For Immediate Release November 19, 2012 Contact: Niranjali Amerasinghe, 202-288-2204 Washington, DC – A new report released today by the World Bank, “Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C World Must be Avoided,” delivers a clear-eyed assessment that continued inaction by the world’s governments is putting us on a trajectory to a world that … Read More.
For Immediate Release November 21, 2012 Contacts: Amanda Kistler – Center for International Environmental Law: [email protected] Kelsey Alford-Jones – Guatemala Human Rights Commission: [email protected] (Washington, D.C.) – In the context of growing threats against human rights defenders, particularly those working in defense of the rights of indigenous peoples and the right to a healthy environment, … Read More.
For Immediate Release 23 October 2012 CIEL, together with a broad coalition of environmental, consumer and labor organizations, expressed deep concerns today about the conclusions of the second regulatory review of nanomaterials, published by the European Commission on October 3rd. Today, in the open letter sent to the European Commission, CIEL and partner non-governmental organizations … Read More.
Proposed Policies at World Bank at Odds with Kim’s New Vision: Civil Society Fears World Bank Social and Environmental Policies will be Weakened For Immediate Release October 11, 2012 TOKYO – As participants at the Annual Meeting of the World Bank wait for President Kim’s announcement on major changes at the World Bank, civil society … Read More.
October, 2012 From the 1-5th of October 2012, the UNCITRAL Working Group II on arbitration and conciliation (WG) met in Vienna to negotiate a legal standard on transparency in treaty-based investor-state arbitration. The WG continued with the second reading of the draft rules on transparency currently under consideration. Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Norway, South … Read More.
For Immediate Release September 23, 2012 For more information, please contact: In Geneva, Switzerland: David Azoulay: +41-75 78 75 756 (mobile); or [email protected] In Washington, D.C, USA: Baskut Tuncak: +1 206 669 7203; or [email protected] (Nairobi, Kenya) – Late Friday night, over 540 participants, representing more than 150 governments, and other SAICM stakeholders from international … Read More.
For Immediate Release August 17, 2012 WASHINGTON, D.C.—In the wake of tragic violence at the Marikana platinum mine in South Africa this week, the Center for International Environmental Law is calling on the World Bank to revisit its investment in the company that operates the mine. The World Bank Group owns at least $15 … Read More.
For Immediate Release 6 July 2012 Geneva–The Center for International Environmental Law welcomes the appointment Professor John Knox as the first United Nations Independent Expert on Human Rights and the Environment. The United Nations Human Rights Council established the Independent Expert mandate in a landmark resolution on Human Rights and the Environment in April, and … Read More.
For Immediate Release July 20, 2012 For more information, please contact: In Amsterdam, for CIEL, Kris Genovese: +31-65-277-3272 (mobile); or [email protected]. Follow on twitter @ciel_tweets In Ottawa, for MiningWatch Canada, Jennifer Moore: 613-569-3439; or [email protected]. Follow on twitter @miningwatch Guatemala’s Highest Court to Hear Landmark Indigenous Challenge of Mining Law (Washington, D.C.) – Today, Guatemala’s … Read More.
For Immediate Release 6 June 2012 The Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR), the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and Katiba Institute have intervened as amici curiae before the High Court of Kenya in a legal challenge of the Lamu Port – Southern Sudan – Ethiopia Transport project. The GI-ESCR … Read More.
Compliance Advisor Ombudsman will undertake an audit of project after a complaint on IFC’s involvement was received from Kosovo’s Energy Union For Immediate Release 23 May 2012 WASHINGTON, D.C.—The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector lending arm of the World Bank Group, has been providing advice to the Government of Kosovo on how to … Read More.
Private funds often lack transparency, accountability and can lead to land grabs April 18, 2012 Oxfam and CIEL today call for greater scrutiny and control of the funding for development channeled through financial intermediaries such as private equity funds, banks and credit agencies. The international agency is concerned that the new model of lending, increasingly … Read More.
March 23, 2012 CIEL and Earthjustice, working closely with Maldives, Costa Rica and Switzerland, obtained from the UN Human Rights Council a resolution on Human Rights & Environment that establishes an Independent Expert on Human Rights and the Environment. This Council resolution was adopted by consensus in its recently concluded 19th Session, with more than … Read More.
