international library for a responsable world of solidarity ritimo

Le portail rinoceros d’informations sur les initiatives citoyennes pour la construction d’un autre monde a été intégré au nouveau site Ritimo pour une recherche simplifiée et élargie.

Ce site (http://www.rinoceros.org/) constitue une archive des articles publiés avant 2008 qui n'ont pas été transférés.

Le projet rinoceros n’a pas disparu, il continue de vivre pour valoriser les points de vue des acteurs associatifs dans le monde dans le site Ritimo.

Enough Project

California Passes First-Ever State Bill on Congo Conflict Minerals

> By Laura Heaton

It began with individuals, spread to campuses, was taken up by cities, and last Friday California became the very first U.S. state to take action on conflict minerals from Congo. By a vote of 67 to 11, the California state assembly passed a bill that prohibits state agencies from signing contracts with companies that fail to comply with federal regulations aimed at deterring business with armed groups in eastern Congo. The California bill builds off the momentum of the Dodd-Frank bill (...) read

date of on-line publication : 15 September 2011

UN study reveals environmental cost of world trade and environmental damage caused by world’s top firms

Report for the UN into the activities of the world’s 3,000 biggest companies estimates one-third of profits would be lost if firms were forced to pay for use, loss and damage of environment. Political pressure is growing to make big businesses pay for the damage they cause to the environment. Read: Time to clean up: UN study reveals environmental cost of world trade World’s top firms cause $2.2tn of environmental damage, report estimates Andrew Simms (new economic foundation), The (...) read

date of on-line publication : 26 February 2010

Hidden Scale of BAT’s Deathly Cigarette Lobby in EU

Corporate Europe Observatory Press Release One of the world’s largest cigarette companies spent more than €700,000 lobbying the EU last year, up to four times as much as the company declared on the EU’s register of interest representatives, new research by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) has revealed [1]. The revelations come as the tobacco industry fights to retain its influence within the EU after a World Health Organisation agreement on preventing the influence of vested interests from (...) read

date of on-line publication : 3 June 2009

Controversial Jerusalem tram operator loses €3,5 billion contract in Sweden

Today the Stockholm community council in Sweden announced that the French company Veolia who has been the operator of the subways in Stockholm County for 10 years lost the contract to the MTR-Cooperation. The contracts for the coming 8 years is worth €3,5 Billion and has been the biggest ongoing public contract procurement process in Europe. Although the board for the county’s public transport claimed the decision was based on commercial factors, the debate about Veolia’s involvement in a (...) read

date of on-line publication : 26 January 2009

ITGLWF (International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation)

Prada and Mulberry dubbed ‘see no evil, hear no evil’ twins of high fashion

http://www.itglwf.org/DisplayDocumen (...)

High fashion brands Prada and Mulberry are today accused of ignoring labour rights abuses in the production of their high cost merchandise by Turkish supplier Desa, where scores of workers have been fired for seeking improvements in working conditions. Incensed after their employees - fed up with abusive conditions - turned to the Turkish leather workers’ union, Deri-is, for assistance, Desa declared war on the union and its members, began firing suspected union sympathisers and intimidated many others into resigning their membership.
In a closed-door meeting taped by union members, Desa General Manager, Burak Celet warned workers, “Don’t destroy your livelihood! Let me tell you what will happen: Some of you, unfortunately, will be out of a job. Even if all the 701 workers in the factory, including myself join the union I will never accept it. Know this well: This is a 35-year old firm. There has never been a trade union here and there never will be!” He went on to threaten closure of the factory and urged workers to abandon the union promising to pay their costs of resignation.  read

date of on-line publication : 21 November 2008

Global corporations opposing new Chinese labour law strengthening worker’s rights

Public and media discussion often focuses on the role of the Chinese government in suppressing workers struggles and in not enforcing existing labour laws. Yet, multinationals play a significant role, too. Despite claims that they are raising human and labour rights standards abroad, which in many cases is used as a justification to operate in countries such as China, they often do the opposite. A good example is the emerging difference between China and American and other foreign (...) read

date of on-line publication : 7 December 2006

Global Exchange

Most Wanted Corporate Human Rights Violators of 2005

> Global Exchange, Dec 2005

http://www.globalexchange.org/getInv (...)

This is Global Exchange’s list of the 14 worst corporations for violations of human rights. However, not only does the article give an introduction to the human rights abuses committed by each company, it also gives a list of the associations working to make the specific companies more accountable, thus stressing the need for citizen’s action.  read

date of on-line publication : 16 December 2005

Alliance 21

Proposals for a socially responsible economy

> Alliance 21, May 2001, 24 pp

http://www.alliance21.org/2003/artic (...)

The current hegemonic model of economic development, based on a capitalist globalisation, may create moderates rates of economic growth, but have given rise to new inequalities. These proposals consider a new development model centered sustainability. A model which is rooted in a shared ethical code which must materialize in a renewed socio-economic regulation.  read

date of on-line publication : 16 December 2005

LUKAS Karin

Are Human Rights Any Business of Business? Corporate Behaviour from a Human Rights Perspective

> November 2005, Globalizacija.com

“Is there an indirect human rights responsibility of corporations that arises from the human rights obligations of their home states? And second, is there a human rights responsibility of corporations themselves, thus a direct human rights responsibility of corporations regardless of the international commitments of their home states?” This paper outlines the evolution of the Corporate Social Responsibility model, describes the international conventions which exist and gives an introduction (...) read

date of on-line publication : 2 December 2005

Tobacco’s Attempts to Derail the Global Tobacco Treaty: Cases from Battleground Countries

> October 2005, Corporate Accountability International

http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/si (...)

A report by Corporate Accountability International on the efforts by Big Tobacco (large tobacco corporations) to misguide countries in the South over the Global Tobacco Treaty.  read

date of on-line publication : 2 December 2005

WEISSMAN Robert

Victories! Justice! The People’s Triumphs Over Corporate Power

> July 2005, Multinational Monitor

http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm20 (...)

"When you are in the business of tracking and reporting on multinational corporate activity, it is inevitable that you you are going to traffic in tales of sorrow, woe and misery. But for all their power, multinational corporations do not always prevail." Multinational Monitor celebrates those citizen victories with the first of a two-part series recounting peoples’ wins over corporations and their supporting structures and institutions. An optimistic overview of recent citizen’s and social movements’ success stories.  read

date of on-line publication : 1 December 2005

RUGGIE John G.

The challenges facing the UN special representative on human rights and business

> OXFORD ANALYTICA EXECUTIVE BRIEF, November 7, 2005, 3pp.

http://www.business-humanrights.org/ (...)

Professor John Ruggie was appointed the UN secretary-general’s special representative on human rights and business in July. If Ruggie chooses not to address the key dilemmas surrounding this issue, his work will form another parenthesis on the subject. If he should choose to face those dilemmas and seek solutions, he may be able to bring about real change.  read

date of on-line publication : 14 November 2005

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