National and transnational corporations and Human Rights - Declaration
Declaration signed up by more than 100 organizations on the occasion a Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights for Latin America and the Caribbean in Medellín.
DECLARATION
On the occasion of the announcement made by the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, the Regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNDP) and the Government of Colombia regarding a Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights for Latin America and the Caribbean to be held in the city of Medellín, Colombia, from 28 and August 30, 2013:
Latin American communities along with regional and international organizations demand justice against the systematic human rights violations, pollution, exploitation and destruction of our territories and natural heritage perpetrated by national and transnational corporations. We emphasize that voluntary standards such as the United Nation‟s Ruggie Guiding
Principles are insufficient and incompatible with the protection of human rights and contribute to the impunity enjoyed by corporations who commit such violations on the continent in collusion with nation states.
Around the world transnational corporations (TNC) and their subsidiaries have become economic and political actors with an almost insurmountable ability to impose their interests. Through economic power TNC‟s are able to influence legal frameworks and build an
architecture of impunity that leaves them outside the realm of human rights regulations, and able to undermine democratic structures.
At the same time, TNCs have influenced policies and agreements to promote and protect investments at an unprecedented rate to the detriment of social security systems,
environmental protections and social justice across the continent.
This situation has led to a state of disproportionate impunity and absolute defenselessness for victims of domestic and international policies of commodification of life and nature. In this sense the legitimacy and independence of regional, national and international bodies
responsible for defending the primacy of human rights as something urgent and essential are threatened.
Voluntary Standards
The role of the UN is to achieve peace and seek to respect international law. For this purpose actual mechanisms are required to sanction companies and their executives who commit crimes against the population. This mandate should be designed to consolidate and strengthen the regulation and sanction of companies that violate human rights and require states to protect, respect and guarantee rights threatened by these violations.
Therefore, it is wrong that the Working Group on Business and Human Rights focus its efforts on promoting voluntary standards. The Ruggie Principles do not represent legally binding rules for companies and have no real incentive to implement what they themselves recommend. They start from the premise that human rights are negotiable by the business sector.
Considering the gravity of the lack of punishment for crimes, many systematic, that have been and continue to be committed by corporations on the continent and around the world, a Regional Forum of Latin American and Caribbean Working Group should not simply promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a moral duty based on social expectations instead of legally binding obligations for corporations. Not only this approach is inconsistent with the underlying rationale for the protection of human rights in the Americas, it actually puts them in danger.
Corporate Capture and Revolving Doors
Transnational corporations enjoy privileged access to the negotiating and multilateral discussion spaces of United Nations. Several of the UN experts in the field of business and human rights have strong linkages with TNCs involved in the violation of human rights. This behavior creates clear conflicts of interest and also contributes to a shattering confidence in the UN system.
For example, Alexandra Guáqueta was a consultant for the mining company Cerrejón as well as the company‟s representative to the Mining and Energy Committee of the Presidential Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Program of the Colombian government, which brings together corporations, the armed forces. Guáqueta, who was also a director of the Oxy Petroleum Colombia, has become the Latin American representative on the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights. Both Cerrejón and Oxy Petroleum have been implicated for their role in human rights violations in Colombia.
For his part, John Ruggie left his post as the Secretary General's Special Rapporteur on Business and Human Rights to serve as a special consultant to the Canadian mining company Barrick Gold. This company has been implicated in multiple crimes against the rights of communities affected by its mining operations in Peru, the Dominican Republic, Argentina and Chile.
Those in charge of the mandate of the UN Working Group should be totally independent of any business operation. The revolving door between level positions within states and institutions and large private companies encourages corruption. Sensitive information
available to people in the public sector can be exploited by corporate interests, which usually enjoy supremacy in the public sector without any democratic control.
In the face of this situation we ask the organs of United Nations and especially the Human Rights Council and the Working Group:
Regarding Compulsory Standards
1. That they move towards the adoption of a binding international instrument on States, Business and Human Rights that will include a mechanism for victims to bring forward cases in order to obtain effective remediation and gain access to international justice.