5 March 2012 CIEL’s report on Environmental Impact Assessments in Practice contributes to the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food regarding “Guiding principles on human rights impact assessments of trade and investment agreements“. Additional info on CIEL’s contribution to the expert seminar on Human Rights Impact Assessments for Trade and … Read More.
February 6, 2012 Geneva— REACH, the European Union’s primary regulation on chemicals is failing to identify or control nanomaterials. That is the conclusion of “Just Out of REACH: How REACH is failing to regulate nanomaterials and how it can be fixed,” a new report by the nonprofit Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL). Nanomaterials, tiny … Read More.
For Immediate Release January 5, 2012 Contact Information: Jennifer Moore, MiningWatch Canada, jen(at)miningwatch.ca, 613-569-3439 Kristen Genovese, Center for International Environmental Law, [email protected], 202-742-5831 (Ottawa/Washington, D.C.) The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and MiningWatch Canada today expressed deep concern at the political pressure being brought to bear on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), … Read More.
Update, March 4, 2013 Oil palm is one of the major emerging threats in the Amazon, particularly because it often results in the clear-cutting of large tracts of remaining forest. As part of the Sustainable Loreto Project, we are analyzing satellite images to both document recent deforestation and predict future deforestation, all with the aim … Read More.
For Immediate Release December 11, 2011 DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA—According to the Center for International Environmental Law, countries meeting here narrowly avoided failure this morning but fell far short of the rapid and dramatic action climate science says is needed. Negotiators agreed an 11th hour plan that kept the 20 year process from spiraling into chaos … Read More.
Belgrade, November 2011 Over 140 participants from governments, UN agencies, and NGO representatives of business and the public interest reached general agreement on the agenda for a pivotal global meeting next year on chemicals. The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) is a non-binding international agreement to protect human health and the environment. But progress … Read More.
Update: December 11, 2011: At Climate Talks: Nations agree to do tomorrow what they should have done yesterday The Bigger Picture The first set of commitments by developed countries to reduce emissions under the Kyoto Protocol end in 2012. It’s almost the end of 2011 and, so far, negotiations to determine climate action beyond 2012 … Read More.
For Immediate Release November 3, 2011 Washington, D.C. and Ottawa – The legacy of Goldcorp’s Marlin mine in Guatemala “could well be ecological devastation and impoverishment” finds a new study from Tufts University’s Global Development and Environment Institute (GDAE). When the long-term environmental risks of the open-pit gold and silver mine are put in the … Read More.
October 2011 The European Commission adopted a recommendation for a definition of nanomaterials on October 18, 2011. The definition responds to a 2009 resolution by the European Parliament for a comprehensive, science-based definition to apply across a range of existing laws on chemicals, pesticides and other substances. David Azoulay, CIEL Managing Attorney in Geneva and … Read More.
The Tenth Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention on the theme of “Prevention, minimization and recovery of wastes” concluded on Oct. 21, 2011, following the adoption of several momentous decisions. First, COP 10 made a historical breakthrough with respect to entry into force of the Ban Amendment. The Ban Amendment was adopted by … Read More.
CIEL welcomes the adoption of the Maastricht Principles on Extra-Territorial Obligations (ETOs) of States in the area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. These international legal principles clarify the human rights obligations of States beyond their own borders. The Maastricht Principles constitute the outcome of the deliberations of a group of 40 distinguished experts in … Read More.
Amicus Curiae Brief Focuses on Transboundary Environmental and Human Rights Impacts of Aerial Spraying of Herbicides in Ecuador For Immediate Release October 11, 2011 Contact: Dr. Marcos Orellana, Center for International Environmental Law, (202) 742-5847, or [email protected]. Update: On the 21st of November, 2011, US District Judge Richard Roberts ordered that the motion to file … Read More.
September 30, 2011 – Geneva, Switzerland At the 18th Session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, following several weeks of tense negotiations, the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Toxic Wastes was renewed. Since 1996, the Special Rapporteur on Toxic Wastes has reported to the U.N. Human Rights Council on the impacts of e-waste, shipbreaking, … Read More.
23 September 2011 At the 18th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, CIEL and its partners are leading a civil society call to defend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Toxic Waste. This mandate is established for three years and has been regularly renewed since 1995. At the 18th session of the … Read More.
