Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Suzano Papel e Celulose to respond to allegations of involvement in agrarian conflicts, persecution and threats to landless rural workers and damages to the environment. The company responded.
To read this story in Portuguese, click here.
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Brazil: Rural workers denounce persecutions and attacks, including poisoning, perpetrated by Suzano Papel e Celulose; the company denied the accusations
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Brasil: OIT fecha parceria com setor têxtil de São Paulo, incluindo a Zara, para promover trabalho decente
“OIT fecha parceria com setor têxtil de São Paulo para promover trabalho decente-Novo projeto terá como foco a melhoria das condições de trabalho e gestão nas oficinas de costura de São Paulo (SP).”, 2 de maio de 2017
A Organização Internacional do Trabalho (OIT), a Associação Brasileira do Varejo Têxtil (ABVTEX), a Associação Brasileira da Indústria Têxtil e de Confecção (Abit), o Instituto C&A, o Instituto Lojas Renner e a Zara Brasil formalizaram…[em 2 de maio]…parceria para a realização de um novo projeto de promoção do trabalho decente no setor têxtil e de confecção de São Paulo… “Promovendo melhorias das condições de trabalho e gestão nas oficinas de costura em São Paulo”, o projeto irá…promover a conscientização sobre direitos e o empoderamento de populações vulneráveis que trabalham em oficinas de costura, promover a conscientização sobre riscos e treinamento de gestão para donos de oficinas de costura…e reforçar a capacidade de instituições…para a articulação e implementação de políticas para a melhoria das condições de trabalho nas oficinas de costura, com especial atenção a trabalhadores e trabalhadoras migrantes. A ideia é…contribu[ir]…para transformar a estrutura de gestão da cadeia produtiva do setor têxtil e de confecção, destacando para as empresas a importância estratégica da prevenção de riscos que surgem a partir da exploração de mão-de-obra de populações vulneráveis, como migrantes, mulheres e crianças vivendo num contexto de pobreza…Além da exploração laboral, a falta de condições adequadas de saúde e segurança no trabalho também constitui um grande problema em oficinas de costura irregulares e informais. O Brasil tem a quinta maior indústria têxtil do mundo...
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Resposta da Suzano Papel e Celulose
Diante de afirmações equivocadas relativas ao acampamento Buritirana, na Fazenda Rodominas,...Bom Jesus das Selvas..., a Suzano Papel e Celulose vem esclarecer...A pedido da...[empresa]...foi promovido...encontro em outubro de 2016 com membros do referido acampamento, do Ministério Público Estadual, do Incra e da Comissão Estadual de prevenção à Violência no Campo e na Cidade para discutir a situação do local,...área invadida pelo acompanhamento...[com]...arrendamento legítimo e regularmente contratado pela Suzano Papel e Celulose,...área de reserva legal...preservada pela companhia...[C]hegou-se a um acordo extrajudicial...[:]...assentados se comprometeram a desocupar a área invadida até o dia 25 de março de 2017....para que...colhessem os frutos dos...[seus]...plantios...e...o Incra indicasse a área para a qual deveriam se realocar...A companhia tem cumprido sua parte do acordo e, mesmo possuindo medida liminar em seu favor em processo judicial de Reintegração de Posse por ela ajuizado, continua buscando de forma amigável que as famílias desocupem a área..., para que possa promover a recuperação da área degradada pela ocupação...[O]...arrendamento da área...foi precedido de...processo de auditoria de conformidade...A...[empresa]...não arrenda áreas onde haja ocupação...[e]...lamenta que afirmações inverídicas tenham sido levantadas...[C]ontinuará...preservação do meio ambiente e...cumprimento da legalidade...confiando que as famílias que ocuparam a área a desocupem...
