http://somo.nl daily 1 2008-02-06T12:27:34Z http://somo.nl/news-en/new-somo-report-on-ing-highlights-corporate-social-responsibility-issues SOMO has looked into ING’s holdings of controversial companies and its lobby on financial reform. SOMO concludes amongst others that ING can and should do more to stop its shareholdings in companies involved in the production of cluster ammunition and landmines. No publisher rene 2012-05-10T10:58:13Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/young-dalit-women-exploited-in-indian-garment-industry European and US garment brands and retailers have failed in their attempts to structurally improve labour conditions at their suppliers in Tamil Nadu, South India. Despite corporate promises and a range of well-meaning initiatives, workers, mostly very young women, continue to suffer exploitative working conditions. Up until today, thousands of women in the garment and textile industry in Tamil Nadu work under recruitment and employment schemes that amount to bonded labour. These are the findings by the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) and the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) presented in the report “Maid in India”, published today. No publisher rene 2012-04-25T11:31:04Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/sticking-up-for-unctad “The financial sector should serve the public interest again. Regulation of financial services has to be done in conjunction with the reform of trade agreements. UNCTAD, the UN body for trade and development, is the preferred organisation to monitor this process in the interest of developing countries.” In support of UNCTAD, senior researcher Myriam Vander Stichele of SOMO will address the thirteenth UNCTAD conference with similar words in Doha, Qatar on Thursday. No publisher rene 2012-04-19T14:46:02Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/working-towards-change-in-the-global-electronics-sector makeITfair works hard to promote substantial improvements in the production chain of consumer electronics; ranging from mining in Africa to manufacturing in Asia and Eastern Europe, and to the dumping of electronic waste in Africa. Here is a short overview of its most recent activities, including a campaign involving multinational Apple, and an update of the educational tool, Webquest. Furthermore, makeITfair and GoodElectronics have plans for the future. On 9 and 10 May they are organising a Round Table, which will bring together representatives of the electronics industry and civil society organisations from around the globe. No publisher noor 2012-04-25T12:31:57Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/sustainable-criteria-become-entrenched-in-city-neighbourhoods Three large cities in the Netherlands are now participating in the Sustainable Squares Project. In developing plans for a public square, the choice is made to procure products and materials which have been produced sustainably, wherever possible. In the East district of Amsterdam, the Sustainable Squares Project has been actively involved in the refurbishment of the Beukenplein from the beginning. ‘This is a way to raise awareness regarding the environmental and social issues that play a part in the production of stones and street furniture, not only among council employees and project developers, but also among civilians and users of public spaces,’ says Liesbeth Unger of Human Rights@Work, who is the project leader of the Sustainable Squares Project. No publisher noor 2012-04-17T09:15:47Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/a-base-for-sustainable-energy-systems The production of electricity has direct and indirect consequences for the environment, society and the economy, nationally and internationally. On the basis of a total analysis of the energy supply chain, SOMO works with its partners towards promoting sustainable energy systems. The energy programme of SOMO is geared towards keeping subjects such as corporate accountability, sustainable development and economic rights in the energy sector, on the political and economic agenda. Two recent reports on the coal chain, ‘The Black Box’ and ‘Duurzaamheid in de Nederlandse elektriciteitssector’ (Sustainability in the Dutch Energy Sector), are contributing to this ongoing process. No publisher noor 2012-04-17T09:03:40Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/sustainable-voting-advice-for-investors-2012 This year the Dutch Association of Investors for Sustainable Development (Vereniging van Beleggers voor Duurzame Ontwikkeling - VBDO) has issued sustainable voting advices which can be used when voting at the annual general meeting (AGM) of shareholders of Dutch stock exchange listed companies. Similar to previous years, the voting advice is partly based on research by SOMO. No publisher rene 2012-05-14T07:22:28Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/somo-publishes-strategic-guide-on-multi-stakeholder-initiatives-for-civil-society-organizations How can civil society