporate Rule and Threaten Constitutional Rights
“Honduras is ready for you,” was the message of Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez to international businessmen who gathered recently in Dallas, Texas, to learn about investment opportunities in Honduras. The crown jewel for investors is the opportunity to invest in special Employment and Economic Development Zones, or ZEDEs, in Honduras. These zones create independent … Read More.
The European Commission Consultation on the Multilateral Investment Court
A Breach of the Fundamental Purpose of Public Participation in Decision-Making Mechanisms that enable decision-makers to hear from the public are at the heart of democratic governance. One of the most common mechanisms is public consultation, which improves the transparency, coherency, and legitimacy of government decision-making. The right of the people to take part in … Read More.
Negotiations Begin Today for Transnational Corporate Accountability Treaty
Economic growth and foreign investment can have a positive impact by bringing jobs, development, and improvements to social welfare. But when businesses are able to act with impunity, they undermine these benefits and can cause serious human rights and environmental violations. For this reason, countries are joining together to creating binding obligations for corporations abroad, … Read More.
European Governments Must Decide Whether Environmental Democracy is a Key Value for the Twenty-First Century
This month, governments and civil society from Europe and Central Asia will gather in Montenegro to consider the state of environmental democracy across the region. From the assassination of Berta Caceres in Honduras to judicial attacks against environmental NGOs in the US or growing restrictions on the freedoms of NGOs in the EU, recent developments … Read More.
Alto Maipo Update: More Financial Woes for Beleaguered Hydro Project
With an important contractor exiting the project, more cost overruns, and the recent death of an employee, the Alto Maipo hydroelectric project is facing new crippling challenges The Alto Maipo Hydroelectric Project (PHAM) is a hydroelectric mega-project near Santiago, Chile, that has repeatedly come under fire for environmental, social, and financial reasons. In the wake … Read More.
US NAFTA Negotiating Objectives Fail to put Citizens First
United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer released the US NAFTA negotiating objectives on July 17, 2017, in keeping with the plan to open negotiations on August 16. The ‘detailed’ objectives are neither detailed nor comprehensive, failing to explain how the agreement, if successfully concluded, will further the objectives required by the 2015 Trade Promotion Act (TPA). … Read More.
Ceta and pesticides: A citizens’ rights issue
This article originally appeared on EUObserver. The EU and Canada will begin provisionally applying the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (Ceta) on 21 September 2017. The EU’s obligation for data protection under this agreement is in conflict with EU law on public access to information, particularly in relation to pesticides. Therefore, the EU will soon be … Read More.
“Mission Accomplished!” El Salvador says no to mining
We dreamed of the day when we could share this news. Last week, the government of El Salvador voted to ban outright all metal mining in the country. The decision makes the small Central American country the first to halt a modern day gold rush, effectively stopping all mining projects in the pipeline. When the … Read More.
A Deadly Shade of Green – Article 19 and CIEL Release Report on the Dangerous Situation Facing EHRDs in Latin America
In Latin America, environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) are increasingly targeted for raising concerns about the potential impacts of development projects on local communities’ livelihoods and environments. To address the threats faced by EHRDs in Latin America as they defend the right to a healthy environment, CIEL and Article 19 have published a report called … Read More.
UNEA 2 and Stakeholder Engagement
The weekend prior to UNEA-2, civil society gathered in the 16th Global Major Groups and Stakeholder Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. For a number of years, this Forum has been the space where organizations interested in UNEP’s work prepare their engagement with UNEP’s Governing Council, now UNEA. But the advent of UNEA in the “new UNEP” … Read More.
Will UNEA-2 be able to deliver on the high hopes placed on it?
Looking back at the genesis of the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) could give us a leads on the answer to that pointed question. The architects of the Rio+20 Outcome Document faced the challenge of strengthening the institutional framework for sustainable development. In particular, it was recognized then that the UN Environment Program (UNEP) needed … Read More.
Defending Defenders: Advocating for the Duty to Protect Human Rights and Environmental Defenders
One month has passed since the assassination of Berta Cáceres. Over the course of that month, the Honduran Government has engaged in a questionable and clandestine investigation into the tragedy, diverting attention away from those with the most likely motive to kill an advocate for indigenous land rights and who sent her death threats, and … Read More.
2015 Highlights: Top 10 Accomplishments
Your energy and advocacy sparked a global momentum shift over the past year, and we are on the cusp of true, transformative change. On all fronts, you have defended your right to a healthy planet. With your support, you help CIEL… Advance Climate Justice For three years, we’ve highlighted the growing legal and financial risks … Read More.
Share Your Work: Early Warning System Survey Offers Opportunity to Collaborate
The Early Warning System Survey aims to minimize the existing knowledge gap by ensuring that communities have the information they need to understand proposed projects and their impacts early in the development process, to identify the banks and corporations involved in financing these projects, and to learn about advocacy strategies they can incorporate into their … Read More.