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Brasil: Trabalhadoras e trabalhadores rurais acampados denunciam perseguições e ataques, inclusive com veneno, perpetrados pela Suzano; empresa nega acusações
“No Maranhão trabalhadores rurais acampados são perseguidos pela empresa Suzano-Denúncias de ataques aos trabalhadores Sem Terra acampados vêm à tona desde 2014”, 3 de abril de 2017
Mais um conflito envolve a empresa Suzano Papel e Celulose no Estado do Maranhão. Denúncias de grilagem, de apropriação indevida de terras, de danos ao meio ambiente fazem parte do histórico da empresa desde que se instalou no Estado há nove anos. Agora, a denuncia é de perseguições, agressões e tentativa de envenenamento a trabalhadores Sem Terra...[de]…Bom Jesus das Selvas, onde 150 famílias do Acampamento Buritirana...ocupam, desde julho de 2014, a fazenda Rodominas,...arrenda[da]...pela Empresa para cultivo de eucaliptos. Desde que assumiu a área, a Empresa segue perseguindo os camponeses. As denuncias falam de constantes pressões psicológicas por parte de funcionários da Suzano e também de empresas terceirizadas...No inicio deste ano, a empresa fechou com cerca a estrada de acesso à vila do acampamento. Os trabalhadores passaram então a usar estradas dentro do plantio de eucalipto e logo a Empresa tentou, mais uma vez isolar o acampamento instalando uma cancela na entrada da estrada usada pelos trabalhadores. Um acordo mediado pelo Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária (Incra) proíbe a empresa de fechar a cancela...[Há]...denuncia de tentativa de atropelamento a um casal de camponeses...[por]…um dos carros da...Suzano no final de 2016. A mulher, grávida de oito meses, teve complicações, mas conseguiu salvar o bebê...Outra atitude criminosa da Suzano foi o despejo de veneno, há cerca de 15 dias...a partir de um avião, sobre as roças dos trabalhadores e sobre parte do acampamento onde vivem as famílias...Os moradores relatam ser fácil encontrar...peixes boiando...[no lago atingido]...A área...é reivindicada para...Reforma Agrária...A Coordenação Estadual do MST no Maranhão aponta possível grilagem já que a área pode ser da União Federal.
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Brasil: Trabalhadoras e trabalhadores rurais acampados denunciam perseguições e ataques, inclusive com veneno, perpetrados pela Suzano Papel e Celulose; empresa nega acusações
O Centro de Informação sobre Empresas e Direitos Humanos convidou a empresa Suzano Papel e Celulose a responder sobre alegações de envolvimento em conflitos agrários, perseguição e agressões a trabalhadoras e trabalhadores sem terra e danos ao meio ambiente. A empresa respondeu.
Para ler esta história em inglês, clique aqui.
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Le gouvernement adopte son plan d’action pour les droits de l’Homme
Le gouvernement vient d'adopter son Plan national d’action pour la mise en œuvre des principes directeurs des Nations Unies relatifs aux droits de l’Homme et aux entreprises.
Ce plan était attendu depuis longtemps par les acteurs de la RSE...
Ce plan permet notamment d’élargir officiellement les droits de l’Homme à la préservation de l’environnement. Le préjudice écologique introduit par la loi sur la biodiversité est ainsi explicitement mentionné. Et la préservation de la biodiversité devient un critère à prendre en compte pour la commande publique.
Un des autres apports de ce plan est de mentionner et de préciser la vision de la France sur les Objectifs de Développement Durable (ODD)...Il y est écrit que "les entreprises sont clairement incitées à prendre des mesures s’attachant à contribuer à l’atteinte de ces 17 objectifs et à en rendre compte à travers leurs rapports de gestion".
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Qatar: Swiss Government Mediation between BWI and FIFA a Good Step
The ITUC has welcomed the outcome of a Swiss Government-mediated agreement between the Building and Wood Workers’ International and FIFA over conditions for workers building the stadiums for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The agreement...confirms a number of undertakings made by FIFA over monitoring of working conditions, with an oversight body established inside Qatar and mechanisms to handle workers’ complaints and working conditions. Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, said “we welcome the Swiss government’s mediation efforts, and look forward to the full implementation of this agreement. It is yet another indictment of Qatar that the government of another country has had to step in to help at least some of the huge migrant workforce that is building the massive World Cup infrastructure programme but is denied the most fundamental rights under international law. While this agreement only covers a few thousand of the more than 2 million migrant workers in Qatar, it shows what could be done as a stepping-stone to full rights for all migrant workers there."
