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        <title>Public Eye News</title>
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        <description>All the latest news from Public Eye</description>
        
            
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                    <title><![CDATA[Free trade agreement with Malaysia: Public Eye supports the referendum]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/free-trade-agreement-with-malaysia-public-eye-supports-the-referendum</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In June 2026, the Swiss Parliament approved the EFTA–Malaysia free trade agreement. Concerns had been raised early in the negotiations about the tariff reductions on palm oil that were ultimately adopted. Palm oil cultivation raises serious concerns on several fronts: rising demand for land for oil palm plantations is displacing local communities and destroying valuable rainforest, while international labour and human rights standards are regularly violated on plantations. As part of an alliance of environmental, human rights and agricultural organisations, Public Eye is supporting a referendum against the agreement.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Special sectors need special rules]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/special-sectors-need-special-rules</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Switzerland’s commodity trading hub thrives on risky business with global consequences – for human rights, the environment and the climate. That makes it all the more troubling that the Swiss Federal Council’s counterproposal to the new Responsible Business Initiative largely spares this scandal-hit sector. In its consultation response, Public Eye sets out why the counterproposal is inadequate – and how it could be improved.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Pricy shoes, underpaid workers, and a fearless union]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/default-7b209d69e111a2468a430f7770829410-1</link>
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                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1228</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Campaign success: Indonesian On supplier reinstates dismissed union members]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/erfolg-nach-intervention-indonesischer-zulieferer-von-on-stellt-entlassene-gewerkschafterinnen-wieder-ein</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A year ago, 112 employees at a subcontractor used by global sports shoe brands, including Zurich-based rising star On, were unlawfully dismissed after pushing for better working conditions. In close collaboration with those directly affected, the Clean Clothes Campaign has secured reinstatement and compensation for 64 union members. Public Eye investigated this rare victory on the ground in Indonesia – and uncovered further problems, including poverty wages.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-2019</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Fashion’s secret pricing: workers suffer as brands defy inflation for decades]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/fashions-secret-pricing-workers-suffer-as-brands-defy-inflation-for-decades</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A report published today by Public Eye and Clean Clothes Campaign for the first time lifts the veil on fashion brands’ pricing policy. Their research shows that many buyers source a standard cotton T‑shirt at only around USD 2–3 per piece, with unit prices below USD 1 persisting in parts of the market. While many of these companies make ever more sweeping promises about sustainability and workers’ rights, they continue to squeeze suppliers into keeping prices at unsustainably low levels. Taking global inflation into account, companies now buy a T-shirt for half the value it had 25 years ago.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-2012</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Toxic bananas: Chiquita’s broken bodies]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/default-52a039e83377ff8a976acd5760ee2589</link>
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                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1223</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Toxic bananas: Chiquita’s plantation workers toil on a piecework basis for rock-bottom wages and suffer from pesticides]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/toxic-bananas-chiquitas-plantation-workers-toil-on-a-piecework-basis-for-rock-bottom-wages-and-suffer-from-pesticides</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[As sweet as the yellow fruit is, so bitter are the conditions under which it is produced: research by Public Eye into Chiquita’s suppliers in Guatemala reveals such glaring abuses that the local “bananeros” can only get through their working day with a cocktail of medication. The Swiss corporation’s hides behind the Rainforest Alliance’s green label while simultaneously benefiting from tax dumping at its headquarters on Lake Geneva. To ensure Chiquita addresses these serious labor rights violations, Public Eye is calling for participation in a digital protest.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-2003</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Let's put pressure on Chiquita to end exploitation on plantations!]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/default-7b209d69e111a2468a430f7770829410</link>
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                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1220</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swiss consumers pay a 88% mark-up for cancer drug Keytruda]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/swiss-consumers-pay-a-88-mark-up-for-cancer-drug-keytruda</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Keytruda has transformed cancer care – but is also resulting in bigger bills for insurers and premium payers. An investigation of Public Eye in conjunction with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reveals that the research and development costs for this cancer drug are only a fraction of what its manufacturer, US drugmaker Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), has claimed - representing just 1.2 per cent of the revenue generated worldwide so far. Its patent thicket could secure MSD a monopoly of at least three decades, at the expense of public health systems.