NGO Watch®

IFC Proposes Principles for “Impact Investing”

October 24, 2018

On the basis of input from businesses, nongovernmental organizations, and others, the World Bank’s private investment arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), has issued draft principles on how it plans to promote “impact investing” to create positive social and environmental change through its global activities.
NGOs, Businesses Form Alliances to Promote Climate Action

September 05, 2018

Environmental activist organization WWF has applauded the formation, under the banner “Alliances for Climate Action,” of networks in Japan, Mexico, and the US involving governments, businesses, and nongovernmental organizations committing to policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to fulfill the UN’s 2015 Paris climate deal.
NGOs, Academics Push for UN Ban on Autonomous Weapons

September 04, 2018

The Express reports that academics and activist organizations are pushing countries to work through the UN to prohibit the development and use of “fully autonomous weapons” systems by countries including the US, Israel, the UK, China, and Russia.
NGO Demands More Action from Supermarkets on Plastics

August 31, 2018

The activist organization Greenpeace has applauded Kroger’s decision, under pressure from UN and environmental groups opposed to plastics production, to phase out the use of “single-use” plastic bags from its stores by the year 2025, while calling for the grocery giant to “build upon this effort” by cutting out all kinds of disposable plastics from its operations.
Paper Seeks Rights-Focused Action from Companies on Network Disruptions

August 31, 2018

The Global Network Initiative, a coalition of internet and telecommunications companies, has published a paper calling on businesses to do more to prevent the impacts on a broad range of rights caused by government-mandated network disruptions across the globe, including to economic, social, and cultural rights.
NGOs Seek Binding Environmental Instrument for Americas

August 30, 2018

An open letter from nongovernmental organizations including Amnesty International calls on countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to sign on to a binding regional agreement setting transnational standards linking environmental protection and human rights, including by providing for “access to justice in environmental matters.”
Paper: Reform Global Governance to Ease Tech Transfer to China

August 30, 2018

Anton Malkin of the Centre for International Governance Innovation calls for the reform of the global trade governance system to accommodate the challenges faced by “developing and middle-income economies,” as illustrated by China’s “Made in China 2025” industrial policy, in acquiring foreign-owned technology and expertise.
Businesses Pledge “Sustainable” Textile Supply Chains

August 30, 2018

As part of growing pressure on businesses to perform human rights due diligence, the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, a coalition of companies, NGOs, and the German government, has announced the release by 116 of its members of roadmaps toward “sustainable” supply chains, as reviewed and approved by “external experts.”
NGO Group: Reinsurer’s Coal Policy “Lacks Consequence”

August 15, 2018

A global coalition of nongovernmental organizations called Unfriend Coal touts the influence of its pressure campaign on the announcement by Munich Re, the world’s second largest reinsurer, that it will stop insuring new coal-fired power plants and mines in rich countries but claims the move ultimately “lacks consequence” in the fight against climate change.
NGO Criticizes American Tech’s China Engagement

August 08, 2018

Human Rights Watch has called for activist and shareholder pressure on Google and Facebook as the global tech giants develop plans to comply with Chinese demands for networks the government can easily monitor and censor in the country, including Google’s plans to launch a censored version of its search engine as an app on its Android operating system.