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Annual Leadership Forum for Responsible Recruitment
The Annual Leadership Forum for Responsible Recruitment will bring together global brands, suppliers, recruitment agencies, governments, and NGOs to examine the challenges of recruiting migrant workers and how implementing ethical recruitment is vital in protecting workers from modern slavery as well as ensuring sustainable and efficient business operations.Hosted by the Institute for Human Rights and Business, Humanity United, and the Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment, the 2017 Annual Leadership Forum is comprised of three main parts:
Forum19 June 2017, 09:00 – 17:00, Intercontinental Hotel, BerlinStakeholders from business, civil society and government will share details about their efforts to develop sustainable models of recruitment and their progress in implementing the Employer Pays Principle. Discussion will be business-led and business-focused with a key aim of raising awareness and sharing best practice.See the indicative agenda below.
Film Screening19 June 2017, 17:30 – 21:00, Zoo Palast Cinema, BerlinFollowing the Forum, Humanity United invite all attendees to an evening reception, canapés and a screening of the important new film The Workers Cup. This documentary goes inside the labour camps of Qatar where African and Asian migrant workers building the facilities of the 2022 World Cup compete in a football tournament of their own: The Workers Cup. After the screening there will be a panel discussing the film and the situation of migrant workers in the Gulf.
Business Breakfast20 June 2017, 08:00 – 10:00, Intercontinental Hotel, BerlinCompany representatives and recruitment practitioners attending the Forum are also invited to a breakfast co-hosted with the Consumer Goods Forum. This session will focus on barriers and opportunities in implementing ethical recruitment and successful business models that can be deployed.
Who Should Attend?The Forum will be of particular interest to business professionals responsible for sustainability, sourcing, supply chain management, procurement or compliance at global brands as well as their suppliers. Other attendees will include representatives of the recruitment industry, professional bodies, and trade associations.To register your interest in attending please visit https://www.ihrb.org/employerpays/rsvp by 7 April 2017. For further information, please contact IHRB's Waleria Schuele at: waleria.schuele [at] ihrb.org
Agenda:1. The Drivers for Responsible RecruitmentIncluding recruitment as a fundamental part of strategies to address forced labour and traffickingHow are transparency reporting requirements driving new behaviour?Is access to public contracts being used as a lever to raise standards?What pressure can investors exert?Is media and customer scrutiny increasing?
2. Implementing the Employer Pays PrincipleProfiling the work of the Leadership Group for Responsible RecruitmentWhy is responsible recruitment so significant for Leadership Group companies?What do these companies seek achieve through collaboration and where are the key challenges?How have they have begun to implement responsible recruitment in their supply chains?
3.The Costs of Ethical RecruitmentHow to share the burden of paying true recruitment costsWhat is the scope of 'recruitment fees'?How does the genuine cost compare to the fees commonly paid by migrant workers?How should companies, suppliers and recruitment agencies engage to include these costs in pricing and contracts?How can companies tackle the challenge of reimbursement of worker fees?
4.Driving the Supply of Ethically Recruited LabourHow to meet increasing demand for an ethical supply of labourBuilding the capacity of existing and new entrants to the recruitment industry to deliver workers on an 'Employer Pays' business model?What does effective due diligence on recruiters look like?What is the role for certification schemes and new technology?
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Hungary: Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights raises concerns about draft NGO law
"COE Human Rights Commissioner calls on Hungary to reject draft NGO law", 3 May 2017
In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary, published today, Commissioner Muižnieks urges the members of this Assembly to reject a proposed draft law on the Transparency of Organisations Supported from Abroad. The Commissioner notes that the draft law carries a clear risk of stigmatising a large number of organisations pursuing lawful activities in the field of human rights, causing a chilling effect on their activities. It introduces far-reaching restrictions on freedom of association, which cannot be regarded as necessary in a democratic society and are therefore at variance with international human rights standards. The draft law introduces an additional administrative burden on NGOs falling within its scope without an apparent legitimate purpose. In addition, according to criteria which are not immediately clear, the draft law excludes from its scope other types of NGOs, such as those pursuing sports or religious activities. The Commissioner further regrets the apparent absence of any meaningful public consultation or debate preceding the introduction of the draft law to the National Assembly on 7 April, against the backdrop of continued antagonistic rhetoric from certain members of the ruling coalition, who publicly labelled some NGOs as “foreign agents” based on their source of funding. Read the full letter from the Commissioner here.