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-2000</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Corruption in The Gambia: French authorities investigating TotalEnergies’ Geneva-based subsidiary]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/corruption-in-the-gambia-french-authorities-investigating-totalenergies-geneva-based-subsidiary</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In a new report, Public Eye reveals that the offices of Totsa, the trading arm of oil giant TotalEnergies, were searched in Geneva in 2024 as part of a preliminary investigation by France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) into suspected bribery in The Gambia. From 2004 to at least 2014, the French oil group was the supplier of a businessman close to the Gambian president who held a monopoly on petroleum imports. In 2018, that businessman was placed under US sanctions for financing Hezbollah and was convicted in 2024 for attempting to circumvent them.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1997</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Defamation lawsuit by Kolmar Group AG: a second important acquittal for freedom of information]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/defamation-lawsuit-by-kolmar-group-ag-a-second-important-acquittal-for-freedom-of-information</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Bern, Switzerland 28 January 2026 - The Bernese justice system, ruling on appeal, confirmed the acquittal on charges of ‘slander and defamation’ of the authors of a report by Public Eye and TRIAL International on Kolmar Group AG's involvement in the Libyan gasoil trade between 2014 and 2015, in the context of the civil war in Libya. Following detailed reasoning, the Court dismissed the trader’s appeal, confirming the robustness of the investigation. This unequivocal judgment sends a strong signal in favour of freedom of information. If Kolmar continues on this path, the legal battle will continue in Zug, where the trader has initiated civil proceedings seeking US$1.8 million in damages.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Sugar scandal: in Africa, Nestlé is still putting profit ahead of babies’ health]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/sugar-scandal-in-africa-nestle-is-still-putting-profit-ahead-of-babies-health-1</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[More than 50 years since the baby formula scandal, a new investigation focusing on Africa shows that, regarding sugar, a similar malpractice continues. In contrast to India where, after our initial revelations, Nestlé has adapted its product range, its baby food on the African continent contains alarmingly high levels of added sugar, according to our new analysis. In an open letter, 19 African civil society organisations in 13 countries are calling on the food giant to put an end to these colonialist practices which are fuelling the scourge of obesity on the continent.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1979</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Carbon credits: oil trader Mercuria seeks profits from controversial forest protection in Brazil]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/carbon-credits-oil-trader-mercuria-seeks-profits-from-controversial-forest-protection-in-brazil</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[COP30, which kicked off on Monday, is the culmination of the Geneva-based commodity giant's “Race to Belém”. The aim is to attract more states as business partners for climate offset programmes such as the one run by Mercuria in the Brazilian Tocantins. There, associations representing the affected inhabitants and indigenous communities are protesting against the major project, around is lacking transparency. Contracts examined by Public Eye now reveal an unfair division of profits and dubious preferential discounts for the Swiss trader.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1973</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[«Evergreening»: How Roche's patent strategy drives up drug costs]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 06 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/evergreening-how-roches-patent-strategy-drives-up-drug-costs</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A study by Public Eye shows how the Swiss pharma giant has extended its monopoly on Herceptin and three follow-on treatments for breast cancer by multiplying secondary patents. 27 years after its market launch, more than 100 patents are still hindering access to more affordable generic equivalents. While this practice is weighing on healthcare costs in Switzerland and elsewhere, the arm wrestle initiated by the Trump administration to bring down the price of patented medicines in the United States could have the opposite effect in Switzerland and Europe.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1971</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[World map of Swiss mines: Commodity traders dig up their own coal, copper and cobalt, but ignore responsibilities]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/world-map-of-swiss-mines-commodity-traders-dig-up-their-own-coal-copper-and-cobalt-but-ignore-responsibilities</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In a pioneering investigation, Public Eye has mapped Switzerland’s global mining empire. Numerous commodity groups based in Zug, Geneva or Lugano have followed Glencore’s example and now own or operate (together with the industry leader) almost 200 mines spread across six continents. These assets yield not only climate-killing coal, but also metals for the energy transition, such as copper and cobalt. Swiss mines regularly lead to displaced communities and environmental destruction.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1961</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Mobile-phone scandal in DRC traced back to Geneva]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/mobile-phone-scandal-in-drc-traced-back-to-geneva</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Plagued by the scourge of counterfeit and stolen phones, the Democratic Republic of the Congo set up a mobile-phone register (RAM) in 2020. Financed for a year and a half by an opaque tax imposed on users, the scheme generated tens of millions of dollars that never appeared in the national budget. Thirty per cent of the revenues were planned to go to 5C Energy RDC, a small company tasked with providing “technical support”. It was part of a group of companies whose main branch, now in liquidation, was domiciled with a lawyer in Geneva. This case highlights the need for anti-money laundering due diligence requirements for financial advisors.