Swedwatch

Don’t miss our hybrid event on corporate accountability for international war crimes. Live from Geneva, today at 13:15 CET! https://lnkd.in/dhAwtQyB

If negotiators in Baku fail to stitch together a fair and rights-based #climatefinance agreement, garment workers and low-income communities — often found at the bottom of the global supply chains — will continue to bear the heaviest burden. As #COP29 wraps up, the draft #NCQG proposal offers a mere $250 billion per year from rich nations, with no dedicated grants for Loss and Damage and Adaptation. This falls far short of what the world’s most vulnerable communities — those least responsible for the climate crisis yet hardest hit — urgently require to be safe. The holes in the current deal are unjustifiable: unmet needs of trillions, emphasis on debt-trap private finance, and disregarding big polluters responsibility to pay. From Swedwatch, I speak with Syeda Moontaha Ahmed from the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation on how the underpaid garment workers are suffering from the double burden of economic exploitation and climate crisis today. “The floods left many families of garment workers homeless, forced to live in temporary shelters, and struggling to secure basic necessities, causing immense stress and economic insecurity,” she says. Those earning less than a living wage are not equipped to face such losses, leaving them to suffer the most. Follow Loss and Damage Collaboration to learn the latest updates on how the negotiations are failing to deliver climate finance and #climatejustice!

?? Despite being one of the EU's largest apparel suppliers, garment workers in Bangladesh are earning wages far below what's needed for basic living expenses. Swedwatch’s latest briefing highlights the reality of these workers' lives and the systemic issues that keep these conditions in place. Root Causes: ? Lack of bargaining power due to weak enforcement of labor laws and barriers to unionization. ??Price squeezing by global buyers, which pressures suppliers to cut costs at the expense of workers' wages and well-being. Living?wage is not just another human right, but one that will be essential to the protection of related rights. It's time for global brands and policymakers to take coordinated action to secure better wages and working conditions for millions of garment workers. Full briefing ?? https://lnkd.in/diSGH83X

?? Despite being one of the EU's largest apparel suppliers, garment workers in Bangladesh are earning wages far below what's needed for basic living expenses. Swedwatch’s latest briefing highlights the reality of these workers' lives and the systemic issues that keep these conditions in place. Root Causes: ? Lack of bargaining power due to weak enforcement of labor laws and barriers to unionization. ??Price squeezing by global buyers, which pressures suppliers to cut costs at the expense of workers' wages and well-being. Living?wage is not just another human right, but one that will be essential to the protection of related rights. It's time for global brands and policymakers to take coordinated action to secure better wages and working conditions for millions of garment workers. Full briefing ?? https://lnkd.in/diSGH83X

???Don’t Miss Our Informal Hybrid Side Event at #UNForumBHR in Geneva! Join PAX and Swedwatch for an engaging discussion on corporate accountability, international crimes, and the right to remedy. Featuring the landmark Lundin war crimes trial, expert speakers will explore challenges and progress in holding corporations accountable for human rights abuses. Moderated by: Anita Ramasastry,?Henry M. Jackson Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law, and former Chair of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights Speakers Rev. James Ninrew Dong,?Plaintiff in the Lundin war crimes trial and Chair of Leech Victims Voices, representing South Sudanese communities affected by war crimes Tara Van Ho, Senior Lecturer at Essex Law School and Human Rights Centre Olof Bj?rnsson, Senior Researcher at Swedwatch, author of?Fuel for Conflict?about the role of institutional investors in the Lundin case Egbert Wesselink, PAX, lead author of?Unpaid Debt,?The Legacy of Lundin, Petronas and OMV in Block 5A, Sudan 1997 - 2003 ???When:?Monday Nov. 25 ???Where:?ISHR Offices, Rue de Varembé 1, 5th floor, and live on Youtube! Register for the event: https://lnkd.in/dSjcZGEk

Nu ?ker Romina Pourmokhtari till klimatf?rhandlingarna i Baku, Azerbajdzjan, som ledare f?r Sveriges delegation. H?gt p? dagordningen st?r fr?gan om klimatfinansiering: Hur mycket ska rika l?nder bidra med f?r att g?ra det m?jligt f?r utvecklingsl?nder att fasa ut fossila br?nslen, anpassa sig till ett f?r?ndrat klimat, och f? ers?ttning f?r skador och f?rluster? ???? Sverige m?ste, genom EU och p? egen hand, anv?nda sin r?st f?r att g?ra skillnad i f?rhandlingarna. ???? Benjamin Dousa, H?kan Jevrell, Mattias Frumerie

