Joint Civil Organizations call for fair investment policies.
On 28 February 2011, a letter signed by 120 NGOs was sent to the members of the Committee on International Trade. With this letter, the undersigned organizations call upon the European Parliament to support a more balanced investment policy.
The letter was sent on behalf of 91 Civil Society Organizations from the EU, and 29 from outside of Europe. In it, the organizations share their concern about currently existing international investment agreements which grant far reaching rights to foreign investors. One of the main concerns is that these agreements give multinational corporations, hedge funds and other foreign investors the right to sue sovereign states before international arbitration tribunals. Investors and law firms are increasingly making use of this possibility. They do not hesitate to challenge governments' social, environmental and economic regulations if these seem to reduce the profitability of their investments.
Since the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, the European Parliament has a decisive role in the Union's trade policy. Trade legislation and international trade agreements can now only be implemented with the agreement of the European Parliament. Within the European Parliament, the 'Committee on International Trade' (INTA) is the major decision maker on these issues. With their letter, the participating organizations call for a European investment policy that promotes sustainable development and decent work.
The full text of the letter with more detailed demands is available here.
In March and April 2011 the European Parliament will vote on its position regarding future investment agreements. Therefore, in the coming weeks, signatures and other support for this action will be collected to target media and EU institutions.
Any civil society organization, trade union, political party, municipality or other initiative that would like to sign on to the statement can do so by sending an e-mail to: info@s2bnetwork.org The subject title of the email should be "Just EU Investment Policy now! - Signature".
Individuals are also invited to show their support: they can sign up to an online petition which is available in English, Italian, French, Spanish, Dutch and German.
Available here.
For further information on this subject also see the following article.
Photo: Micora
Read more about this subject
-
News / 22 January 2025 -
Publication / 16 January 2025
-
News / 16 January 2025DetoX: Both ENDS leaves X
Both ENDS, along with many other Dutch organisations, is leaving social media platform X. In January, we will join the campaign ‘#DetoX’ by De Goede Zaak and Stem op een Vrouw. We hope that many organisations will follow us so that the hate, misinformation and the undermining of democracy on X are given less space.
-
News / 13 January 2025New partnership with Netherlands Enterprise Agency for resilient food systems in Sahel
The situation in Africa's Sahel is the world's fastest-growing humanitarian crisis. Over 3 million people are fleeing violence. They are ravaged by hunger, disease and increasing drought caused by climate change. Both ENDS and its partners are successfully working on accelerating the resilience of local food systems and communities in the Sahel, based on ‘Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration’ (FMNR). The project, funded by DOB Ecology, will end in mid-2026, but has already been followed up thanks to a new collaboration with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
-
Video / 6 January 2025 -
Publication / 6 January 2025
-
Publication / 6 January 2025
-
Publication / 3 January 2025
-
Video / 3 January 2025Dare to Trust: Jarai Women of Cambodia
With the Dare to Trust grant, the Taing Se Malu organization decided to purchase pigs that can be raised and increased in quantities by the women members of their organization. More importantly, through the grant, they formed a women’s group and a youth group to empower them in their pursuit of a more gender-just community.
-
Video / 3 January 2025Dare to Trust: the Tumandok Women from the Philippines
With resources that the ATBBB women's group received for their Dare to Trust-project, they decided to move forward with growing, processing and selling what they have at their disposal: coffee. They created a production center for their community based enterprise.
-
Video / 3 January 2025NTFP-EP Asia supports women's groups with Dare to Trust-grants
NTFP-EP Asia has given small grants to two grassroots women’s organisations in the Philippines and Cambodia. These grants are part of our Dare to Trust project, a pilot with unconditional funding supported by the Dutch Postcode Lottery.
-
Publication / 23 December 2024
-
Video / 23 December 2024Dare to Trust: LILAK supports women to start sustainable agriculture
Indigenous women in Didipio, Philippines, grew close to each other when confronting the mining corporation OceanaGold. Now they continue their struggle collectively in the women's group "Bileg Daggiti Babbai". With the help of LILAK they started a sustainable farming project, which helps them make a living to support their day to day needs and afford their children's education.
The project was made possible in Both ENDS's Dare to Trust project, supported by the Dutch Postcode Lottery.
-
Publication / 23 December 2024
-
News / 19 December 2024Trading Away the Future: How the EU-Mercosur deal fails people and the planet - and what needs to be done
On December 6, the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to the Mercosur Summit sealed the agreement on the final text of the EU-Mercosur Association Agreement. Both ENDS condemns this damaging agreement for undermining human rights, the environment, and democracy in Europe, and in Mercosur countries. Should the agreement be ratified as it stands, it will have devastating consequences for the environment, indigenous communities, family farming and small-scale farmers on both sides of the Atlantic.
-
Letter / 16 December 2024
Urgent call to halt all divestments in the Niger Delta, including Shell's refused sale of SPDC shares
The proposed sale of Shell’s shares in the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to the Renaissance consortium, alongside similar divestments by TotalEnergies and other oil companies, threatens the Niger Delta and its people environmental and social well-being for generations to come.
-
Press release / 12 December 2024Website names companies excluded by global investors and banks
The Hague/San Francisco, Dec 12, 2024 - The updated version of the Financial Exclusions Tracker is released today: financialexclusionstracker.org. The website tracks which companies are being excluded by institutional investors, pension funds and banks due to human rights, public health and sustainability issues. The most common reasons for exclusion are links to fossil fuels, weapons or tobacco.
The Financial Exclusions Tracker is an initiative from an international coalition of NGOs striving for more transparency and information disclosure.
-
Dossier /Dare to Trust: the power of unconditional funding
In 2023, Both ENDS teamed up with the Dutch Postcode Lottery to show the power of trust-based partnership. In the project 'Dare to Trust', we distributed grants to 14 grassroot women's groups worldwide, no strings attached. We aim to show donors that a chain of trust is possible - from the back donor to the intermediary to the local partner.
-
Event / 12 December 2024, 13:00 - 14:30Exploring new avenues of CSO participation in UNCCD processes
Enhancing inclusivity within UNCCD processes and its implementation by strengthening the involvement of civil society organizations (CSOs) and Indigenous Peoples.
-
Event / 11 December 2024, 13:00 - 14:30Making strategic impact: Shifting resources and power to women-led initiatives for Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
How donors, foundations and other funders can better support women-led initiatives in achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), focusing on challenges, collaboration, and opportunities for improved matchmaking.
