Call to International Action
For the Economic, Political, Cultural and Environmental Sovereignty of Our Peoples
End the Impunity of Transnational Corporations Now!
The time has come to unite the hundreds of struggles, campaigns, networks, movements and organizations that are combating the different ways transnational corporations (TNCs) are appropriating our destinies, natural heritage and rights, dismantling public services, destroying the commons and endangering food sovereignty in every corner of the planet.
Neoliberal globalization has opened the doors for the savage exploitation of the world by the big economic powers. They have gradually taken over our lives and the planet by creating a blanket of impunity through the dismantling and systematic violation of laws and the signing of international trade and investment agreements, which award investors more rights than citizens. As a result, peoples’ rights have been systematically violated, the Earth and its resources destroyed, pillaged and contaminated, and resistance criminalized, while corporations continue committing economic and ecological crimes with total impunity. Driven by their imperative of maximizing profit, TNCs seek to pit workers from different regions against one another in what is a race to the bottom for the world’s working people.
The governance and policies of multilateral institutions – such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB), and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) – have long served corporate interests, while the United Nations (UN) or the European Union (EU) have been increasingly captured by TNCs. This is reflected in the policies shaped to satisfy the interests of capital and in these institutions’ systematic refusal to impose limits on corporations.
In most countries, governments are at the service of corporate interests and against us, the majority of peoples. Setting aside democratic principles, they usurp institutions and, with the complicity of national elites, succeed in altering laws and policies that allow them to continue plundering the wealth of nations and maintain their predatory relation to nature. In the face of mounting criticism of their operations, TNCs’ have designed tools like Corporate Social Responsibility to clean up their image, while allowing them to continue to increase their profits. Furthermore, they control major media agencies, which play a key role in ensuring the continuity of corporate hegemony.
Acting with brutality in the rich countries from which they originate, but especially in countries of the Global South – and increasingly in “emerging” countries like Brazil, India, China and Russia – major corporations are appropriating more and more of our wealth and rights. Their growing economic monopoly, political power and control over the justice system destroy our right to a decent life and dominate our peoples’ and nations’ cultural habits and consumption patterns.
Transnationals have commodified life and continue to seize our territories, forests and water and transform social and human relations. Health and education, for example, are now considered privileges of those who have money, and are no longer seen as the rights of all people. With the crisis in the U.S. and various European countries, the banks have expropriated thousands of people’s houses. In Europe, they have imposed austerity measures, which are a replica of the structural adjustment programs implemented years ago in countries in the South to deal with the so-called “external debt”. Today, we are seeing unprecedented attacks on public services, labour rights and social programs, while governments use public funds to save the market’s excesses and the financial institutions.
Transnational corporations operate globally, moving from one country to another, while applying the same recipe to generate profit at any cost. It is we, the 99%, who bear the costs. Yet, resistance is growing throughout the world. Every day, there are more communities, movements and peoples struggling against transnationals – often confronting specific companies or sectors and that have won important victories. Even so, we have not succeeded in halting the advance of corporations, as when defeated in one place, they adjust their strategies and move to another, where they confront any obstacle that rises on their path.
Therefore, to confront corporate power and the system that protects and benefits TNCs, it is urgent and necessary to give a systematic response. We must unite our experiences and our struggles, learn collectively from our victories and our failures and share our analysis and strategies for putting an end to the impunity of transnationals. The concrete struggles of our communities 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.
Sharing our experience in developing ways of life that are distinct from the culture of transnational production imposed by capitalism, that now wants to disguise itself as “green”, is fundamental for building an alternative society in which we, the people, are the protagonists.
We, the undersigned, hereby invite you to join us in collectively building this process of mobilization towards a global campaign against the power of corporations and their crimes against humanity. Dismantling the transnationals’ system of power demands coordinated action at the global level: engaging in struggles in various spheres, combining mobilizations on the streets and in territories with popular education and actions in parliaments, media and international forums and organisations.
By creating a powerful movement of solidarity and action against TNCs, their apologists and promoters, we will begin to build a world free from corporate power and greed.
Dismantle Corporate Power!
End the Impunity of Transnational Corporations!