UN initiative to increase corporate accountability and access to remedies for human rights abuses
Corporate accountability for human rights abuses, such as slavery, torture, forced eviction, and child labor, is an area internationally recognized as needing significant improvement. Through its recent initiatives, the UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) is attempting to address this issue and increase access to remedies for victims of business-related human … Read More.
Rethink the Development Model: Thoughts from the Catholic Church’s message for Latin America
There was a lot of expectation around Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment entitled “Laudato Si’” or “Praise Be to You.” The papal encyclical deals with current environmental issues, with a special focus on climate change. Undoubtedly, such a document is going to have a meaningful impact on the climate debate at both the international … Read More.
A key tool for your toolkit: International law can advance women’s land tenure rights in REDD+
How can REDD+ be implemented without intensifying existing inequalities for women? Given that REDD+ is an international climate initiative with required social, environmental safeguards, how can advocates and community members use international law to advance women’s tenure rights in REDD+? Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) was designed to use forests to address … Read More.
Incorporating social and environmental protections in issues related to land, land use, and forests
Let’s seize the opportunities to advance rights related to forests and land in Bonn! Here’s how. Forests play a vital role in supporting the lives and livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities, protecting biodiversity, and, yes, mitigating climate change. For years, Parties, civil society and indigenous groups have been working out how to address … Read More.
We delivered your message: 10,000 People from 90 Countries Demand World Bank Respect Human Rights
This week the World Bank Spring Meetings kick off in Washington, DC, and we delivered your important messages. Yesterday, we delivered your message – amplified by more than 10,000 supporters from 90 countries – to the Executive Directors of World Bank: It’s time for World Bank President Jim Yong Kim to integrate human rights into … Read More.
El Salvador says “NO to a Kangaroo Court!”
The Australian Embassy is about 8 blocks of traffic, restaurants, and business offices northwest of the World Bank’s headquarters in Washington, DC– I know this because yesterday I walked the distance alongside a group of energized human rights activists. “El Salvador says no to a Kangaroo Court!” To us, the connection between the lunchtime rally … Read More.
Norway Divests from Tahoe Resources Based on Ethics Council’s Concerns at Guatemalan Mine
After more than three years embroiled in community conflicts, legal complaints, and violence, Tahoe Resources’ (Tahoe) controversial operations at its Escobal silver mine in Guatemala has cost the company a major investor: Norway’s sovereign wealth fund. Last week, Norway’s Government Pension Fund-Global, the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world, announced it has divested from … Read More.
Green Climate Fund Dos and Don’ts: The Case of REDD+
Last month, the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) met in Barbados for its 8th session. What’s the GCF? It’s a financial institution that is expected to channel billions of dollars to developing countries to help them in their efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. (Check out some of our blogs for … Read More.
Dear Tri-Caucus: Introducing the Tri-Caucus (Part II)
Dearest Friends, Colleagues, It is hard to believe that a year has passed since we formed the Tri-Caucus to improve coordination between those who focus specifically on rights related to REDD+. As we finalize last-minute logistics for the upcoming UN climate negotiations – the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) in Lima, Peru – I … Read More.
Introducing the Tri-Caucus: “It takes a village”
In the world of UN climate negotiations, in which 194 official parties, as well as hundreds of observers and representatives from civil society and indigenous groups, have different and complex agendas and priorities, meaningful progress to reduce emissions is a challenging feat. Ensuring that progress respects human rights and environmental integrity is even more so. … Read More.
Protecting Colombia’s Santurbán Páramo
Colombia’s thirty-four páramos are unique, high-altitude wetland ecosystems that serve as vital sources of freshwater for nearby inhabitants’ survival. To those who don’t directly rely on a healthy páramo ecosystem for life, however, these highlands have a different draw: precious metals buried deep beneath the surface. Therein lies the problem. In 1994, Greystar Resources Limited, … Read More.
Dear Norway, Please Divest. Sincerely, Future Generations
Last week, CIEL submitted a letter to an expert group that is tasked with evaluating whether Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the Government Pension Fund Global, should divest from companies engaged in the fossil fuel industry. At the end of November, the expert group will present its divestment recommendations. If Norway decides to divest, it will … Read More.
UN Launches Process on Transnational Corporate Accountability
The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) has decided to begin drafting an international treaty to hold transnational corporations accountable for human rights abuses. On June 26, 2014, the HRC voted in favor of a resolution to establish an intergovernmental working group that would create an instrument for regulating transnational corporations with regard to human … Read More.