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1959</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Basel Court Advances Proceedings Against Syngenta]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/basel-court-advances-proceedings-against-syngenta</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The widows of two farmers who died from pesticide poisoning, along with a farmer who survived severe poisoning, are suing the Swiss company Syngenta for damages. In this unique case, the Basel Civil Court has taken a significant step in deciding to initiate an assessment of the evidence regarding the victims' use of the pesticide Polo.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1948</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Brazilian workers enslaved by Nestlé‘s coffee suppliers]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 18 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/ausgebeutet-bei-nestles-kaffeelieferanten</link>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Modern slavery at Nestlé’s coffee supplier]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 18 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/modern-slavery-at-nestles-coffee-supplier</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In collaboration with Repórter Brasil, Public Eye has uncovered exploitative working conditions on Brazil’s coffee farms operating in Nestlé’s supply chain, in several cases recorded on file. This is in spite of the fact that the world market leader from Switzerland has been promising “zero tolerance” for the use of slave labour by its suppliers for years.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1943</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Free trade agreement with Malaysia: Switzerland imperils the rights to food and health]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 06 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/switzerland-imperils-the-rights-to-food-and-health</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Switzerland and its EFTA partners are set to sign a free trade agreement with Malaysia before the end of June. A leak of its intellectual property annex now reveals that the negotiated accord would critically impact the human right to health and farmers’ rights. Public Eye and five other Swiss NGOs are calling on the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Federal Council to immediately abandon these harmful provisions.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1212</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Over 95,000 people demand Swiss Re to stop insuring climate and human rights offenders]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/over-95000-people-demand-swiss-re-to-stop-insuring-climate-and-human-rights-offenders</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[At the end of 2023, Repórter Brasil revealed that Swiss Re was insuring large Brazilian farms involved in illegal deforestation and indigenous land conflicts, as part of the Investigation Award presented by Public Eye. Three new investigations now show that these violations of the company's own sustainability principles persist despite increasing criticism. At today's Annual General Meeting of the insurance group in Zurich, the global organization Ekō will be delivering more than 95,000 protest signatures demanding “no more insurance cover for forest-destroying, land-grabbing agribusinesses."]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1928</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The dark side of “Made in Italy” from Richemont]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 08 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-dark-side-of-made-in-italy-from-richemont</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In Florence, 13 Pakistani workers employed by a supplier to Richemont were sacked after defending their rights. Public Eye has collected their testimonies, which describe abusive working conditions, a million miles away from the aura of prestige projected by the luxury goods giant. At this very moment, the trade unionists who have been supporting them in their fight are facing defamation proceedings. This case has provoked a wave of indignation and mobilized international solidarity for the exploited workers. But it is only the tip of the iceberg.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1925</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Parliament continues laissez-faire towards Switzerland’s commodities sector]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 19 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/parliament-continues-laissez-faire-towards-switzerlands-commodities-sector</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Three years into Russia’s bloody war of aggression against Ukraine, Switzerland is definitely refusing to leverage its economic policy and live up to its responsibility as one of the largest trading hubs in the world. Today, its Council of States rejected a motion calling for a regulation of the commodities sector. It thus accepts that Switzerland’s prosperity is partly generated by companies whose activities are also based on exploitation and shifting profits from the Global South. These very companies are thriving as the world becomes ever more deeply embroiled in conflicts and crises.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[HSBC and the Salameh affair: alarm bells ignored for a decade]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 17 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/hsbc-und-die-salameh-saga-ein-jahrzehnt-ignorierter-warnungen</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Facing prosecution in a dozen countries including Switzerland, Riad Salameh is suspected, in collaboration with his brother Raja, of having defrauded the Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL), which he headed from 1993 until 2023, of hundreds of millions of dollars. In Geneva, allegedly illegal funds amounting to almost 330 million dollars have been identified in accounts at HSBC Private Bank (Switzerland). Public Eye has obtained unpublished court documents showing that, for more than a decade, the bank chose to ignore all the warnings issued by its own compliance department. This case clearly highlights the flaws in the Swiss anti-money-laundering system.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1917</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Ukraine war: Switzerland must also finally implement the sanctions in earnest]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 21 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/ukraine-war-switzerland-must-also-finally-implement-the-sanctions-in-earnest</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Three years after Russia’s invasion, the fate of Ukraine is looking more uncertain than ever. Against the backdrop of the talks between the Russians and Americans, the EU is keeping up the pressure on Moscow by continuing to apply sanctions. Switzerland has adopted all the packages with one major exception to the provisions. However, it refuses to implement them consistently and to close any loopholes, preferring instead to protect its interests as a commodity trade hub, which had been vital to the trade of Russian commodities and assets for decades. In fact, Switzerland’s authorities and the Federal Council prefer to bow to the lobbying of the commodity traders’ association rather than impose on this high-risk sector the legal guardrails that are long overdue.