List of Sign-Ons:
International
• Bi-regional Europe-Latin America y the Caribbean Enlazando Alternativas Network
www.enlazandoalternativas.org
• Blue Planet Project
www.blueplanetproject.net
• CADTM International
www.cadtm.org
• Corporate Accountability International
www.stopcorporateabuse.org
• FIAN International
www.fian.org
• Food and Water Watch
www.foodandwaterwatch.org
• Friends of the Earth International (FOEI)
www.foei.org
• Global Forest Coalition (GFC)
www.globalforestcoalition.org
• Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of the Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS)
www.ripess.org
• International Articulation of those Affected by Vale
www.
• International Association of Democratic Lawiers (IADL)
www.iadllaw.org
• La Via Campesina International
www.viacampesina.org
• People’s Health Movement
phmovement.org
• The International Office for Human Rights Action on Colombia (OIDHACO)
www.oidhaco.org
• Transnational Institute – TNI
www.tni.org
• URGENCI
urgenci.net
• World Forum for Alternatives
www.forumdesalternatives.org
• World March of Women
www.worldmarchofwomen.org
• World Rainforest Movement
www.wrm.org.uy
Regional
• African Uranium Alliance, Africa
• American Association of Jurists (AAJ)
http://www.asociacionamericanadejuristas.org
• Amigos de la Tierra América Latina y el Caribe – ATALC
atalc.org
• CADTM – AYNA, Americas
cadtm.org
• Campaña Justicia Climática, Americas
• Coordinadora Andina de Organizaciones Indigenas – CAOI, Andean region
www.coordinadoracaoi.org
• Focus on the Global South, India/Thailand/Philippines
www.focusweb.org
• Food and Water Watch Europe
www.foodandwatereurope.org
• Hemispheric Social Alliance, Americas
www.asc-hsa.org
• International Alliance of Natural Resources in Africa (IANRA)
www.ianra.org
• Jubilee South – Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development
www.apmdd.org
• Jubileo Sur Americas
jubileosuramericas.net
• Plataforma Interamericana de Derechos Humanos – PIDDHH, Americas
www.pidhdd.org
• Red Lationamericana por el Acceso a Medicamentos
www.redlam.org
• Red Latinoamericana sobre Deuda, Desarrollo y Derechos – LATINDADD, Americas
www.latindadd.org
• Red Vida
laredvida.org
• RIPESS – Europe
www.ripess.org
• Social Movements for an Alternative Asia (SMAA)
www.smaa.asia
• Southern Africa Faith Communities Environmental Initiative (SAFCEI)
www.safcei.org
• Third World Network Africa
twnafrica.org
• Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA)
www.csa-csi.org
• Transform!europe
www.transform-network.net
• Transnational Migrant Platform – Europe
TransnationalMigrantPlatform
• Young Friends of the Earth Europe
www.foeeurope.org/yfoee
National
• A Seed Japan (Action for Solidarity, Equality, Environment and Development)
www.aseed.org
• Action from Ireland (AFRI)
www.afri.ie
• ActionAid France-Peuples solidaires
www.peuples-solidaires.org
• ACSUR – Las Segovias, Spain
acsur.org
• Afrikagrupperna, Sweden
afrikagrupperna.se
• Asociación de Desarrollo Económico Social, ADES Santa Marta
adessantamarta.sv
• Asociación por la Paz y los Derechos Humanos Taula per Mèxic
taulapermexic.org
• Association Internationale de Techniciens, Experts et Chercheurs (AITEC), France
aitec.reseau-ipam.org
• Alianza Mexicana por la Autodeterminación de los Pueblos – AMAP
www.rmalc.org.mx
• All India Forum of Forest Movement – (AIFFM), India
• Alliance of Progressive Labour, Philippines
www.apl.org.ph
• Alternative Information Development Center – AIDC, South Africa
www.aidc.org.za
• Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) – Philippines
alyansatigilmina.net
• AM-net (APEC Monitor NGO Network)
am-net.org/index.html
• Amigos de la Tierra (España)
www.tierra.org
• Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (Stop the Wall), Palestine