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Análisis de ONG del Tratado de la ONU sobre empresas y derechos humanos ve su potencial para resolver conflictos entre políticas de comercio e inversión y responsabilidad estatal
“Los Derechos Humanos en las políticas de comercio e inversión: el potencial de un tratado de la ONU sobre las empresas transnacionales y otras empresa. Recomendaciones de CIDSE – abril 2017
…El régimen internacional en materia de comercio e inversiones está en el foco de atención. Las repercusiones de varios acuerdos de alto nivel han sido ampliamente debatidas en la esfera pública hasta llegar incluso a cuestionar algunos de estos acuerdos. No obstante, si bien el interés suscitado por estos tratados de inversión bilaterales y acuerdos de libre comercio ha crecido exponencialmente en las últimas décadas, su impacto sobre los derechos humanos no ha recibido la misma atención…Muchos pequeños productores han quedado sumidos en la pobreza, o incluso expulsados de los mercados, siendo las mujeres las principales afectadas. Tales exportaciones han llevado a violaciones del derecho humano a la alimentación y de otros derechos sociales, y han socavado los esfuerzos por mejorar la sostenibilidad y reducir los impactos climáticos de la producción y el consumo…Con el objetivo de profundizar este análisis y contribuir al debate, CIDSE encargó un estudio al Profesor Markus Krajewski de la Universidad de Erlangen-Nürnberg en Alemania…”Garantizando la Primacía de los Derechos Humanos en el marco de las Políticas de Comercio y de Inversión: cláusulas modelo para un Tratado de la ONU sobre corporaciones transnacionales y otras empresas, y derechos humanos”... [que] examina…las posibles áreas de conflicto entre, por un lado, las obligaciones de los Estados en virtud de los actuales acuerdos de comercio e inversión y, por otro, sus obligaciones derivadas del derecho internacional de los derechos humanos…[y] explora el potencial de un futuro Tratado sobre empresas y derechos humanos…
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People's Climate March
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A year after the UK Modern Slavery Act, time for a Global Modern Slavery Agreement?
Originally published by Thomson Reuters Foundation.
One year ago today, companies started reporting under Prime Minister Theresa May’s ground-breaking legislation on modern slavery. The UK Modern Slavery Act demands that all large companies, globally, who operate in the UK market, provide an annual, board-approved, publicly available statement that describes what they are doing to eliminate the curse of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. So far over 1700 companies have released statements which are now searchable on our central registry.
Our latest analysis reveals a small cluster of leading companies, including HP, Apple, Primark, and British American Tobacco, whose statements demonstrate a strong commitment to this cause. But there is a far longer list of companies who have yet to begin a journey to even identify where they have risks of forced and child labour. Nevertheless, a large number of companies have told us that this government demand for mandatory transparency has provoked substantial discussion and movement amongst bosses, and the impact of the Act, even with its punches pulled, demonstrates the power of collaboration between government, business and civil society to achieve a level playing field of mandatory transparency.
One hundred and fifty years since abolition, it seems some political leaders believe it is time to finish the job.
Amidst Government Initiatives, a Global Movement is Building
Theresa May is not alone. Something is stirring in the governments of Europe, North America, and further afield. There is a rising sense that modern slavery in its many ugly forms - bonded labour, human trafficking, harmful child labour - is no longer tolerable either domestically or in global supply chains. One hundred and fifty years since abolition, it seems some political leaders believe it is time to finish the job.
The USA, with bipartisan support, closed loopholes in law, and created new business incentives through the 2015 Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act. The German and Dutch Governments are driving human rights due diligence in textiles. The Dutch Government has passed a new law on child labour. The Australian Parliament has opened an Inquiry on whether it should adopt its own Modern Slavery Act.