For Immediate Release September 21, 2011 Ottawa—Effective September 19th, Goldcorp has been removed from the Dow Jones North America Sustainability Index. The announcement comes in the context of ongoing allegations of human rights violations and evidence of environmental contamination in communities affected by Goldcorp’s mining activities. “Goldcorp’s removal from the Dow Jones Sustainability Index will … Read More.
July 22, 2011 This week, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a new draft treaty text designed to protect human health and the environment from mercury pollution. During the second round of negotiations (INC-2) in January of 2011, countries negotiating requested that UNEP prepare a new draft of the treaty to reflect the full … Read More.
12 July 2011 Washington D.C. As an United Nations panel of technical experts prepares to deliberate on the suspension of coal projects that, if approved, could lead to hundreds of millions of artificial carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM), the CDM Executive Board registers another contested “Ultra Mega” coal project. Days after the … Read More.
Migration is the repeated seasonal movement to and from a breeding area. The linking of individuals or populations of a given species within its range, including its breeding, migration, and wintering areas, is known as migratory connectivity. In this Article, we discuss how new technologies and approaches are enhancing our knowledge of migratory connectivity, which … Read More.
June 24, 2011 Proposed federal legislation to revamp the outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) could pave the way for the United States to join three important international treaties, according to a new CIEL publication. “U.S. Law and the Stockholm POPs Convention: Analysis of treaty-implementing provisions in pending legislation,” reviews the Safe Chemicals Act (S. … Read More.
May 2, 2011 Geneva – April 29, 2011. Over 160 countries reached agreement to phase out endosulfan, a dangerous pesticide still used around the world. The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants lists 21 other chemicals that are toxic, long-lasting, and prone to accumulate in the food chain and in people. The decision was strongly … Read More.
On April 22, 2011, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) submitted a legal analysis of shipbreaking to the Secretariat of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. This submission, along with other submissions made by the Parties to the Basel Convention, will be discussed at the … Read More.
“The Safe Chemicals Act of 2011,” a bill introduced April 14 by Senator Lautenberg and co-sponsored by Senators Schumer, Boxer and Klobuchar, would overhaul the woefully outdated Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA). CIEL welcomes this proposal because it provides an important opportunity for Congress to address the concerns of millions of Americans about … Read More.
April 15, 2011 On March 18, 2011, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on human rights and the environment (A/HRC/16/L.7 available via the 16th session of the Council’s website), by consensus, highlighting the human rights impacts of environmental degradation, and calling on States to adopt a human rights-based approach to sustainable development. CIEL … Read More.
For Immediate Release March 21, 2011 WASHINGTON, DC. The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), www.ciel.org, a leading non-profit that uses international law to defend the right to a healthy planet, today announced the release of a new report, “Fossilized Thinking: The World Bank, Eskom, and the Real Cost of Coal.” The report examines the … Read More.
March 4, 2011 Washington, DC: On May 20, 2011, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), on behalf of civil society organizations of the Mesa Nacional Frente a la Minería Metálica (Mesa), filed a revised amicus curiae brief in the Pac Rim Cayman LLC v. Republic of El Salvador case, per instructions of the arbitral tribunal constituted under the International Center … Read More.
March 9, 2011 On March 2, 2011, CIEL, along with some 60 civil society organizations from different regions of the world, submitted a letter to the Vice President and CEO of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Lars Thunell. The Joint Civil Society Statement on IFC’s Draft Sustainability Framework expresses civil society’s concern with IFC’s failure … Read More.
February 24, 2011 On February 24-25, CIEL participates in an expert meeting to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development, and to examine the progress made to realize this right. Organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for … Read More.
February 15, 2011 On February 15, 2011, CIEL talked with KPCC-FM, the Los Angeles affiliate and Southern California Public Radio flagship station, about the unprecedented verdict against the Chevron Corporation for causing environmental destruction and violating human rights in Ecuador. In one of the largest judgments ever handed down in an environmental case, a judge … Read More.
February 2, 2011 The World Bank currently is proposing measures that would undermine the independence and effectiveness of its Inspection Panel. The World Bank Inspection Panel is a quasi-independent mechanism created to make the Bank more accountable to people affected by Bank financing. The Panel provides a forum for people affected by a Bank-funded project … Read More.