2. That the Working Group promotes compliance with mandatory national and international standards for corporations. These include those related to human rights, the environment, labor and freedom of association, corruption, autonomy and self-determination, among others.
3. That the Working Group demand that those States that have not already done so, incorporate in their legislation the criminal liability of corporations as legal persons.
Furthermore, that this liability should be extended internationally.
4. That the Working Group creates an international court of human rights or International Economic Court that will have the ability to investigate and prosecute international economic actors.
5. Encourage States to create mechanisms that will force corporations to compensate the victims of their activities recognizing that these states exercise jurisdiction, territorial or extraterritorial, applying the jurisdiction that the victims themselves choose, which will include civil, collective and criminal penalties, among others.
Regarding the corporate capture of States and the United Nations
1. That the Working Group refrain from the appointment of corporate actors to positions dealing with the corporate sector and human rights
2. That the Working Group creates a mechanism that will control any interference by people representing business interests in issues and instances of human rights and public policy. Part of this mechanism will create a „cooling off‟ period for persons entering or leaving the national or international public sector respectively in order to avoid conflicts of interest that are detrimental to society.
3. That the Working Group publicizes the biographies of people nominated to such an office.
4. That States, intergovernmental organizations and the UN not allow the participation of corporations in shaping policies.
Regarding the participation of impacted communicates and civil society organizations 1. That the Working Group generate real and effective mechanisms for participation in order to ensure that the representatives of the affected communities from various sectors and social movements have the ability express their views and present their cases in the United Nations Framework.
2. That the opinions and views of those communities, movements and organizations are presented in a transparent way and meaningfully taken into account in the construction and implementation of the policies of the United Nations system.
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We call on organizations and communities to redouble efforts in demanding accountability and morality from nation states, multilateral organizations and corporations in order to gain rights and victim reparations as well as guarantees of non-repetition.
We encourage solidarity, reflection and collaborative efforts with trade unions, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants and farmers from the region
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CENSAT AGUA VIVA – AMIGOS DE LA TIERRA COLOMBIA COLECTIVO DE ABOGADOS JOSÉ ALVEAR RESTREPO FIAN INTERNACIONAL
ILSA COLOMBIA
TRASNATIONAL INSTITUTE TNI
FECON (Federación Ecologista), Costa Rica
Food First Information and Action Network México - FIAN Sección México, México IBFAN (International baby Food Action network), Suiza
Instituto Mexicano para el Desarrollo Comunitario – IMDEC, México
Plataforma Colombiana de Derechos Humanos, Democracia y Desarrollo, Colombia Acción Ecológica, Ecuador
Alternative Development and Information Centre (AIDC), Sudáfrica Amigos de la Tierra América Latina y el Caribe, América Latina Amigos de la Tierra Argentina, Argentina
Amigos de la Tierra España, España Arlac, Bélgica
Artiulação de Mulheres Brasileiras AMB, Brasil Asociación Ambiental CHINAMPA,
Asociación de Trabajo Interdisciplinario-ATI, Colombia
"Asociación Familiares de Detenidos-Desaparecidos de Guatemala, FAMDEGUA", Guatemala
Asociación Nacional de Ayuda Solidaria ANDAS,