www.stopthewall.org
• Arlac, Belgium
www.arlac.be
• ATTAC Argentina
attacargentina.com.ar
• ATTAC Austria
www.attac.at
• ATTAC France
www.france.attac.org
• ATTAC Germany
www.attac.de/
• ATTAC Japan
www.jca.apc.org
• ATTAC Maroc
www.attacmaroc.org
• ATTAC Spain
www.attac.es
• ATTAC Switzerland
www.suisse.attac.org
• ATTAC Vlaanderen
vl.attac.be
• A Seed Japan (Action for Solidarity, Equality, Environment and Development)
• BADIL – Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
badil.org
• Bench Marks Foundation, South Africa
www.bench-marks.org.za
• Beyond Copenhagen, India
beyondcph.blogspot.com.br
• Biowatch South Africa
www.biowatch.org.za
• Both ENDS, The Netherlands
www.bothends.org/en/
• Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association (ABIA)
www.abiaids.org.br
• Brazilian Network for the Integration of the Peoples (REBRIP), Brazil
www.rebrip.org.br
• Campaña de Afectados por Repsol – Catalunya
• Campaña Explotación a Precio de Saldo, Spain
• Campaña Mesoamericana Para la Justicia Climática, El Salvador
• Censat Agua Viva – Amigos de la Tierra Colombia
www.censat.org
• Centro de Derechos Económicos y Sociales (CDES) – Ecuador
cdes.org.ec
• Centro de Documentación e Información Bolivia (CEDIB)
cedib.org
• Central de Trabajadores de la Argentina
www.cta.org.ar
• Centre Europe Tiers Monde (CETIM), Switzerland
• Centre for Natural Resource Governance, Zimbabwe
• Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD), Zambia
www.ctpd.org.zm
• Centre for the Development of Women and Children (CDWC), Zimbabwe
• Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos “Segundo Montes Mozo S.J.” (CSMM), Ecuador
• Centro de Estudios para la Justicia Social Tierra Digna, Colombia
• Centro de Investigación y Documentación Chile-América Latina – FDCL, Germany
fdcl-berlin.de
• Centro de Investigaciones e Información en Desarrollo (CIID), Guatemala
• CIVICUS, South Africa
• COECOCeiba, Costa Rica
• Colectivo de Abogados José Alvear Restrepo – CCAJAR, Colombia
www.colectivodeabogados.org
• Colectivo de Mujeres Hondureñas (CODEMUH), Honduras
www.codemuh.net
• Colibri, Germany
• Col-lectiu de Respostes a les Transnacionals (RETS), Catalunya, Spain
collectiurets.wordpress.com
• Comision Interclesial de Justicia y Paz, Colombia
justiciaypazcolombia.com
• Comisión Nacional de Enlace (CNE), Costa Rica
• Comité por los Derechos Humanos en América Latina (CDHAL), Canada
www.cdhal.net
• Comité Permanente por la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (CDH)
www.cdh.org.ec
• Comité pour le respect des droits humains “Daniel Gillard”
comitedaniel.gillard
• Commission for Filipino Migrant Workers – International Office, Philippines
www.cfmw.org
• Common Frontiers, Canada
www.commonfrontiers.ca
• Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT)
cgt.org.es
• Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT France)
http://cgt.fr
• Coordinación por los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas (CODPI), Spain
www.cdhal.net
• Coordinadora Estatal de Comercio Justo en España
www.cdhal.net
• Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), Belgium
www.corporateeurope.org
• Council of Canadians, Canada
• Cristianos de Base, Spain
www.iglesiadebasedemadrid.org
• CSAAWU
www.csaawu.wordpress.com
• Democracy Center, Bolivia
• Derechos Humanos sin Fronteras, Perú
• Diálogo 2000 – Jubileo Sur Argentina
dialogo2000.blogspot.com
• Eastern and Soutern Africa Farmers Forum (ESAFF), Zambia
• ECOAR))), Spain
ecoarglobal.org
• EcoDoc Africa
www.ecodocafrica.co.za
• Ecologistas en Acción-Ekologistak Martxan – Ecologistes en Acció, Spain
www.ecologistasenaccion.org
• ¿Economía Verde? ¡Futuro Imposible! – Alianza por una alternativa ecológica, social y urgente al capitalismo, Spain