February 11, 2011 This week, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) resumes negotiations on including transparency and access to information in its rules for investor-State arbitrations at the United Nations headquarters in New York. CIEL, together with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), has spearheaded the efforts to include transparency, access to information and … Read More.
Experts from the Global South to share their experiences with human rights and private investment at the IFC February 1, 2011 Washington, DC–Multinational corporations, international financial institutions (IFIs), and free trade and investment agreements drive development projects that often violate the human rights and legitimate interests of the peoples whose lives will be affected. With … Read More.
December 2010 CANCUN, MEXICO. December 11, 2010—As climate talks ended today with an important package of decisions, the Center for International Environmental Law applauded the outcome as a reaffirmation of the multilateral process. Parties meeting here took important practical steps forward, including mandates to establish a new climate fund, develop guidelines on reporting, and establish … Read More.
2010 Inaugural Recipient of the Frederick R. Anderson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Addressing Climate Change: Alliance of Small Island States The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) is pleased to award the inaugural Frederick R. Anderson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Addressing Climate Change to the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). For two … Read More.
November 19 2010 The Center for International Environmental Law and the European Environmental Bureau submitted proposals today to the European Commission for a definition of the term “nanomaterials.” Supported by over 40 organizations from 22 countries on five continents, CIEL and EEB prepared their proposal as part of a public consultation on the European Commission’s … Read More.
CIEL holds Hearing at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on the Situation of Environmentalists in Mesoamerica On October 25, 2010, at 10.15-11.00am, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), along with five environmental defenders from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Panama, provided testimony before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) … Read More.
March 11, 2010 Today, nearly 100 civil society organizations from 38 countries are demanding that World Bank Group lending to private corporations be much more responsive to environmental and social concerns. A letter submitted to the director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Lars Thunell, describes that IFC’s lack of transparency and supervision, failure to … Read More.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 24, 2010 Washington, D.C.-Guatemala’s President Alvaro Colom announced yesterday that he is suspending operations at the Marlin mine, which is operated by Vancouver-based Goldcorp, Inc. According to the Guatemalan government, the process to shut down the mine might take months. The Center for International Environmental Law and MiningWatch Canada are calling … Read More.
June 21, 2010 On May 31 and June 1, 2010, the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), for the first time, webcast its hearing in real-time to the public in the Pac Rim Cayman LLC v. Republic of El Salvador case (ICSID Case No. ARB/09/12). ICSID based its decision on Article 10.21.2 of … Read More.
May 2010 Proposed federal legislation to overhaul U.S. regulation of chemicals could pave the way for the United States to join three important international treaties, according to the new CIEL study, “Analysis of POPs Treaty Implementing Provisions in Senate and House TSCA Reform Bills.” The CIEL analysis, prepared by Glenn Wiser and Daryl Ditz, offers … Read More.
Resource Page The Center for International Environmental Law is part of an international coalition working with Guatemalan organizations to defend the rights of communities adversely affected by Goldcorp and other Canadian mining companies in Guatemala. Press Releases: Guatemala Suspends Marlin Mine: Human rights and environmental organizations applaud the decision, urge President Colom’s government to protect communities … Read More.
For Immediate Release March 11, 2010 Today, nearly 100 civil society organizations from 38 countries are demanding that World Bank Group lending to private corporations be much more responsive to environmental and social concerns. A letter submitted to the director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Lars Thunell, describes that IFC’s lack of transparency and … Read More.
For Immediate Release March 2010 The Canadian National Contact Point (NCP) decided last week to admit a complaint filed on behalf of affected community groups in Guatemala against Canadian gold company Goldcorp. The complaint, involving Goldcorp’s Marlin mine, was filed in Ottawa in December 2009 by two Guatemalan representatives on behalf of their community organization. … Read More.
Fifty-three African governments meeting in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire on 28th January unanimously adopted an ambitious resolution on nanotechnologies and manufactured nanomaterials. CIEL played a leading role in assisting government delegates in the development and drafting of the resolution. Delegates adopted the resolution while meeting at the African regional meeting on the Strategic Approach to International … Read More.
February, 2010 On February 16, 2010, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) filed an amicus curiae brief in the case of Miguel Ignacio Fredes Gonzales y Andrea Tuczek Fries v. Chile, involving access to information on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). The case is currently before the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR). This dispute … Read More.
