«Il n‘y a pas un monde développé et un monde sous-développé, mais un seul monde mal développé»
Transnational corporations (TNCs) have become major and powerful actors.
The activities of transnational corporations are a source of multiple human rights violations
In many cases, especially when victims are from the Global South, impunity prevails. TNCs are indeed able to evade national jurisdictions because of the unprecedented economic, financial and political power they command, their transnational character, their economic and legal flexibility and the complex structures they use to carry on their activities.
Since the late 90s, the CETIM is firmly committed to ending the impunity of transnational corporations and ensuring access to justice for the victims of their activities. The CETIM supports social movements, trade unions and organizations representing victims and affected communities from the Global South in their efforts to access the UN human rights protection mechanisms. And the CETIM is involved to their sides in the campaign for new binding international norms to end impunity, providing its support for their participation in the negotiations and the presentation of their proposals.
Access to justice for victims of TNCs
1. Although the United Kingdom – United States coalition, as occupying power, had absolutely no right over Iraq and its resources, the coalition has privatized the bulk of this sovereign country’s economy then handed it over to foreign corporations in the name of reconstruction. Paul Bremer, the civil administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority named […]
Continue readingBy publishing his report on the reform of the United Nations, on the 21st of March 20051, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan caused quite a stir. Entitled ‘In Larger Freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all’ the document starts impressively, however, the contents hardly live up to the title’s promise. In fact, although […]
Continue readingI. The mandate of the Working Group on transnational corporations The resolution 2005/69 of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) totally ignores the work accomplished since many years by the Sub-Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, including the Draft “Norms” adopted in 2003. Both the AAJ and CETIM have serious reservations concerning […]
Continue reading1. It is almost ten years since the issue of an Optional Protocol to the ICESCR is at the Commission on Human Rights and it is necessary to note that the process that should lead to the adoption of a protocol is making progress with an extreme slowness, not to say that it has gone […]
Continue reading1. Already more than a century ago, at the 1889 Inter-American Conference in Washington, a proposal was made that Latin American countries integrate their economies into that of the United States. This project, which included a customs union, and, in its more audacious draft, a common currency, ultimately failed. After months of negotiations, the Latin […]
Continue reading
