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	Multinational enterprises and responsible business conduct by Amnesty, FIDH, Human Rights Watch, agencies   9 Dec. 2025   Amazon Watch expresses outrage at reports that the government of President Daniel Noboa has been directed and apparently intends to pay US $220 million to Chevron to honor an illegitimate Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) arbitration ruling.   Chevron has admitted in internal documents that it deliberately dumped billions of gallons of toxic waste into the Ecuadorian Amazon as a cost-saving measure. Ecuador’s courts, including the Constitutional Court, found Chevron guilty of one of the worst oil-related environmental crimes in history, issuing a $9.5 billion judgment in 2013 to clean up the contamination and provide relief for affected Indigenous and campesino communities.   By law, any Chevron assets in Ecuador should immediately be turned over to these communities to begin satisfying the debt Chevron owes.   Instead of complying, Chevron abandoned Ecuador, refused to pay, and turned to the ISDS system – a fundamentally undemocratic mechanism that allows corporations to bypass domestic courts, entirely exclude the affected communities, and use secretive arbitration panels stacked in their favor.   Chevron’s case relied on false testimony from a bribed witness and fabricated evidence. The Ecuadorian judgment remains legitimate and enforceable and is in no way invalidated by the Arbitration Panel’s award.   This entire process has been denounced worldwide as an abuse of law and an assault on the sovereignty of Ecuador and the rights of its people. It sets a dangerous precedent that corporations can poison communities, evade justice, and then profit from secret trade tribunals.   Ecuadorians themselves reject Ecuador’s participation in the flawed ISDS system. In 2024, a proposal to to include international arbitration mechanisms to resolve disputes was voted down by 64.8% of the Ecuadorian population. It is notable that as flawed as this process has been, the ISDS award was vastly lower than the US $3 billion Chevron sought.   Statement from Paul Paz y Mino, Amazon Watch Deputy Director:   “Let’s be clear: this illegitimate arbitration process is nothing more than Chevron abusing the law to escape accountability for one of the worst oil disasters in history. Ecuador’s courts ruled correctly and based largely on Chevron’s own evidence, that Chevron deliberately poisoned Indigenous and rural communities, leaving behind a mass cancer zone in the Amazon.   Adding insult to injury, the idea that Ecuador’s people should now pay a U.S. oil company that admitted to deliberate pollution is the epitome of environmental racism.   Noboa must not honor this ISDS award, and the international community must stand behind the victims of Chevron’s crimes and demand that the company clean up Ecuador once and for all.   “Amazon Watch stands with the affected Indigenous peoples and communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon. We urge President Noboa to reject this illegitimate award, disclose any negotiations with Chevron, and enforce Ecuadorian law by ensuring Chevron pays its debt to those it poisoned.”   Statement by the Union of Peoples Affected by Chevron-Texaco:   “Ecuador’s State Prosecutor’s Office celebrated the reduction of the ISDS award for Chevron to $220 million as if it was a success and an economic achievement. The reality is it is a defeat for justice. For 32 years, UDAPT has documented pollution, environmental crime, and lives broken by Chevron, proving what should be obvious: communities have not recovered, health has not been restored, clean water has not returned, and the territories that sustain life remain contaminated. A debt is not owed to Chevron. A debt is owed to the Amazonian families still waiting for truth, justice, and full reparation.”   Statement from human rights lawyer Steven Donziger:   “The decision by a so-called private corporate arbitration panel that claims to absolve Chevron of its massive pollution liability in Ecuador has no legitimacy and does not affect the historic $9.5 billion damages judgment won by Amazonian communities. That judgment still stands as the definitive public court ruling in the case. The private arbitral panel has no authority over the six public appellate courts, including the Supreme Courts of Ecuador and Canada, that issued unanimous decisions against Chevron and confirmed the extensive evidence that the company devastated local communities by deliberately dumping billions of gallons of cancer-causing oil waste into rivers and streams used by thousands of people for drinking, bathing, and fishing.   “I also strongly condemn President Daniel Noboa for his plans to betray his own people by agreeing to send $220 million from the public treasury to Chevron, a company that owes Ecuador billions under multiple court orders for poisoning vulnerable Indigenous peoples with toxic oil waste. Noboa would effectively grant Chevron a taxpayer-funded bailout financed by the same citizens who remain victims of the company’s pollution. This would be an outrageous dereliction of duty and a violation of his oath of office, warranting removal.“   http://amazonwatch.org/news/2025/1209-amazon-watch-responds-to-reports-that-ecuador-told-to-pay-220-million-to-chevron/ http://insideclimatenews.org/news/10122025/ecuador-to-pay-chevron-220-million-amazon-pollution http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/investor-state-dispute-settlements-have-catastrophic-consequences http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/08/chevron-amazon-ecuador-steven-donziger-erin-brockovich http://news.mongabay.com/2018/08/chevron-must-pay-for-environmental-damage-in-ecuador-court-rules/   1 Dec. 2025   More than 150 faith-based organizations from 25 countries have launched an open letter supporting an El Salvadoran ban on metals mining that was overturned by President Nayib Bukele in 2024.   The original ban was passed by the country’s legislature in 2017 following years of study and the advocacy of El Salvador’s religious communities. The letter signatories, which include 153 global and regional groups from a wide range of traditions, stood with faith groups in El Salvador in calling both for no new mining and for an end to the political persecution of land and water defenders.   "Inspired by Christian teachings that recognize water and nature as a sacred gift from God, and reaffirmed by Pope Francis in Laudato Si, we echo the call of Salvadoran church leaders that the reintroduction of mining would exacerbate environmental and humanitarian threats. Mining would exacerbate the already dire water contamination in El Salvador, further polluting the Lempa River, which supplies water to over 60 percent of the population.   They remind us that access to water is a fundamental human right and that clean water is not a commodity, but a shared inheritance entrusted to all people by God. And they remind us that ending the mining ban is fueling egregious rights violations against those organizing to protect their water and land from destruction.."   http://ips-dc.org/statement-from-faith-organizations-in-25-countries-in-support-of-the-salvadoran-people-and-their-religious-leaders-and-institutions-ban-on-metals-mining http://www.hrw.org/news/2025/12/01/an-opportunity-to-address-mining-abuses-globally   Sep. 2025   Nigeria: Shell remains responsible for cleaning up and remediating historic oil pollution despite divestment. (Amnesty International, OHCHR)   Responding to the recently published letter sent by seven UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights to Shell, Eni and other oil companies as well as the governments of the companies’ home countries and Nigeria regarding the historic pollution of the Niger Delta, Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International Nigeria’s Director, said:   “Amnesty International has researched and campaigned on the issue of oil pollution in Nigeria since the 1990s. The UN Special Rapporteurs have concurred with our finding that the repeated oil spills in the Niger Delta amount to violations of human rights. For every rights violation, there must be a remedy. Shell and other companies responsible for oil spills in the region must therefore clean up affected areas and compensate local communities for the decades of harm caused by those violations.   “We call on Shell and other oil companies to responsibly divest themselves of assets and operations in a way that respects human rights and the environment. Just because Shell recently sold its Nigerian subsidiary, it does not absolve the company of responsibility for its past actions.”   The UN Special Rapporteurs’ letter to Shell states that: “The repeated oil spills in the Niger Delta over a span of decades severely affected the right to life, the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment that is free from toxic substances, the right to the highest attainable standard of health, the right to safe drinking water, the right to an adequate standard of living, the right to food, the right to housing, cultural rights, the right of access to information and the right of access to remedy.”   “…Nigeria is being used as an experiment for divestment without clean-up… It is therefore of considerable importance that human rights abuses arising from the form of divestment now being used by oil companies are fully addressed and effectively remediated and compensated.”   http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/09/nigeria-shell-remains-responsible-for-cleaning-up-and-remediating-historic-oil-pollution-despite-divestment/   Zambia: Acid Spill Jeopardizes Residents’ Health. (Human Rights Watch)   Zambian authorities should address recent reports that polluted water and soil from an acid spill in Zambia’s copper mining region pose a serious health risk, Human Rights Watch said today.   