organizations improve their positions in negotiations with the business world, be it in alliances, dialogues or round tables? In a guidebook titled ‘Multi-stakeholder initiatives. A strategic guide for civil society organizations’ that is published today, SOMO researcher Mariëtte van Huijstee describes a strategic action perspective for civil society organizations (CSOs) who are involved in multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs). No publisher rene 2012-05-10T09:39:07Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/new-issue-of-eu-financial-reforms-newsletter WEED and SOMO just issued another edition of the Newsletter on EU financial reforms. It covers many financial reform processes and events, including the draft report by the European Parliament (just released!), which affect people all over Europe and in the world as the editorial explains. No publisher joukje 2012-04-26T11:57:51Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/still-captured-by-cotton Today, the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) and the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) are presenting a sneak preview of their upcoming report on labour abuses in the South Indian garment industry. The two-pager preview is published on the occasion of a meeting of the Sumangali Bonded Labour group of the UK-based Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI). SOMO and ICN call upon garment brands to take their responsibility to ensure that workers’ rights are respected throughout their supply chain. No publisher rene Trade Union health & safety labour 2012-03-06T13:55:52Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/parties-reach-agreement-in-oecd-guidelines-case-regarding-nidera2019s-human-rights-policies-and-practices-in-argentina-1 In the context of an OECD Guidelines case, the NGOs CEDHA, INCASUR, Oxfam Novib and SOMO have reached an agreement with the Netherlands-based agricultural MNE Nidera regarding the company’s human rights policies and practices. As part of the agreement, Nidera strengthened its human rights policy, formalised human rights due diligence procedures for temporary rural workers, and allowed the NGOs to monitor its Argentine corn seed operations through field visits. No publisher nawal 2012-04-06T12:55:13Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/green-energy-in-the-netherlands-can-become-more-sustainable In spite of nice publicity campaigns full of green promises, the Dutch electricity sector does not perform very well in terms of sustainability. Price busters such as Oxxio and large producers such as RWE/Essent and E.ON pretend to be greener than they really are. Their investments in new coal-fired power stations promise little improvement. Only a few suppliers, for example Windunie, Greenchoice, NHEC and Eneco, can rightfully claim to be sustainable. These are the most important conclusions of research carried out by SOMO and commissioned by Greenpeace and Consumentenbond (Dutch Consumer’s Association). No publisher marije 2012-03-19T12:06:24Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/protest-rally-against-free-trade-agreement-in-india On the eve of the EU-India Summit in New Delhi on February 10th, SOMO has contributed to an analysis of the ongoing negotiations between the EU and India on a free trade agreement (FTA). Together with civil society organisations in India and Europe and its partner Madhyam, SOMO has expressed its concern about the negative impact of this FTA on vulnerable communities in India. Negotiators and politicians within the EU and in India have refused to listen to these objections. A protest rally by civil organisations, farmers and trade unions has therefore been held during the summit on February 10th. No publisher rene 2012-02-21T16:13:07Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/the-netherlands-a-gateway-to-2018treaty-shopping2019-for-investment-protection-1 Many transnational companies choose the Netherlands as a base for their global trade and investment operations, at least partly because of the country’s favourable tax regime that facilitates corporate tax avoidance strategies. A new report by SOMO highlights the, until now, unexplored role that Dutch investment protection policies play in the establishment decisions of multinational corporations. No publisher jenny 2012-02-09T10:42:56Z News Item http://somo.nl/news-en/somo-researcher-rens-van-tilburg-part-of-think-tank-for-sustainable-financial-sector Abolish bonuses in the financial sector, get regulators to approve new financial products and include social and environmental risks in the risk assessment calculations of bank assets. These are three of the nine recommendations made by the Sustainable Finance Lab in late November to help the finance sector make a contribution to a sustainable economy. SOMO researcher Rens van Tilburg is one of 13 members of this Think Tank of Dutch researchers and was the secretary of the group in 2011. No publisher noor 2012-01-31T17:12:15Z News Item