alianzaeconomiaverdefuturonegro.wordpress.com
• Economic Justice Network of FOCCISA, South Africa
www.ejn.org.za
• ELA Euskal Sindikatua, Euskal Herria / Basque Country
https://www.ela.eus/
• Enginyeria sense Fronteras, Catalonia
catalunya.isf.es
• Entrepueblos, Spain
• Environmental Monitoring Group, South Africa
www.emg.org.za
• Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria
www.emg.org.za
• Federation of Organs for Social and Educational Assistance (FASE), Brazil
www.fase.org.br
• Federació de Associacions Veinals de Mataró (FAVM), Catalunya
• Foro Ciudadano de Participación por la Justicia y los Derechos Humanos (FOCO), Argentina
www.inpade.org.ar
• France Amérique Latine – FAL, France
www.franceameriquelatine.org
• Fresh Eyes- People to People Travel
• Friends of the Earth, France
www.amisdelaterre.org
• Friends of the Earth, Japan
www.foejapan.org
• Friends of the Earth, Scotland
• Friends of the Earth, Finland
www.foei.org
• Friends of the Landless, Finland
www.foei.org
• Fundación de Estudios para la Aplicación del Derecho (FESPAD) – El Salvador
fespad.org.sv
• Fundación para la Cooperación APY – Solidaridad en Acción, España
apysolidaridad.org
• Fundación Solon, Bolivia
www.funsolon.org
• Fundación de Investigaciones Sociales y políticas – FISYP, Argentina
www.fisyp.org.ar
• Global Economy Project
• Global Justice Now/ Attac UK
• Grassroots Global Justice, USA
ggjalliance.org
• Grassroots International, USA
www.grassrootsonline.org
• Groundwork, Friends of the Earth South Africa
www.groundwork.org.za
• Groupe de recherche pour une stratégie économique alternative (GRESEA) – Mirador, Belgium
www.gresea.be
• Hegoa, Instituto de Estudios sobre el Desarrollo y la Cooperación Internacional del País Vasco, Basque Country
www.hegoa.ehu.es
• HEÑÓI, Centro de Estudios y Promoción de la Democracia, los Derechos Humanos y la Sostenibilidad Socioambiental (Paraguay)
• HOMA Center for Business and Human Rightswork
http://homacdhe.com
• IBASE – Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas
ibase.br
• Indonesia for Global Justice, Indonesia
igj.or.id
• India FDI Watch, India
www.indiafdiwatch.org
• Indian Social Action Forum – INSAF, India
• Ingeníeria Sin Fronteras, Asturias
asturias.isf.es
• Innovations for Change, Nigeria
• Instituto de Ciencias Alejandro Lipschutz – ICAL, Chile
www.ical.cl
• Instituto Eqüit – Gênero, Economia e Cidadania Global, Brasil
www.equit.org.br
• Instituto Mais Democracia, Brasil
• Institute for Socioeconomic Studies (INESC)
www.inesc.org.br
• Instituto Latinoamericano para una sociedad y un derecho alternativo – ILSA, Colombia
ilsa.org.co:81/
• Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) – Global Economy Project
ips-dc.org
• Janpahal, India
• Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC)
www.ngo-jvc.net
• Jordens Vänner / Friends of the Earth Sweden
www.jordensvanner.se
• Jubilee Debt Campaign
jubileedebt.org.uk
• Justiça Global, Brasil
www.global.org.br
• Justicia i Pau
www.justiciaipau.org/ca
• Koalisi Anti Utang (KAU) – Anti Debt Colition, Indonesia
• KRuHA, Indonesia
• La Via Campesina Africa 1, Mozambique
• LAB Euskal Herria/País Vasco
www.lab.eus
• Laboratorio de Investigación en Desarrollo Comunitario y Sustentabilidad de México
lidecs.org
• Labour Research Service – LRS, South Africa
www.lrs.org.za
• Legal Resources Centre
lrc.org.za
• Mahlathini Organics, South Africa
mahlathiniorganics
• Marcha Mundial de Mujeres Chile – Colectivo VientoSur
• Mesa Nacional frente a Minería Metálica, El Salvador
noalamineria.org.sv
• Milieu Defensie – Friends of the Earth, Netherlands
www.milieudefensie.nl/english
• Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA), South Africa