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1913</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swiss court sentences Trafigura's "wolves"]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 31 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/swiss-court-sentences-trafiguras-wolves</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[At the end of an historic trial, Trafigura and three individuals were found guilty of corruption in Angola by the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona. Among them was one of the former directors of the Geneva-based company, who received a prison sentence, a "first" in Switzerland in this high-risk sector. The verdict is a warning to the entire commodities industry, as Swiss justice seems increasingly determined to trace the chain of responsibility.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1910</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[From Russian oil to grain: the opaque business of a Geneva-based trader]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 13 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/from-russian-oil-to-grain-the-opaque-business-of-a-geneva-based-trader</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Since the start of the war against Ukraine, trading in Russian commodities has been a high-risk business. Major traders have withdrawn from this activity and as a result, smaller, little-known companies have stepped in. In a new research, Public Eye outlines how the owner of the Geneva-based oil trading company Paramount Energy & Commodities SA, subject to sanctions in the UK, became involved in agri trading with the help of an intricate web of companies and a Swiss consultant. Switzerland’s Council of States can now shed some light on this notorious sector by introducing a public register on ultimate beneficial owners of companies.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1902</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[UK exported enough banned bee-killing pesticides last year to cover area bigger than England, investigation reveals]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 09 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/uk-exported-enough-banned-bee-killing-pesticides-last-year-to-cover-area-bigger-than-england-investigation-reveals</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Last year the UK exported 8,500 tonnes of harmful pesticides that are banned from use on British farms, a new investigation from Unearthed and Public Eye has found.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1900</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Federal Criminal Court exposes code of "omertà" imposed by Trafigura]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 04 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/federal-criminal-court-exposes-code-of-omerta-imposed-by-trafigura</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Since December 2nd, the trading house has been attempting to persuade the Swiss federal judges that the schemes set up allowing an Angolan official to receive €4 million between 2009 and 2011 were the work of former employees acting in the shadow of founder Claude Dauphin, now deceased. However, Trafigura allegedly sold valuable assets to its intermediary T.P., seven months after the Swiss judicial investigation was launched, as revealed by Public Eye on the basis of unpublished documents.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1897</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Despite corruption trial, Trafigura still in the driver’s seat]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 26 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/default-28ab63a5e521e1a5896c2497b0c4b4a8-4</link>
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                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1204</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Despite its forthcoming corruption trial, Trafigura continues with its business operations in Angola]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 26 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/despite-its-forthcoming-corruption-trial-trafigura-continues-with-its-business-operations-in-angola</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Although an historic trial is brought against Trafigura for alleged corruption in Angola between 2009 and 2011, opening on 2nd December, the Geneva-based trading house has re-established itself in the country under the pretext of supporting the energy transition. Since this summer, it is operating the Lobito Corridor, a strategic railway line running to central Africa’s copper and cobalt mines, sponsored by the Biden administration to counter Beijing’s stranglehold on these strategic resources. A Public Eye journalist boarded a train crossing this corridor to discover what is at stake as Trafigura casts its shadow over this country. The investigation also reveals how, back in the early 2010s, it had invested tens of millions of dollars to try to obtain the concession for this line, using its historical networks and key intermediaries from the Dos Santos era.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1894</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[100 times more than Switzerland: the huge carbon footprint of commodity traders]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 11 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/100-times-more-than-switzerland-the-huge-carbon-footprint-of-commodity-traders</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Swiss commodity companies buy and sell millions of tonnes of coal, oil and gas every day. Their fossil business model makes a major contribution to the climate crisis. Public Eye analysis highlights that in 2023 the products sold by the five largest traders alone generated CO2 emissions which were around one hundred times greater than those of Switzerland as a whole. Also for the climate, commodity trading is a high-risk sector and this gives rise to an urgent need for stricter guidelines from the Swiss Parliament to ensure greater transparency.