On February 18, 2025, a dam in Chambishi, Copperbelt province, holding mining waste from Chinese mining company, Sino-Metals Leach Zambia, burst its walls and released acidic effluent into Kafue River’s watershed. Sino-Metals is a subsidiary of the Chinese government-owned China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group. The pollution killed fish, burned maize and groundnut crops, and led to the deaths of livestock, wiping out livelihoods of local farmers and posing harm to residents.   “Recent reporting on the immediate and long-term health effects of the February acid spill show the need for the Zambian government to investigate the health hazards and take comprehensive action to prevent further harm,” said Idriss Ali Nassah, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.   “The authorities are obligated to ensure that the internationally protected rights to health and to a healthy environment of the affected communities are respected.”   Zambian authorities should conduct a comprehensive investigation with international and domestic experts to identify environmental health risks, and test affected communities for possible acute and cumulative heavy metal poisoning.   Civil society groups contended that the acid spill resulted from “a broader pattern of gross corporate negligence and inadequacies in environmental compliance, oversight and enforcement.” An official from a local environmental organization told the media that “people unknowingly drank contaminated water and ate affected maize. Now many are suffering from headaches, coughs, diarrhea, muscle cramps, and even sores on their legs...”   http://www.hrw.org/news/2025/09/11/zambia-acid-spill-jeopardizes-residents-health http://ishr.ch/latest-updates/cameroon-un-special-procedures-urge-action-on-mercury-pollution-and-corporate-accountability-in-gold-mining   Peru: OECD recognises Pluspetrol’s responsibility for environmental damage and Indigenous rights violations. (International Federation for Human Rights)   In an official statement released today, the National Contact Point (NCP) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in the Netherlands concluded that the energy company Pluspetrol violated the human rights of Indigenous communities.   Back in 2020, representatives of the Indigenous federations FEDIQUEP, FECONACOR, OPIKAFPE, and ACODECOSPAT filed the formal complaint with the OECD. Peru Equidad, one of the International Federation for Human Rights’ member organisations, was among the groups (namely SOMO, Oxfam Novib, and Oxfam en Peru) providing Indigenous communities with technical support with the claim, based on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct.   Pluspetrol’s operations between 2000 and 2015 have been responsible for environmental contamination in Lot 1AB (now Lot 192) of the Peruvian Amazon. Oil spills, industrial discharge, and air and soil contamination from toxic cadmium, barium, and lead are just a few of the impacts still affecting the Quechua of the Pastaza River, the Achuar of the Corrientes River, and the Kichwa of the Tigre River.   The NCP urged Pluspetrol to remedy all damage caused by its extractive activities in the Loreto Region’s territory, which had accumulated more than four decades of oil exploitation at the time of the company’s withdrawal. In 2021, Peruvian environmental authorities definitely rejected Pluspetrol’s abandonment plan. Moreover, the company refused to participate in a mediation dialogue throughout the NCP process.   Indigenous federations have also denounced Pluspetrol’s use of a corporate structure designed to evade fiscal and environmental responsibilities, which goes against the OECD’s provisions on taxation and transparency. Although the company has Argentinian capital, its parent company is registered as a "letterbox company" in the Netherlands, with operations connected to tax havens such as the Cayman Islands and Luxembourg among others..   http://www.fidh.org/en/issues/business-human-rights-environment/oecd-recognises-pluspetrol-responsibility-environmental-damage-peru-amazon   UN expert sets out key guidelines to ensure access to justice in toxics cases. (OHCHR)   A UN expert has urged States to implement a set of key guidelines to overcome barriers impeding access to justice and effective remedies in cases of toxic exposure.   “The guidelines aim to enable individuals and communities to access their fundamental rights if exposure to hazardous substances and waste occurs,” said Marcos Orellana, UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights.   Individuals and groups exposed to hazardous substances and waste suffer from reproductive injustices, neurological impairments, and various types of cancer. Exposure can cause widespread harm and profound human suffering that affects whole communities and even the rights of future generations.   “Structural discrimination also means that marginalised groups are disproportionately exposed,” Orellana said.In his report to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council, Orellana said that when victims pursue their rights to justice and effective remedies, they face procedural obstacles and delays, outdated or inadequate statutes of limitations, prohibitive litigation costs, lack of legal assistance, and lack of enforcement of judicial decisions.   “These barriers lead to impunity, exacerbate environmental injustices, and undermine legal systems,” the Special Rapporteur said.   The 24 guidelines, rooted in international human rights standards, aim to tackle the unique challenges of securing remedies in toxics cases.   “A common obstacle is the disproportionate burden on victims to establish key elements of their claims, for example, proving the causal link between toxic exposure and harm,” Orellana said.   Guideline nine recommends that courts apply a ‘dynamic burden of proof’ in order to place the onus of proving a fact on the party that is best placed to do so.   Another challenge is the latency period between exposure and disease, which can be years, decades or even generations. Guideline 11 recommends that statutes of limitation are either not applied in toxics cases or that limitations are calculated from the moment a victim learns or should have learned of the toxic risk or harm.   “Impunity is aggravating the increasing toxification of our planet and the resulting infringement of human rights—to life, health, and a healthy environment,” the expert said. “Accountability must be ensured, as a vital pillar for protecting human rights and the environment from exposure to toxic substances.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/un-expert-sets-out-key-guidelines-ensure-access-justice-toxics-cases http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/un-experts-concerned-about-human-rights-violations-linked-mercenary-related
	50 million people are living in modern slavery by Walk Fee, ITUC, Anti Slavery International   Nov. 2025   Child labour: New report shows urgent need for action   A new report by the ITUC, Education International (EI) and the Global March Against Child Labour has found serious setbacks in efforts to eradicate child labour.   Drawing on responses from civil society and trade union organisations across Africa, Asia and Latin America, the report evaluates progress since the Fifth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in Durban, South Africa, as the world approaches the Sixth Global Conference in Morocco.   As the Equal Times article explains, it is estimated that more than 137 million children are engaged in work. While frontline organisations remain deeply committed, global and national systems are failing to deliver the scale and speed of action needed. Findings include:   Widespread concerns that child labour is becoming more hidden, hazardous and harder to monitor. Persistent underfunding of public education, labour inspection and social protection systems. A lack of reliable data on child labour in most countries, limiting policy impact.   Weak enforcement of laws in sectors with high rates of child labour, particularly in agriculture and domestic work. Limited engagement of survivors and young people in national decision-making.   Luc Triangle, ITUC General Secretary, said: “We strongly back the demands of this report, including reinforced legal protections for children and workers, robust public investment and meaningful participation by civil society and unions in policy processes.   “This report makes clear that political promises alone will not end child labour. What we need is enforcement, funding and freedom to organise. Governments must put decent work, social protection and education at the centre of their national strategies, with trade unions and civil society as full partners.”   http://www.ituc-csi.org/child-labour-new-report http://www.equaltimes.org/from-mexico-to-the-persian-gulf http://globalmarch.org/publication/durban-call-to-action-organisations-and-union-perspectives-on-progress-made/   July 2025   50 million people are living in modern slavery - Walk Fee, Anti Slavery International   Global efforts to end modern slavery by 2030 under United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7 are falling short. Rising risks from conflict, climate change, and weak government enforcement threaten progress.   All UN member states have committed to ending modern slavery, human trafficking, forced labour, and child labour by 2030 under Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7.   With just 5 years remaining, and a decade since the goal was first adopted, efforts are falling far short of what is needed.   