December 22, 2009 Describing the current marketing of nano applications as a “life-scale experiment,” CIEL Senior Attorney David Azoulay called for the establishment of governance mechanisms based on precaution and sustainability for nanomaterials at recent workshops organized by the United Nation Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development … Read More.
December 16, 2009 CIEL joined 45 environmental, health, and justice groups today who wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson seeking their support for congressional action on toxic chemicals. The letter asks these senior administration officials to express their support for “strong legislation that will protect all Americans from dangerous … Read More.
For Immediate Release December 9, 2009 Ottawa-A coalition of community groups from San Miguel Ixtahuacán, Guatemala filed an OECD complaint with the Canadian government today, requesting an investigation into human rights violations committed by Goldcorp Inc. at the company’s Marlin gold mine. “The Marlin mine has divided our town, harassed protesters, and made us afraid … Read More.
November 2009 CIEL Senior Policy Advisor Darly Ditz testified before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection at a November 17, 2009 hearing on “Prioritizing Chemicals for Safety Determination.” The event demonstrates intensifying interest in revamping the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Drawing on international experiences with the Stockholm Convention on Persistent … Read More.
A Submission to the U.N. Special Representative to the Secretary General on Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises November 3, 2009 The Performance Standards on Social and Environmental Sustainability (Performance Standards) of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have become the most widely accepted framework among international project financiers to address social … Read More.
October 23, 2009 CIEL participated in the work of the U.S. State Department’s Sub-committee on Investment that led to a report regarding revisions to the 2004 Model Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). This report was presented to the U.S. State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy (ACIEP), which discussed it and transmitted it to the … Read More.
October 23, 2009 On October 5, 2009, the arbitral tribunal in the Piero Foresti, Laura De Carli and others v. the Republic of South Africa case, pending at the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), granted an NGO coalition the opportunity to file a written submission. The arbitral tribunal issued its decision almost … Read More.
September, 2009 From September 9-11, 2009, CIEL participated in an international seminar on States’ Extraterritorial Obligations Related to Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, held at Lancaster University in England. Organized by Lancaster University’s Law School, this workshop provided an opportunity to examine the theoretical and practical aspects of the concepts of extraterritorial human rights obligations … Read More.
Updated August 2009 On July 31, CIEL along with a coalition of civil society organizations submitted written comments, as requested by the Obama Administration, in order to inform the Administration’s review of the U.S. model Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). As the Administration reviews the current model bilateral investment treaty to assess whether changes should be … Read More.
Center for International Environmental Law Opening Remarks, SCCR, 18th Session June 2009 Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Center for International Environmental Law, or CIEL, would like to urge this Committee to move as quickly as possible towards the creation of a new, international instrument on Exceptions and Limitations – in particular to address beneficial access … Read More.
May 2009 The Second International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM-2) was held in Geneva, Switzerland, during the week of May 11-15, 2009. Delegates from more than 122 countries and dozens of public interest advocates, business associations, trade unions, and other stakeholders gathered to discuss progress toward the ambitious goal to use and produce chemicals by … Read More.
May 13, 2009 CIEL is gravely concerned about the increasing frequency of cases involving human rights violations and environmental destruction. For example, on May 26, 2009, oil company Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) will stand trial in federal court in New York for complicity on egregious human rights and environmental abuses in Nigeria. Wiwa v. Shell … Read More.
March, 2009 CIEL participated in an International Conference on Extractive Industries and Indigenous Peoples, organized by the Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education (Tebtebba) in Manila, Philippines from 23-25 March 2009. The conference adopted the Manila Declaration, available here in English and Spanish. CIEL also participated in the International Expert Workshop on … Read More.
February 2009 World governments convening as the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) ended years of indecision when they agreed on February 20th in Nairobi, Kenya to commence negotiations on a treaty to tackle the global mercury pollution crisis. The decision was made possible, in part, by the United States’ dramatic reversal … Read More.
February 9, 2009 Yesterday, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) asked the President of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, to retract a letter written by the Agribusiness Department of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) that contains false and misleading statements regarding a pending complaint on biofuels. The letter jeopardizes imminent negotiations between the IFC … Read More.