• MiningWatch Canada
miningwatch.ca
• Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB), Brazil
uwww.mabnacional.org.br
• Movimiento Rios Vivos, Colombia
defensaterritorios.wordpress.com
• Movimiento Social Nicaraguense – Otro Mundo Es Posible, Nicaragua
otromundoesposiblenic.codigosur.net/
• Multiwatch, Switzerland
www.multiwatch.ch
• National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF), Bangladesh
www.nadir.org
• Naturefriends Greece
• North East Peoples Alliance, India
nealliance.net
• Northern Alliance for Sustainability (ANPED), Belgium
• NOVACT, Spain
novact.org
• Observatorio de la Deuda en la Globalización – ODG, Spain
eng.odg.cat
• Observatorio de Multinacionales en America Latina – OMAL, Spain
www.omal.info
• Observatorio Petrolero Sur (OPSur), Argentina
www.opsur.org.ar
• Otramerica, Paraguay
• Pacific Asia Resource Centre (PARC)
parc-jp.org
• PACS – Instituto Políticas Alternativas para o Cone Sul, Brazil
www.pacs.org.br/
• Palenke del Alto Cauca – PCN, Colombia
• Partido de la Rifondazione Comunista/Izquierda Europea, Italia
web.rifondazione.it
• Pax Romana, Switzerland
• Pensamiento Acción Social (PAS)
www.pas.org.co
• Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement – PRRM, Philippines
www.prrm.org
• Plataforma Alternativa para el Desarrollo de Haití (Papda)
www.papda.org
• Plataforma DHESC, Brazil
www.dhescbrasil.org.br
• Plataforma Rural – Alianza por un Mundo Rural Vivo, Spain
www.plataformarural.org
• Polaris Institute, Canada
www.polarisinstitute.org
• REBRIP – Brazilian Network for the Integration of the Peoples, Brazil
www.rebrip.org.br
• Recalca, Colombia
www.recalca.org.co
• Red Internacional de Derechos Humanos (RIDH), Switzerland
• Red Mexicana de Acción frente al Libre Comercio – RMALC, Mexico
www.rmalc.org.mx
• Red Muqui Sur, Peru
www.muqui.org
• Red Nacional Genero y Economía Mujeres para el Diálogo, AC, Mexico
• Rede Social de Justiça e Direitos Humanos, Brazil
www.social.org.br
• Revuelta verde/Rising Tide, Mexico
• RSE – Benin
rsebenin.org
• SEATINI, Zimbabwe
www.seatini.org
• SETEM, Catalonia
www.setem.org
• SIEMBRA, AC, Mexico
• Sindicato de Trabajadoras de la Enseñanza de Euskalherria – STEE-EILAS, Basque Country
stee-eilas-unibertsitatea.org
• Soldepaz Pachakuti, Spain
• Solidaires
https://www.solidaires.org
• Solidaridad Suecia – America Latina (SAL) / Latinamerikagrupperna, Sweden
www.latinamerikagrupperna.se
• Solifonds, Switzerland
www.solifonds.ch
• SOMO – Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations, Netherlands
somo.nl
• South African and Allied Workers Union – SATAWU, South Africa
www.satawu.org.za
• South African Water Caucus – SAWC, South Africa
• South Asian Dialogues on Ecological Democracyú
www.saded.in
• South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, South Africa
www.sdcea.co.za
• Southern Africa Green Revolutionary Council (SAGRC)
• Spaces for Change (S4C), Nigeria
www.spacesforchange.org
• Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior – SACOM, Hong Kong, China
sacom.hk
• Sustaining the Wild Coast (SWC)
www.swc.org.za
• Swiss Working Group on Colombia
• Terra de Direitos, Brazil
terradedireitos.org.br
• Toxics Watch Alliance – TWA, India
toxicswatch.blogspot.com.br/
• Trust for Community Outreach and Education – TSOE, South Africa
tcoe.org.za
• Unidad Ecologica Salvadoreña – UNES, El Salvador
unes.org.sv
• Unión de Afectados y Afectadas por la Operaciones de Texaco – Ecuador
www.texacotoxico.net
• UNISON, United Kingdom
www.unison.org.uk
• Veterinarios sin Fronteras, Spain
www.veterinariossinfronteras.org
• VIGENCIA!
www.vigencia.org
• War on Want, England
www.waronwant.org
• Xingu Vivo para Sempre, Brazil
www.xinguvivo.org.br
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