[E-rundbrief] Info 1114 - Global Campaign to Challenge Corporations

[Matthias Reichl]

E-Rundbrief - Info 1114 - Global Campaign to Challenge the Power of 
Corporations Launched in Rio - Peoples’ Summit in Rio - Rio + 20.

Bad Ischl, 18.6.2012

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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*Global Campaign to Challenge the Power of Corporations Launched in Rio*

Río de Janeiro – 18th of June 2012

Dozens of civil society organizations from around the world have gathered
today at the Peoples’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to launch a global
campaign to confront the power of corporations and their crimes against
humanity. In the face of the failed official Rio + 20 process, which has
been systematically co-opted and corrupted by transnational corporations,
this campaign strives to unite hundreds of struggles, campaigns, networks,
movements and organizations that are fighting the different ways
transnational corporations are negatively impacting human rights and the
rights of nature in every corner of the planet.

The campaign denounces the corporate agenda of Rio + 20 to commodify
nature. To put this campaign into action, there will be a rally at 6:00
PM, June 19th, from the Peoples’ Summit toward Largo de Carioca to
confront the abuses of Brazilian energy and mining giant Vale.

The campaign has been initiated by several national and international
social movements, including campaign networks resisting transnational
corporations. Over 100 groups from peasant, labour, women’s, environmental
justice and faith based movements from both the global South and the
global North have joined the campaign. Nnimmo Bassey, the president of
Friends of the Earth International commented that “this kind of global
campaign is long overdue, and is essential when fighting contemporary
transnational corporations who operate globally, moving from one country
to another using the same strategies to generate profit at any cost.”

According to the campaign call for mobilization, a primary focus of this
campaign is to establish mechanisms of global solidarity and action
between civil society and social movements to stop violations by
transnational corporations and defend the rights of peoples, communities,
and nature. Two of the main goals will be to develop binding obligations
and regulations for TNCs and to build the foundations for an international
mechanism to judge the ecological and economic crimes of corporations and
impose sanctions. Brid Brennan from the Transnational Institute commented
that “the process that we have launched here in Rio will set in motion a
broad global debate on the illegitimacy corporate power, as well as to
create the necessary tools and spur the mobilizations to challenge and
ultimately eliminate the impunity of TNCs.”

Henry Saraghi, General Coordinator of la Via Campesina said that “this
campaign is especially important when we are witnessing the rebranding of
capitalism through the design and implementation of the corporate green
economy at Rio + 20, which has been devised as a clever way to cheat
nature and continue business as usual.” Campaign convenors stress that in
order to confront corporate power and the system that protects and
benefits TNCs, it is necessary to give a systematic response by uniting
experiences and struggles, to establish food and energy sovereignty,
reclaim public services, protect common goods and to advance solidarity
economies. The call to action for the campaign firmly announces that
“community resistance against a transnational corporation could be even
more victorious if we are able to unite them with the efforts of other
people in other countries, regions or continents.”

For more information and interviews please contact:

- Richard Girard, Polaris Institute – (+55 21) 7932 0512
richard at polarisinstitute.org

- Tom Kucharz, Ecologistas en Acción – (+55 21) 8718 9847 –
agroecologia at ecologistasenaccion.org

- Mary Lou Malig, La Via Campesina – (+55 21) 6951 0361,
marylouisemalig at gmail.com

- Karen Lang, Transnational Institute – Telf. (+55 21) 8159 5373
karen.lang.brazil at gmail.com

http://www.facebook.com/stopcorporateimpunity

http://www.foei.org/en/get-involved/take-action/reclaim-the-un-from-corporate-capture

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Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
Wolfgangerstr. 26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at
Spenden-Konto Nr. 0600-970305 (Blz. 20314) Sparkasse Salzkammergut,
Geschäftsstelle Pfandl
IBAN: AT922031400600970305 BIC: SKBIAT21XXX

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