PAX and Swedwatch invite you to an?informal hybrid side event?during the 13th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva. Together, we’ll explore the intersection of corporate human rights responsibilities under the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs), the right to remedy for victims of gross human rights abuses, and efforts to hold corporations accountable through criminal justice. ???Date:?25th Nov. from?13:15 to 14:30 ???Location:?Geneva & Livestreamed (Youtube) ????Register Here:?https://lnkd.in/dSjcZGEk What We’ll Discuss: ?? The growing push for?criminal accountability?of corporations in cases of international atrocity crimes. ?? The?landmark Lundin trial?and its implications for war crimes prosecutions of corporate actors. ?? Key challenges in ensuring?access to remedy?for victims and the realization of justice through criminal prosecution.

?r du i Stockholm 28e november? Missa inte v?rt event "Defenders for a just transition", en inspirerande kv?ll med fokus p? m?nniskor?ttsf?rsvarare och ?verg?ngen till en r?ttvis gr?n omst?llning. ???Datum:?28 november ???Plats: Finlandshuset, Stockholm. ?? S?kra din plats redan idag via l?nken! https://lnkd.in/dZKAh4Sg

?? ISLAMABAD, 13-14 November - on behalf of Swedwatch, I was delighted to present and exchange views with Pakistani civil society organisations on the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (#CSDDD). During a 2-day training workshop jointly organised with our brilliant partner AwazCDS-Pakistan (Zia Ur Rehman), me and my colleague ?se Botha gave a run-trough of some of the CSDDD's main features and how the directive can be instrumentalised by affected workers and communities in Pakistan. ?? Using the case of Ali Enterprise (https://lnkd.in/dfENWEk3), as well as Swedwatch's preliminary findings on working conditions in Pakistan's home-textile manufacturing, we explored how the CSDDD could enable access to justice and remedy for workers employed and exploited in high-risk sectors. ? Are companies sourcing from Pakistan prepared for compliance? (spoiler - most likely not: https://lnkd.in/dwAFa6q7) Will decision-makers charged with transposing the directive address barriers to hold companies civilly liable before EU courts? And how can the CSDDD be enforced without over-reliance on codes of conduct, social auditing and multi-stakeholder initiatives, but through meaningful stakeholder engagement? Over two weeks of interviews with workers and trade union leaders in Pakistan's textile sector, one fact stood out unmistakably: despite many having years of experience, workers had zero contact with representatives from global brands or social auditors. This lack of engagement persisted even though they faced critical issues—such as not being paid minimum wage, lacking social security, and working in unsafe and unhealthy environments. ?? Instead of relying on social audits—which participants revealed are pre-announced and coordinated closely with factory owners—companies should prioritise promoting union rights and directly engaging with Pakistan’s rights holders to identify human rights risks, prevent and mitigate adverse impacts, and address harm. If Swedwatch and other civil society organisations, even with limited resources, are able to access and engage with workers in factories supplying brands covered by the CSDDD, there is no justification for companies not to do the same. To be continued.

??Sweden’s SEK 200 million pledge to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) is a step forward. It's a positive sign, especially since Sweden was initially reluctant to support the Fund. But let’s be clear: this small amount barely addresses the escalating needs of climate-affected countries. ? The funding gap for loss and damage is staggering. From 2000 to 2019, climate disasters caused $2.8 trillion in damage—costing $16 million per hour. Even with Sweden’s pledge, the FRLD would cover less than 48 hours of those losses. ? Even more concerning: the pledged funds aren’t new and will be paid over several years starting in 2025. The compensation comes from a shrinking aid budget, meaning there’s no real increase in support for the countries suffering the most. This creates an illusion of action, while real needs remain unmet. ? “Rich country pledges must make sense from a justice perspective—do they match historic emissions responsibility when damages are in the billions? Is it truly new money, raised from taxing fossil fuel companies or high-emitters, or just diverted aid?” – Lubna Hawwa, Swedwatch Programme Officer. ? Sweden’s contributions include SEK 8 billion to the Green Climate Fund over 4 years, and SEK 130 million annually each to the Adaptation Fund and the Least Developed Countries Fund. Ensuring this funding reaches local actors and the most vulnerable groups as grants remains crucial. ? For the latest on EU and Sweden’s climate finance commitments, check out this great brief from Concord Sverige: https://lnkd.in/dXRqV2wH