Angela Merkel, as chair of the G20 this year, is encouraging her G20 peers to promote human rights due diligence in their companies’ operations and supply chains.
Indonesia and Australia are reinvigorating the Bali Process on people trafficking which for the first time this year includes private sector participants. Action on eliminating modern slavery looks set to accelerate.
Leading companies, trade unions, investors, the United Nations’ Alliance 8.7, and civil society are also encouraging governments around the world to build on this early momentum. A diverse international movement is emerging.
Governments can and should cooperate to take the best of existing regulation and incentives, and set a common minimum standard of corporate behaviour.
Avoiding ‘Spaghetti Soup’
But an existential risk is surfacing: if governments all unilaterally design legislation then companies could understandably complain that they face a ‘spaghetti soup’ of, perhaps, 30 inconsistent sets of national legislation to eliminate slavery. But governments can and should cooperate to take the best of existing regulation and incentives, and set a common minimum standard of corporate behaviour. At the least, governments can coordinate to ensure coherent national laws that establish a level playing field for business. At best, like-minded states could establish an international high-standard reflected in national legislations. We need a Trans-Atlantic, or perhaps Global Modern Slavery Agreement.
A Smart Mix of Regulation, Incentives and Voluntary Action:
An effective international standard would build on and integrate effective government action so far. This falls into four categories: mandatory transparency; mandatory due diligence; incentives for action; and access to justice and remedy.
Best practice in mandatory transparency is the UK Modern Slavery Act. The Act requires all businesses that operate in the UK with turnover above £36 million, to provide a public statement on what they are doing to eliminate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. A key strength of the Act is its extra-territorial reach: it applies to companies from around the world who want to operate in the UK market.
While this Act demonstrates welcome leadership in demanding mandatory transparency, the Government missed the opportunity to amplify the Act’s impact through 1) a list of all the companies they believe are captured by the Act’s reporting requirement to increase the duty of compliance, 2) a registry and benchmark for company statements – to monitor the implementation of their own legislation.
Best practice in mandatory due diligence comes from the USA. President Obama’s bipartisan initiatives to close loopholes through the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act have jolted debate and action after just a handful of shipments of goods have been seized. If an importer is using suppliers from sectors and geographies identified as having high risk of modern slavery, then the importer must demonstrate due diligence to exclude modern slavery. Otherwise, there is a risk that the goods will be impounded at port.
Perhaps in need of the most development is providing victims of modern slavery in business supply chains access to remedy.
Best practice in public procurement is scarce at present, though it can generate major incentives for companies to eliminate slavery. The US Federal government, alone, has annual procurement spending of $350-500 billion, and public procurement is 14% of GDP in the European Union. The US Federal Acquisition Regulation provides leadership. It prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from using some specific recruitment practices that make workers vulnerable, and puts reporting requirements on those performing work over $500,000 outside the US.
Perhaps in need of the most development is providing victims of modern slavery in business supply chains access to remedy. The US Trafficked Victims Protection Act is an example that can be built on.
There are still voices that oppose concerted action by governments. They seek to describe laws to eliminate modern slavery as protectionist restrictions on trade, or a cost to business. It is neither. Instead, it should be the end-game of a struggle to end the unconscionable and brutal trade and ownership of fellow human beings, that we hoped had ended some 150 years ago.
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A treaty on business & human rights could help guarantee human rights are respected in trade & investment agreements, says report
"Human rights in trade and investment policies: The potential of a UN treaty on transnational corporations and other business", Apr 2017
...[W]hile the number of bilateral investment treaties and free trade agreements has grown over the past decades, their impacts on human rights have not been adequately addressed...
Investor protection provisions enable foreign investors to challenge national regulations and claim billions of euros as compensation for perceived unfairness or indirect expropriation. They can take legal action even against reforms that affect land ownership, water supply or health care or serve the protection of human rights and the environment.
...[T]he UN Human Rights Council in 2011, deal explicitly with international trade and investment agreements and make clear that States are expected to consistently fulfil their obligation to protect human rights in this context...
