Challenging corporate impunity: First draft of a treaty on corporate human rights obligations

The UN Human Rights Council is negotiating a treaty to end corporate impunity for human rights violations. The open-ended intergovernmental working group on “transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights” completed its fourth round of negotiations in October, where they discussed the so-called “Zero Draft” of a treaty on transnational corporations, or “TNC Treaty.” … 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.

Deregulation through the EU-Canada Trade Agreement: Four Case Studies

The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is designed to facilitate the unfettered expansion of trade between the EU and Canada, including by limiting the regulatory burden for companies in both jurisdictions. This means harmonizing regulations, which historically has meant reducing them to the lowest common denominator; reducing the discretion regulators have to tailor … Read More.

Trade and Sustainable Development: Friend or Foe?

In most international organizations, including the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), conventional wisdom is that international trade supports sustainable development. “Trade growth enhances a country’s income generating capacity, which is one of the essential prerequisites for achieving sustainable development,” the WTO noted in the 2016 UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable … Read More.

UNCITRAL Looks Narrowly at the Problems with Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS)

November 27 – December 1, more than 40 governments met as part of a working group of the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) to discuss reforms to the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system. The conversation focused primarily on identifying problems with ISDS, while potential solutions — including the EU’s proposed Multilateral Investment Court … 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.

Little Transparency After Three Rounds of NAFTA Renegotiations

Negotiators from Canada, Mexico, and the United States met behind closed doors for the third round of NAFTA renegotiations in late September, leaving the general public in the dark about how issues were discussed and without any opportunity to provide input. The first three rounds of negotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) … Read More.

Negotiators should eliminate NAFTA’s corporate power grab

Today, negotiators from the United States, Mexico, and Canada completed the second round of NAFTA negotiations in Mexico City. Despite calls from across the continent for a NAFTA that is better for the environment, workers, and public health, negotiators seem intent on keeping one of its worst provisions: investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). Sign the petition … Read More.

NAFTA 2.0? What does a renegotiated NAFTA mean, and what can we do about it?

In January, Donald Trump officially withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Today, he notified Congress of his intention to “modernize” and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), starting a 90 day clock on reopening these negotiations. NAFTA, a free trade agreement negotiated by the governments of the United States, Mexico, and Canada, entered into force in January 1994. … Read More.

Is the EU its own worst enemy in trade and investment agreements?

This week, the latest round of the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations are underway in New York. More than three years into negotiations of TTIP, the European Union and the United States have hit a wall. Some are blaming this on the demagogic demands of activists. Others say it is a result of … Read More.

Voice for the People – A project for trade and democracy

Voice for the People (V4P) is a network of organizations and individuals dedicated to the idea that globalization can and must support local communities and encourage democracy. At V4P, we believe in the power of people to create a better world. People power is responsible for forging our most vital social gains and cherished institutions—from … 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.

Proposed Amendment to “Fast Track” Threatens to Derail US Climate Policy

A proposed new provision in the US Customs Bill has potentially severe implications for climate action both in the United States and internationally. The proposed language would amend the Trade Priorities and Accountability Act (TPA), better known as “fast track,” by including a US negotiating objective “to ensure that trade agreements do not require changes … Read More.

Mauritius Convention Boosts Trade Transparency

How lucky was your St. Paddy’s day this year? Likely, it brought more good fortune than you think. In the modern world we live in, full of high-tech information sharing and copious globalized trade, one might assume transparency measures to be a given aspect of international exchange. The fact of the matter is that such … Read More.

Where’s your seat at the table?

Sure, your local American drug store may sell very European-sounding makeup, but that is where the similarity ends. The laws that determine which ingredients are allowed are very different: the European Union bans 1300 potentially-hazardous chemicals vs. a mere 11 banned under United States law. Toxic freedom! Cosmetics Europe, which represents over 4000 individual cosmetics … Read More.

Lowest Common Denominator

US-EU trade agreement threatens to reduce environmental standards in favor of looser pesticide regulations Industry lobbyists are pushing proposals to weaken pesticide regulations in the EU and US under the proposed Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Agreement.  The ongoing TTIP negotiations between the EU and the US aims primarily to minimize regulatory differences between … 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.

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.

EU holds public consultations on TTIP investment chapter

Following public outcry over EU-US trade negotiations, the EU is holding three month public consultations on one of several controversial issues, Investor-to-State Dispute Settlement, or ISDS. Human rights, including the right to a healthy environment, are threatened by the possible inclusion of ISDS in the new free trade agreement being negotiated between the US and … Read More.

Setting the record straight on TTIP? Yes, let’s.

By Baskut Tuncak and Vito Buonsante Two weeks ago, at the start of the fourth round of “trade” negotiations between the EU and the US (officially the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement, or TTIP), the Center for International Environmental Law and ClientEarth issued a detailed critique of a document submitted to TTIP negotiators by … Read More.

Chemical Lobby proposes to reinvent and duplicate OECD Chemicals Program

A leaked joint proposal by US and EU chemical lobby groups, the ACC and CEFIC respectively, released during the latest round of negotiations for the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) shows that ACC and Cefic aim to slow and alter the pace of chemicals regulation in the EU.  None of the ideas in this … Read More.

The truth about the EU’s proposal on regulatory coherence

**This blog post is the second in a series discussing the chilling effects TTIP will likely have on laws to better protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals in both the United States and European Union. The Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is not a conventional trade agreement. TTIP is, at its heart, … Read More.

The Trans-Atlantic Regulatory Agreement (aka “TTIP”)

**This blog post is the first in a series discussing the chilling effects TTIP will likely have on laws to better protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals in both the United States and European Union. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is not a conventional trade agreement.  TTIP is a regulatory agreement … Read More.

TSCA overview at US House of Representatives highlights problems

On June 13th 2013, the Environment and Economy subcommittee in the US House of Representatives held a hearing to discuss the 1976 U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The House hearing was motivated by a recent bi-partisan bill in the Senate by Senator Vitter (R-LA) and the late Senator Lautenber (D-NJ). Deeply flawed and under … Read More.

Getting the IFC to respect & protect human rights.

Today, CIEL, along with Amnesty International, Bretton Woods Project, and International Accountability Project, submitted a letter to the Vice President and CEO of the IFC, Lars Thunell, urging the IFC to respect and protect human rights. What is the IFC? The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector lending arm of the World Bank, lends … Read More.

Marching on hot coals

On March 1, 2011, activists will hold rallies in cities around the world to mark a Day of Action, calling on the World Bank to phase out lending for fossil fuel generated power. For those who can’t attend in person, there will be virtual actions on the same day, which is very exciting! Most often, … 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.

World Bank discusses Trade and Climate Change

The World Bank, along with two other NGOs, held a panel discussion today on the trade implications of the ongoing climate negotiations. The final presentation, on Technology Transfer and Climate Change was the most substantive, as detailed below. The presentations did not address either labeling schemes, standards, border carbon adjustments, or subsidies. For an in … Read More.