Asociación Raxch' och' Oxlaju Aj (Tierra Verde 13 Aj) AROAJ, Guatemala ATTAC- Argentina, Argentina
Bloque Popular, Honduras CADTM-AYNA, Américas
Campaña Justicia Climática, El Salvador
Campaña Global para Desmantelar el Poder Corporativo, América Latina. Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA), Saint Lucia CEDAL-Centro de Derechos y Desarrollo, Perú
"Center for Women's Global Leadership, Rutgers University", EUA Central America Women's Network (CAWN),
Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos “Segundo Montes Mozo S.J.” (CSMM), Ecuador
Centro de Estudios Sociales y Culturales Antonio de Montesinos – CAM (México), México COECO Ceiba Amigos de la Tierra Costa Rica, Costa Rica
COKOMAL, Costa Rica
COLECTIVO POR LA PROTECCIÓN DE LA PROVINCIA DE SUGAMUXI, Colectivo RETS (Respuestas a las Empresas Transnacionales), España
Colibrí: Publicación en Lenguas Originarias, México Comisión Ecuménica de Derechos Humanos,
Comisión Nacional de Enlace (CNE), Costa Rica Comité de Mujeres de la ASC, Américas
Common frontiers, Canadá CONACAMI, Perú
Consejo de investigaciones en desarrollo CIID, Guatemala CONSEJO INDÍGENA ANDINO DEL PERU, Perú
Coordinación por los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas (CODPI) - Estado español, España Corporación Ecológica y Cultural Penca de Sábila, Colombia
Corporación jurídica libertad, Colombia DECA Equipo Pueblo, México
Democracy Center, Bolivia
Ecologistas en Acción, Estado Español Ecosistemas, Chile
El Movimiento Agrario Indígena Zapatista MAIZ AC, México Escuela de pensamiento ambiental de Cartago, Colombia Escuela Nacional Sindical, Colombia
"Espacio de Coordinación de Organizaciones Civiles sobre Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales (Espacio DESC)", México
FIAN Colombia, Colombia FIAN Ecuador, Ecuador
"FOCO, Foro Ciudadano de Participación por la Justicia y los Derechos Humanos", Argentina
Focus on the Global South, Tailandia
Frente Nacional de Resistencia Popular FNRP, Honduras "Fresh Eyes- People to People Travel cic"
Friends of the Earth España, Estado Español Friends of the Earth International,
Friends of the Earth New Zeland, Nueva Zelanda Friends of the Earth Sierra Leona, Sierra Leona FRONTERAS COMUNES A.C., México Fundación Solón, Bolivia
FUNPROCEP, Colombia Global Resistance, EEUU
Grupos Ecológicos de Risaralda - GER, Colombia
Hegoa Instituto de Estudios sobre Desarrollo y Cooperación Internacional del País Vasco, Estado Español
"IBFAN LAC - International Baby Food Action Network, LATINO AMERICA Y CARIBE", América Latina y Caribe
"India Resource Center," India Industriall Global Union, Global
Iniciativa Solidaria Internacionalista de Burgos, España Irish Doctors' Environmental Association (IDEA), Irlanda JA - Friends of the Earth Moçambique, Mozambique Jubileo Sur Américas, Américas
Laboratorio de Paz, Venezuela Les Amis de la Terre France, Francia Movimiento Ríos Vivos, Colombia NOAH Friends of the Earth, Dinamarca "Observatorio "Ojo de Pescado” Colombia
Observatorio de la Deuda en la Globalización, ODG, España
Observatorio de las Empresas Transnacionales de FOCO, Argentina
Observatorio de Multinacionales en América Latina - Paz con dignidad, Estado Español Oficina Internacional de Derechos Humanos Acción Colombia - OIDHACO, Europa PAPDA, Haití
Pastoral Social de la Diócesis de San Marcos, Guatemala Plataforma Descam Uruguay, Uruguay
Please include the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), Filipinas Polaris Institute, Canadá
REBRIP, Brasil
RED CARIBE DE USUARIOS(AS) DE SERVICIOS PÚBLICOS, Red Costarricense de Agendas Locales de Mujeres, Costa Rica Red Internacional de Derechos Humanos RIDH, Suiza
Rede Brasil sobre Instituições Financeiras Multilaterais, Brasil RITA: Red Indígena de Turismo de México, México
Sintracarbón, Colombia
SINTRAMIENERGETICA SECCIONAL EL PASO CESAR, Colombia Soldepaz. Pachakuti, España
Tejido de Comunicación - ACIN, Colombia
Unidad de Protección a Defensoras y Defensores de Derechos Humanos - Guatemala (UDEFEGUA), Guatemala
Unidad Ecológica Salvadoreña UNES, El Salvador
