In memoriam Cecilia Viscayno Tuico
On July 6th, long standing SOMO partner Cecilia Viscayno Tuico passed away and was laid to rest in her hometown in Laguna, Philippines. The terrible news of Cecil’s passing came as a shock to all…
Home Archives for camiel
News /
New civil society toolkit to counter harmful corporate strategies
The Mind the Gap project has launched a new toolkit for civil society to deal with strategies commonly used by corporations to avoid responsibility for human rights abuses and environmental damage across their supply chains….
Statement /
In solidarity with daughter of murdered Indigenous leader
On Tuesday 28 June, the Honduran organisation COPINH and the Global Justice Association filed a complaint with the public prosecutor in the Netherlands against Dutch development bank FMO. For COPINH, this is part of their…
Statement /
FMO fails to meet best practices on financial intermediary lending
In a new Position Statement on Financial Intermediary (FI) Lending, Dutch development bank FMO argues for limited responsibility over the outcomes of investments that are channeled through commercial banks, investment funds, and other financial intermediaries,…
News /
SOMO welcomes new funding from the Ford Foundation
SOMO is pleased to announce a substantial investment by the Ford Foundation in our work and organisational development. In 2022, SOMO will receive $1,395,000. Ford’s Building Institutions and Networks (BUILD) grants focus on helping social justice…
Statement /
European Union: rules for batteries should cover bauxite, copper, iron
The European Union’s proposed batteries regulation should require importers and manufacturers to source the bauxite, copper, and iron used in batteries responsibly, a coalition of 16 organizations said today. The coalition includes Amnesty International, Earthworks,…
Statement /
European Parliament approval of draft Batteries Regulation is a welcome step towards just energy transition
SOMO and GoodElectronics welcome the EU draft legislation on batteries approved on Thursday by the European Parliament and call on EU member states to agree on the text without delays or attempts to water it…
News /
Norway and Telenor could be held responsible under international law for human rights abuses resulting from Myanmar deal: legal experts
In a legal memo released today, two renowned international law experts recommend that Telenor Group and M1 Group suspend the proposed sale of Telenor’s subsidiary in Myanmar, while they conduct suitable due diligence and allow…
News /
Myanmar citizen files data protection complaint against Telenor for dangerous breach of privacy
A Myanmar citizen has filed a complaint at the Norwegian Data Protection Authority against telecom multinational Telenor Group, seeking to halt the dangerous transfer of control over sensitive user data in the sale of its…
Publication /
Tread cautiously
Due diligence, responsible business conduct, and business relationships with land rights violators
Publication /
State of play and roadmap concepts: electronics sector
RE-SOURCING Deliverable 4.3
Publication /
Good policy paper
Guiding practice from the policies of Independent Accountability Mechanisms
News /
Re-cap: 2021 negotiations over binding treaty on business and human rights
From 25 until 29 October, states convened at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to negotiate on the third revised draft treaty on business and human rights. Compared to the previous draft, this text…
Statement /
SOMO and Both ENDS condemn violence against Indigenous community near the Barro Blanco dam in Panama
Members of the Indigenous Ngäbe Buglé people were brutally attacked by Panamanian police on Friday 29 October 2021 on a parcel of private land near the FMO-financed Barro Blanco hydroelectric dam. The victims, all members…
Opinion /
Why is the EU still absent in UN negotiations on binding human rights rules for business?
Statement /
Declaration on mining and the energy transition ahead of COP26
SOMO and 140 other organisations support a just and rapid transition away from fossil fuels and towards a renewable energy system. However, we are concerned about the impacts of extracting minerals, such as lithium, cobalt,…
Statement /
SOMO condemns Israel’s designation of Al-Haq and other human rights groups as “terrorist organisations”
Last week, the Israeli Defense Ministry declared six Palestinian civil society organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) to be “terrorist organisations”. One of the organisations affected by the decision is SOMO’s long-standing partner Al-Haq,…
Publication /
Corona chronicles
The impacts of the Covid-19 crisis on leather workers in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India