For Immediate Release February 27, 2009 Washington, D.C.-In a report released this week, the Office of Accountability of the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation found that OPIC staff failed to ensure that indigenous peoples were adequately compensated for the impacts of an OPIC-supported silver mine, San Bartolomé, operated by U.S. mining company Coeur d’Alene Mines … Read More.
November 2008 At a meeting of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), CIEL explains that States have a duty under human rights law to cooperate with the aim to effectively combat climate change and protect human rights. On 22 October the OHCHR convened an open-ended consultation meeting on the relationship between … Read More.
November 2008 The Asian Development Bank’s proposed Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS) adopts the use of a “country safeguard systems” (CSS) approach to addressing the environmental and social impacts of projects the ADB funds. Pursuant to this approach, the ADB would use a country’s “system” — its legal and institutional framework — rather than the full … Read More.
CIEL applauds recommendation on global mercury policy framework October 2008 CIEL applauds the October 10, 2008 recommendation of governments on a global policy framework to address the mercury pollution crisis. Meeting as the second “ad hoc Open-ended Working Group on Mercury” (OEWG) in Nairobi, Kenya, government delegates from all regions, joined by representatives of environmental … Read More.
October 2008 In March, the UN Human Rights Council adopted by consensus a resolution, based on the Male’ Declaration, calling on the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct a study into the effects of climate change on the full enjoyment of human rights, especially economic, social and cultural rights; the … Read More.
On March 26, 2008 the U.N. Human Rights Council adopted by consensus a resolution on human rights and climate change. The resolution was co-sponsored by 69 countries. The resolution recognizes that climate change poses an immediate and far-reaching threat to people and communities around the world and has implications for the full enjoyment of human … Read More.
October 1, 2008 Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on business & human rights, John Ruggie, thanks CIEL and colleagues for the “extensive analysis” in their submission, “The International Finance Corporation’s performance standards and the Equator Principles: respecting human rights and remedying violations?” Additional Materials: Statement by SRSG on Submission by the Bank Information Center … Read More.
September 2008 The Sixth Forum of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemicals Safety (IFCS) met in Dakar Senegal, 15-19 September, 2008. Due to the adoption of the SAICM by the first International Conference on Chemical Safety (ICCM) in 2006, the most critical question facing Forum VI was whether it should continue to exist and, if it … Read More.
August 7, 2008 A new study finds that international project financiers, including the leading international banks and the International Finance Corporation, do not have a robust framework for minimizing the social risks posed by their projects. The study — “The International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standard and the Equator Principles: Respecting Human Rights and Remedying Violations?” … Read More.
August 4, 2008 The importance of submissions by non-governmental organizations was acknowledged by the investor – State arbitration tribunal of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in the case of Biwater v. Tanzania. In various passages, the tribunal deemed a brief by NGOs to “provide a very useful initial context for the … Read More.
Increased transparency in WTO dispute settlement achieved July 30, 2008 The first-ever public viewing of World Trade Organization (WTO) Appellate Body procedures took place via closed circuit broadcasting in Geneva on 28 and 29 July. The hearings were made public at the request of the parties to the dispute (EC, Canada, US). Some members participating … Read More.
July 2008 This is the first time that an Appellate Body hearing will be open to the public, and this is an important step forward toward the type of transparency that should occur at the WTO. The Appellate Body’s oral hearing on these disputes will be held on July 28 and 29, 2008 at the … Read More.
July 3, 2008 New York – On June 27, 2008, the main body of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) reached consensus that the UNCITRAL arbitration rules should provide for transparency in arbitrations brought by investors against States, referred to as investor-State arbitrations. It mandated the group currently revising those rules (Working … Read More.
Friday, 27 June in New York, a UN body will make a critical decision about whether new arbitration rules will include transparency in investment arbitrations against States. “While secrecy may be appropriate for arbitrations between private parties, the lack of transparency is unacceptable in arbitrations brought by foreign investors against States,” said Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder of … Read More.
On May 6, 2008 CIEL organized a workshop in Geneva with developing country delegates and other stakeholders to discuss a new CIEL paper on Suspending IP Obligations Under TRIPS: A viable alternative to enforcing prevailing WTO rulings? The paper provides a comprehensive introduction and analysis of the opportunities and problems surrounding intellectual property (IP) cross-retaliation. … Read More.