Facing Goliath: CIEL lends David a (legal) hand
A new amicus brief supports human rights and environmental protection in El Salvador’s battle to uphold environmental laws against Pac Rim Mining Corporation’s lawsuit. On July 25, CIEL co-hosted a brownbag lunch discussion featuring Teodoro Antonio Pacheco, a Salvadoran environmental activist who is speaking out against the Pac Rim Mining Corporation’s (Pac Rim) most recent … Read More.
Delegation Urges Peruvian Embassy to Protect Human Rights Near Conga Mine
On May 23, 2014, a small delegation representing 80 human rights, environmental, indigenous, and faith-based organizations delivered a joint statement to the Peruvian Embassy in Washington, DC, calling for protection and justice for the people in Cajamarca, Peru, who are working to defend their land and their rights. The statement expresses concern for the violent … Read More.
Speaking Tour Brings Attention to Guatemala Mining Conflict and US’ Role
Tahoe Resource Inc.’s Escobal silver mine in the municipality of San Rafael Las Flores, southeastern Guatemala, is the subject of local opposition and ongoing legal processes. Community leaders have faced repression, criminalization, and violence for their efforts to promote consultation processes with local residents. Despite the conflict, Tahoe put the mine into operation even before … Read More.
We are all Forest Defenders: CIEL launches key rights tools for YOU to push for stronger international policy on REDD+
When you work on international environmental law and policy issues as I do, it can sometimes be challenging to feel optimistic. However, I am pleased to share at least two reasons to be hopeful. As the global community prepares for the climate discussions at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bonn, Germany, CIEL … Read More.
Going back to Bali, to Bali, to Bali…
We’re reporting back from Bali, Indonesia, where the February meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board took place, and excited to share an update on the progress we made and the challenges we face ahead! The GCF was created by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2010 to serve as the primary … Read More.
CIEL and enviro groups file lawsuit against US Export Import Bank over coal export investment
Today, CIEL and other environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the US Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) challenging the federal government’s financing for coal exports from the United States. In 2012, the Ex-Im Bank ─ a federal agency that has been funneling billions of US tax dollars into polluting energy projects abroad ─ provided a $90 … Read More.
Vienna +20 Action Week
In June 2013, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) around the world gathered at Vienna for the 20th anniversary of the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights and its Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. The CSOs held a two-day conference to precede the Vienna+20 Advancing the Protection of Human Rights Conference on June 25th organized by … Read More.
[Human Rights] In the CDM
Alyssa Johl (CIEL), Abby Rubinson (Earthjustice) and Weni Bagama (Ngabe activist from Kiad community in Panama) co-authored the following post for Climate Action Network’s ECO publication. After this weekend’s CDM reform workshop, ECO has new hope for the CDM’s ability to address human rights. For the first time in the history of the CDM, Parties … Read More.
CIEL Is In Bonn! REDD+ Safeguards And Incentivizing Other Forest Benefits
This week and next, CIEL’s Climate & Energy Team is in Bonn, Germany to participate in the UN Climate Change Conference. This conference is an interim meeting between the main negotiations where decisions are made (referred to as the COP) that take place every December. Bonn has become a second home to the Climate & … Read More.
“Land isn’t to be sold, it is to be defended”
As we arrive in La Puya, an enormous banner spans the breadth of the roadway: “The extraction of our natural resources only means progress for the foreigners. NO TO MINING.” Past the banner at the entrance to the “El Tambor” project, owned by U.S.-based Kappes, Cassidy and Associates, more than 50 people are gathered in … Read More.
Cowboys and Aliens … and Goldcorp?
What does the new blockbuster hit Cowboys and Aliens (starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig) have in common with the Marlin Mine in Guatemala? Or rather, what do cowboys, aliens and Goldcorp all have in common? An unquenchable thirst for gold. My most recent trip to the box office promised action, aliens, and Harrison Ford. … Read More.
Shareholder Activism: Vote Demands Suspension of Goldcorp Mine in Guatemala
We’re off to Vancouver! As I type this post at 30,000ft flying over Ontario, we are in crunch time preparing for Goldcorp’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Vancouver, BC this Wednesday, May 18th! CIEL is a member of the International Coalition Against Unjust Mining in Guatemala (CAMIGUA), which works to defend the rights of the … Read More.
The Real Cost of Gold: Undermining Human Rights in Guatemala
As the muted colors of the Guatemalan altiplano blurred by the tinted windows of the van, something in the valley caught my eye: an enormous, nearly glowing chartreuse-colored body of water. Closer inspection revealed this unnatural color emanated from the residual waters in the tailings pond of Goldcorp Inc.’s Marlin Mine in San Marcos, Guatemala. … Read More.
Colombian IP Agreement continues to Raise Human Rights Concerns
During Colombia’s periodic review by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, specifically the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, several recommendations were made relating to intellectual property (IP) rights. The official UN report can be found here and CIEL’s publications relating to Trade Agreements and IP can be accessed here. … Read More.