An estimated 50 million people are living in modern slavery, which is 10 million more than in 2016, according to the latest Global Slavery Index (GSI).   The high prevalence, alongside weak legal protections and limited enforcement in many countries, shows that current efforts are not enough to meet the 2030 goal.   What is Target 8.7 and how does it address modern slavery?   Target 8.7 is part of the UN’s 2030 Agenda and aims to end modern slavery in all its forms including forced labour, human trafficking, and the worst forms of child labour.   The number refers to its position in the UN framework. It’s the 7th target under Sustainable Development Goal 8, which promotes decent work and economic growth. This sets out a shared international commitment to end these forms of exploitation through legal, policy, and practical action.   Modern slavery has also been included in the Pact for the Future, adopted at the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly last year, reinforcing the need for urgent action on Target 8.7.   However, global risks linked to modern slavery are increasing. These include escalating armed conflict, climate change, and economic inequality.   Despite the global commitment, many governments have not taken sufficient legislative or policy action to meet Target 8.7. Few countries have criminalised all forms of modern slavery in line with international standards. Where laws do exist, enforcement is often weak or under-resourced.   Mandatory human rights due diligence laws remain the exception, not the norm. In the EU, member states must support the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) to protect human rights and give businesses the legal clarity to operate responsibly in global markets.   State-imposed forced labour continues in countries like the United States, and exploitative migration systems remain largely unregulated, exposing migrant workers to abuse.   Child marriage is still legally permitted under the age of 18 in many jurisdictions, with some countries backtracking on previous progress, including Iraq lowering the legal age of marriage to 9 for girls and 15 for boys.   Despite calls for reform, federal governments, including the United States under President Donald Trump’s administration, have failed to take meaningful action on this issue.   Global supply chains continue to drive forced labour and exploitation   Modern slavery is still embedded in global supply chains. Everyday products such as clothing, electronics, seafood, and agricultural goods are often linked to exploitative labour practices.   G20 countries alone import over US$468 billion worth of goods that are at risk of being produced with forced labour each year, according to the GSI.   Despite this, most governments continue to rely on voluntary frameworks rather than enforce laws that hold businesses accountable. Few companies conduct meaningful due diligence to identify and address exploitation in their supply chains, and in most places, they are not legally required to do so.   Meeting the 2030 deadline will require immediate, coordinated, and sustained action. Governments must:   Criminalise all forms of modern slavery in line with international legal standards. Enforce existing laws and resource labour inspectorates and justice systems. Implement and enforce mandatory human rights due diligence legislation. Address the root causes of exploitation, including conflict, climate change, displacement, and inequality.   With 5 years to go, the global community must act urgently to deliver on its commitment to end modern slavery and protect those at risk of exploitation worldwide.   http://www.walkfree.org/news/2025/un-2030-goal-to-end-modern-slavery-at-risk-of-being-missed-as-exploitation-risks-rise/ http://www.walkfree.org/global-slavery-index/ http://www.walkfree.org/news/2025/why-eu-leaders-must-defend-the-csddd-amid-president-trumps-trade-threats-and-internal-rollbacks/ http://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/csddd-transposition/ http://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/business/mhrdd/ohchr-commentary-omnibus.pdf http://www.fidh.org/en/issues/business-human-rights-environment/business-and-human-rights/csddd-ombibus-eu-council-changes-limit-protection-rights http://www.hrw.org/news/2025/07/09/us-lobbying-groups-target-eu-corporate-accountability-law http://www.antislavery.org/latest/eu-omnibus-global-south-statement/ http://www.walkfree.org/news/2025/governments-are-cutting-human-rights-funding-and-putting-millions-at-risk-of-modern-slavery/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2025/12/forms-slavery-keep-changing-harm-remains-same http://www.freedomunited.org/news/slavery-convention-remains-crucial/ http://www.freedomunited.org/news/clean-energy-child-labor-africa/ http://www.equaltimes.org/trump-s-cuts-to-global-labour Visit the related web page
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