CIDSE and its members have been advocating for various reforms of trade and investment agreements...
CIDSE members have also proposed to include human rights in exception clauses of trade and investment agreements, to ensure that provisions of these agreements cannot prevent the adoption of measures for the purpose of respecting, protecting or fulfilling human rights and respecting democratic principles and the rule of law in their internal and international policies...
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Un traité sur les entreprises et les droits de l’homme pourrait aider à garantir la primauté des droits de l’homme dans les traités d’investissement, selon un nouveau rapport
« Droits de l'homme dans les politiques commerciales et d'investissement - les perspectives offertes par un traité de l'ONU sur les sociétés transnationales et autres entreprises », avril 2017
...Bien que les traités bilatéraux d’investissement et les accords de libre-échange se soient multipliés au cours des dernières décennies, leurs incidences sur les droits de l’homme n’ont pas été suffisamment prises en compte...
Les dispositions relatives à la protection des investisseurs permettent aux investisseurs étrangers de contester les réglementations nationales et de réclamer des milliards d’euros d’indemnités au titre de l’injustice ressentie ou d’une expropriation indirecte. Ils peuvent engager des poursuites, y compris contre les réformes qui concernent la propriété foncière, l’approvisionnement en eau ou les soins de santé ou qui cherchent à protéger les droits de l’homme et l’environnement.
...[L]es Principes directeurs relatifs aux entreprises et aux droits de l’homme couvrent explicitement les accords internationaux afférents au commerce et à l’investissement et soulignent clairement que la protection des droits de l’homme dans ce contexte est une obligation permanente qui incombe aux États...
La CIDSE et ses organisations membres préconisent diverses réformes des accords de commerce et d’investissement...
...[L]es droits de l’homme...[devraient figurer] dans les clauses d’exception des accords de commerce et d’investissement, pour s’assurer que les dispositions desdits accords ne puissent contrecarrer l’adoption de mesures répondant à un objectif de respect, de protection ou de réalisation des droits de l’homme, de respect des principes démocratiques et de l’État de droit dans les politiques internes et internationales
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Weekly Update - 3 May 2017: Investors call for Australian Modern Slavery Act, mandatory disclosure & due diligence
Our run down of this week's top stories and breaking news about business & human rights. Includes company responses, the latest jobs; and events announcements.
READ THE FULL UPDATE
Archive of past Weekly Updates since 2005
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Planned power plants in the Balkans need review as EU adopts tougher pollution standards
The European Union has...approved an updated set of binding standards for power plants, which include new, stricter pollution limits. The standards, known as the LCP BREF...will help prevent thousands of premature deaths caused by air pollution from coal power plants, by restricting emissions of sulphur dioxide, dust, nitrous oxides, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride and mercury...[A]s soon as the new standards are published in the EU’s Official Journal later this year, they will also apply to new plants across most of the region. Therefore, governments in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia – where planned new coal power plants are most likely to be affected by the updated BREF – need to revisit investment plans to ensure the project designs are indeed in line with the new standards and consider the possible financial implications.
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Wendy Bowman 2017 Goldman Prize Recipient for Islands and Island Nations
New South Wales (NSW), on Australia’s eastern coast, is a region with a rich agricultural history…However, in recent years, the region’s farms have become islands surrounded by oceans of open-pit coal mines.
