The European Commission’s proposal for a new EU Public Procurement Act, released today, takes promising steps on sustainability. But Swedwatch warns that its impact on workers and communities in public-sector supply chains will ultimately depend on whether human rights and environmental due diligence is firmly embedded in the final legislation.
The proposal moves away from lowest price as the p
Concerns about land rights, livelihoods, community participation and how benefits from a carbon credit project in Sierra Leone are shared are raised in a report by Swedwatch, HEKS and the Sierra Leone Network on the Right to Food (Silnorf).
Swedwatch and partners are launching a new podcast series, ”Business and Human Rights in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia”, exploring key developments and emerging sustainability and business and human rights issues across the region.
Annette Lyth is a senior leader with extensive experience in promoting human rights and strengthening the rule of law in both humanitarian and development settings. Her international career spans Europe, Africa and Asia and includes leadership positions within organisations such as the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
New guidance highlights how faith actors can help unlock access to justice — and what companies, investors and states must do to support community-driven solutions. The guidance note will be launched at the Eastern Africa Exchange Platform on Business and Human Rights in Arusha, Tanzania, on the 5th of June.
Terminating funding to organisations like Swedwatch doesnt happen in a vacuum. Reflections from Swedwatch´s Director Alice Blondel on a decision that reaches far beyond one organisation
A new Swedwatch investigation reveals how C-Quest cookstove projects in Zimbabwe failed to consult communities and share revenues. -Community members thought the stoves were a donation, not part of business selling credits worth millions of dollars abroad, says Lubna Hawwa, author of the report.
Instead of finding a broad compromise the conservative EPP group, led by Jörgen Warborn, chose to push through its deregulation measures together with party groups on the far right. With 382 votes in favour and 249 against, the proposal was approved by the European Parliament earlier today.
-It’s a sad day for EU democracy – and for responsible business, human rights and environmental protectio
A new report by Swedwatch highlights how European companies export pesticides banned within the EU to countries outside the union, where they harm workers and ecosystems. Focusing on Kenya as a case study, the report exposes a global pattern of toxic double standards.
In a major step for human rights, the Norwegian NCP found that Aker BP failed to conduct human rights due diligence (HRDD) when the company merged with Swedish oil company Lundin Energy.
A new report by Swedish NGO Swedwatch reveals that public funds used to procure hospital textiles are linked to exploitative labour practices in Pakistan’s textile industry. The findings expose major gaps in the EU’s public procurement rules and urge the European Commission to propose binding due diligence standards to prevent public spending from enabling human rights abuse.
A new report by Swedwatch highlights critical human rights risks associated with the global transition to renewable energy. The report reveals that human rights and environmental defenders face serious threats and reprisals in countries where renewable energy projects are being rapidly developed.
Swedwatch has been granted nearly 1.7 million SEK in project support from the Swedish Institute (SI) to work on two projects in Ukraine over the next two years. One project focuses on responsible business conduct, while the other aims to strengthen cooperation on corporate responsibility within the Eastern Partnership, in collaboration with partner organizations from Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia.
As the EU revises its Public Procurement Directive, Swedwatch urges policymakers to seize this opportunity to embed robust sustainability and human rights requirements into public procurement processes. In a new position paper Swedwatch highlights five recommendations that would strengthen the directive.
Swedwatch has been appointed as a member of the European Commission’s Stakeholder Expert Group on Public Procurement (SEGPP). This appointment comes at a pivotal moment as the Commission embarks on a revision of the EU’s 2014 Public Procurement Directive. Integration of mandatory social and environmental criteria into the Directive has the potential to significantly improve the lives of millio
A new report from Swedwatch highlights ongoing wage violations in Bangladesh’s garment sector, with workers depending on overtime pay to make ends meet, often falling into chronic debt. The EU's new corporate sustainability due diligence directive carries the potential to curb this trend, yet further actions are needed.
At COP29, the spotlight will be on climate finance. But deciding an ambitious target amount is only half of the solution. Climate finance must also be primarily grants and reach the most vulnerable countries and communities - especially Indigenous Peoples, and local communities on the frontlines.-Without inclusive and rights-based support, the promise of climate finance remains hollow, says Lubna
Together with over 150 organizations, Swedwatch has signed a statement sent to the World Bank president Ajay Banga demanding him to take action against the worsening situation for Cambodian human rights defenders in the country. The organizations attacked, CENTRAL and Equitable Cambodia, are important voices for democracy and human rights in the country and part of Swedwatch’s network.
-We dema
On the 14thof August Liberia launched its first National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, NAP BHR. Swedwatch and its partner organization Green Advocates International (GAI) have been working to integrate women from business impacted communities in the policy-process. Both partners welcome the adoption of the NAP BHR, and call for an inclusive implementation and monitoring process.
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The new Swedwatch report, based on interviews conducted at four farms in the Western Cape in South Africa by Swedwatch's project partner ILRIG (The International Labour Research and Information Group), reveals pressing human rights violations, including harassment and threats, and health issues resulting from pesticide exposure – and urges state-owned wine retailers such as Systembolaget to conduc
