SOMO's activities and research on corporations and their international context focus on sustainable economic and social development and on the structural eradication of poverty, exploitation, and inequality.

With its activities and research, SOMO wants to contribute directly or indirectly to sustainable development, and to the fight against the negative consequences of globalisation for countries from the global North as well as from the global South. All our investigations and activities are related to the corporate policies or the corporate practices of Multinational Enterprises.

• download Presenting SOMO 2008-2010 a publication which gives a general picture of SOMOs aims, objectives and key activities

• read the SOMO Annual Report 2008 en 2007
  
  

Goals

Change through knowledge building:

The research SOMO carries out is aimed at stimulating change. This means that on the one hand, SOMO fulfils a 'watch dog' function; SOMO collects the necessary information and carries out analyses to reveal unsustainable corporate conduct and contradictions in economic and political systems.

On the other hand, with its analyses and its alternative proposals, SOMO contributes to the policy development of governments, international organisations, NGOs and corporations.

The first pillar of SOMO activities is research.

Strengthening of civil society in the global North and South:

By providing information and facilitating cooperation, SOMO helps to strengthen civil society in the global North and South. SOMO's activities focus on the disclosure of previously fragmented information, the building of networks of NGOs and the training of NGOs. SOMO concentrates its efforts on NGOs that work with Multinational Enterprises and international trade, such as labour unions and human rights-, consumer-, environmental-, gender- and development- organisations.

The second pillar of SOMO activities is network  coordination , on a national as well as an international level.

Increasing the impact of civil society organisations:

Through its research, cooperation with partners from the South, and joint initiatives with other NGOs, SOMO contributes to the debate on Corporate Social Responsibility. SOMO targets its policy influence, workshops and public meetings at opinion leaders and decision makers from governments, civil society organisations and the media. SOMO promotes the interests of the global South when participating in policy dialogues, lobby activities, conferences, expert meetings, et cetera.

The third pillar of SOMO activities is  organising participation  in the public debate.

Code of Conduct for SOMO research

• With this Code of Conduct, SOMO seeks to make explicit the standards and values that serve as principles for the research it commissions and conducts.
• All SOMO employees are individually responsible for compliance with the guidelines applicable within SOMO to the performance of research. All studies and publications are checked by colleagues within SOMO. Nevertheless, imperfections may occur, about which a complaint can be submitted. The following procedure applies in this context.

Download SOMO Code of Conduct

If you have a complaint about SOMO or a good idea, please fill in the form.