Under directives to prioritize economic growth above all else, government is issuing coal licenses with little regard to mining’s impact on local residents’ lives...Coal mining has displaced many landowners in the valley. Those who remain live surrounded by around-the-clock blasting and heavy equipment operation…Landowners were being forced to move off their property with little say or explanation of their rights…
In 2010, Chinese-owned Yancoal proposed to extend the Ashton South East Open Cut mine, which would bring mining operations onto Bowman’s grazing lands and the banks of one of Hunter River’s most important water tributaries. Bowman was determined to stay and protect the community’s health, land, and water from further destruction. As one of the few landowners left in the area, Bowman became a key plaintiff in a public interest lawsuit to fight back the mine expansion…The Land and Environment Court issued its ruling in December 2014: The Ashton expansion could proceed, but only if Yancoal could get Bowman to sell them her land. It was the first time an Australian court placed this kind of restriction on a mining company…Bowman has refused offers of millions from Yancoal, and…continues to be an advocate for the community’s health and environment, and has worked with the local health department to place air monitors near coal mines…
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Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo 2017 Goldman Prize Recipient for Africa
In 2010, the Congolese government sold SOCO International, a British oil company, the right to explore for oil in an area known as Block V, about half of which extends into…a World Heritage Site…Rodrigue Katembo, 41, is a Congolese park ranger who grew up during the turbulent years following the country’s independence from Belgium…In 2011, during one of his regular morning patrols, Katembo came across a handful of vehicles that offered [him]..money in exchange for letting them pass…To carefully document evidence of corruption, [he] met with a film director who helped with undercover cameras to record footage of SOCO and its contractors offering bribes and discussing illegal activities.
Katembo and the footage he gathered during his undercover investigations were heavily featured in the documentary film Virunga. The film premiered in April 2014 at the Tribeca Film Festival and gained a massive international audience through Netflix…A few months later, in November 2015, SOCO announced it was giving up its oil license in Block V.
Since SOCO’s departure from Virunga, wildlife in the park is showing signs of recovery... Katembo has paid an enormous price for his activism. In September 2013, he was arrested and tortured for 17 days…Since then, Katembo has been promoted to director of Upemba National Park, where he continues to protect the park and wildlife from poachers, militia, and extractive industries.
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mark! Lopez, 2017 Goldman Prize Recipient for North America
In LA’s Eastside…residents bear the brunt of the region’s pollution, with heavy cargo traffic…and industrial plants operating…Among these facilities was an aging battery recycling plant, which had been in operation since 1922 with minimal updates and repairs. Georgia-based Exide took over the smelter in 2000 and ramped up the volume of batteries processed at the plant—and with it, emission levels of dangerous pollutants such as lead and arsenic…In March 2015, after coming under investigation by a federal grand jury about its operations, Exide agreed to shut down the plant but left little means to clean up the contamination beyond the smelter site…Lopez and his team at East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice started knocking on doors to inform the community about the dangers of lead contamination…Lopez faced the next hurdle of identifying funds to run tests and cleanup. He [called out] the injustice in the state leaders’ sluggish response to the Exide cleanup…In April 2016, Governor Brown finally approved $176.6 million for the testing and cleanup of affected homes. Lopez was appointed co-chair of the advisory committee responsible for overseeing the cleanup. While it is one of the largest environmental cleanups in California history, the funds will only cover a fraction of the total homes that need remediation. A newly imposed battery recycling fee is expected to raise additional funds and help other communities in the state affected by defunct battery smelters.
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Uroš Macerl, 2017 Goldman Prize Recipient for Europe
Uroš Macerl, 48, is the president of Eko Krog and an organic farmer whose family farm sits on the outskirts of the Lafarge plant….Many farmers suffered huge losses as industrial pollution wiped out the three most vital elements of their livelihood: clean air, soil, and water…Unwilling to accept the injustice to his community, Macerl began organizing farmers, residents, and local groups to collect air quality data that showed a dramatic increase in dangerous pollutants since Lafarge had begun burning petcoke…In 2009 when Lafarge applied for an environmental permit to co-incinerate hazardous industrial waste with petcoke… Macerl filed and won a lawsuit that canceled the permit, but Lafarge continued to burn petcoke and waste. Noting the Slovenian authorities’ failure to enforce the court ruling, Eko Krog and Macerl informed the European Union…The European Commission sided with Macerl. And when Lafarge continued its operations, the commission requested that Slovenia be brought before the European Court of Justice for its failure to enforce EU pollution standards. The national authorities finally ordered Lafarge to halt production, and the company complied in March 2015…Since the plant’s shutdown, the region has seen visible improvements in air quality... Lafarge continues its attempts to restart co-incinerating petcoke and waste, but faces formidable opposition in Macerl, Eko Krog members, and a community determined to protect its health and environment
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