A Legally Binding Treaty on Business and Human Rights (Legally binding Instrument- LBI) is being negotiated at United Nations since 2014. The idea of a treaty of this character is not something that came from the whim and caprice of civil society but from the need to protect the people of developing countries from the…

The media show us regularly the drama of forced migration. It is characterized by gory images of tragedies such as the migrants at the border of Poland and Belarus, people affected by environmental disasters such as those in the Niger Delta, caravans of migrants crossing deserts to nowhere, death people trying to cross the Mediterranean…

No war, no warming’: slogans on placards at COP26.   But what has the peace movement to do with climate change? Judging by states’ final commitments in the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’ nothing at all. Yet, worldwide the military carbon footprint amounts annually to around 5% of all global carbon emissions. This figure includes military bases, land,…

Geopolitical tension in the Indo-Pacific Region has been aggravated by the controversial purchase of submarines by Australia from the United States. At the root of the problem is the fear of Western countries and their allies at the growing naval power of China. The reasoning is that Peking has 360 battleships and attack submarines at…

If the “Pivot to Asia” –  the strategic rebalancing of American interests from Europe and the Middle East to East Asia –  was former President Barack Obama’s goal, it seems to be now more than ever US President Joe Biden’s mantra, given the bolder approach of the current administration to counter Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s…

The management of a country’s natural resources depends exclusively on its government. In the case of mining and extractive activities such as gas or oil, it is important that governments ensure the correct processing of administrative and geological requirements that allow extractive activity. In addition, governments need to ensure strict compliance with environmental regulations that…

Climate Change is a perilous turning point in human history. We are beginning to acknowledge this but are still far from achieving the level and intensity of economic change required to meet the threat. The kind of planned, co-ordinated, radical action by governments that is needed is just not happening. As Greta Thunberg put it…

Life is precious and sacred. Many people believe in the sanctity of the human person with rights and dignity to be protected and preserved. This is not true for many more who kill and murder and execute their perceived enemies. Those that declare war and invade other nations are also guilty of bringing death and…

Anyone who has visited a mining area in Africa must have been struck by the negative impact that the activities of extractive companies have on the land, as well as the lack of security around the mines, the health consequences and the displacement of populations. At a glance, one recognises how mining activity changes the…

President Biden has taken a lot of stick over Afghanistan, some of it justified. From Tony Blair to the Tory back-benches, in Parliament and on the BBC, we have been treated to days of passionate denunciation of American withdrawal – announced, of course, long before the current rush to blame. A miasma of unreality and…

Access to clean drinking water is a human right, but as the global population grows and the planet heats up, can we rely on this resource we take for granted Given that more than 70% of our planet is covered in water — all told that’s more than one billion trillion litres of the stuff…

Now is a critical time for South Africa, a major test of its institutions and leaders.  Former President Jacob Zuma (79) is finally behind bars.  The Constitutional Court, the country’s Supreme Court, will hear his appeal against a sentence of 15 months imprisonment for contempt of court.  By refusing to testify Zuma, the very stereotype…