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Banks, properties and a lawyer: the Riad Salameh affair and its Swiss connections]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/banks-properties-and-a-lawyer-the-riad-salameh-affair-and-its-swiss-connections</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[As head of the Central Bank of Lebanon – Banque du Liban (BDL) – for 30 years, Riad Salameh is widely held responsible for the country’s financial collapse in 2019. Lebanon is once again plunged into an infernal war, having been bombed by Israel since the end of September. Salameh, who left office in Summer 2023, is also suspected of having swindled the BDL out of hundreds of millions of dollars. He is currently under investigation in around 10 countries, including Switzerland. Nearly USD 330 million in alleged illicit assets were identified in accounts at HSBC Private Bank (Switzerland) SA in Geneva. According to exclusive documents accessed by Public Eye, some of these funds then enabled him to acquire two properties on the Vaud coast in Switzerland, including a building in Rolle in 2019. Riad Salameh was able to acquire these properties by hiding behind two companies constituted under Swiss law, which were registered and administered by a Geneva-based lawyer, who was acting in tandem with a well-known local property developer.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1886</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Protest at Vevey: more than 100,000 signatures against Nestlé’s double standard over added sugar in baby food]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/protest-at-vevey-more-than-100000-signatures-against-nestles-double-standard-over-added-sugar-in-baby-food</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[105,000 people have signed a petition calling on Nestlé to stop adding sugar to its baby food products marketed in lower-income countries. It was handed over today at the multinational’s headquarters in Vevey, where the NGOs Public Eye, IBFAN and EKO dumped the symbolic equivalent of 10 million sugar cubes, representing the added sugar consumed each day by babies fed with Cerelac cereals. In Switzerland, such products are sold with no added sugar. The leading baby food corporation must put an end to this harmful double standard.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1883</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Commodity traders’ catalogue of sins: Analysis of 20 legal cases shows range of offences – and Swiss legal loopholes!]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 17 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/commodity-traders-catalogue-of-sins-analysis-of-20-legal-cases-shows-range-of-offences-and-swiss-legal-loopholes</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[From A for Addax to V for Vitol, from 2004 to the present day: Public Eye presents the first comprehensive overview detailing legal cases against Swiss commodity companies. In the light of the imminent court hearings involving Trafigura and a former employee from Gunvor in Bellinzona, Switzerland, the 20 legal cases outlined in this collection in detail highlight the increasingly urgent need for action in Bern. A commodity market supervisory authority (ROHMA), which Public Eye has been demanding for exactly 10 years, must finally put this Swiss high-risk sector on a tight leash and protect producers, consumers and competitors from illegal practices.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1880</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Abusive patenting: Novartis & Co are using their “evergreening” practice to rip off the Swiss population, too]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 30 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/abusive-patenting-novartis-co-are-using-their-evergreening-practice-to-rip-off-the-swiss-population-too</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Swiss pharmaceutical companies are notorious for keeping off generic competitors through patent litigations to maximize profits. Abusive patent thickets allow them to maintain high prices on their blockbuster products. Entresto is just one example of this: Based on our research, Novartis filed 25 lawsuits against 18 pharmaceutical companies in the United States alone for its heart drug. This legal strategy is jeopardizing access to affordable treatment, also in Switzerland. The Federal Council must take action against the systematic misuse of intellectual property in relation to medicines. As a member of the European Patent Office, Switzerland should intervene at this level to avoid frivolous patents being granted.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1877</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Soluble promises: In Nestlé’s coffee business only the profits are sustainable]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 19 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/soluble-promises-in-nestles-coffee-business-only-the-profits-are-sustainable</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[With its Nescafé Plan, which was launched in 2010, Nestlé promised to improve the lives and the incomes of hundreds of thousands of people working on coffee farms. But our research in Brazil and Mexico shows that many of the coffee farmers taking part in the sustainability programme cannot make ends meet on the low prices paid by Nestlé. Voluntary industry or company initiatives of this kind do not go nearly far enough in combating the widespread poverty among coffee growers. Switzerland, which plays a particularly powerful role in this sector, must introduce  stronger regulation on a political level to ensure that Nestlé and other coffee companies take their global responsibilities seriously.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1873</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Host Switzerland’s inadequate sanctions implementation]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 13 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/host-switzerlands-inadequate-sanctions-implementation</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[With the prestigious summit at the Bürgenstock resort, Switzerland aims to contribute to just and lasting peace in Ukraine. While welcome, the diplomatic endeavor contrasts sharply with the country’s patchy and inconsistent implementation of sanctions against Russia. As the dominant trading hub for Russian commodities, this is where Switzerland’s greatest political leverage lies. Switzerland's effective commitment to peace in Ukraine therefore requires consistent enforcement of the sanctions, otherwise its «good offices» alone will remain ineffective.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1868</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Sugar in baby food: SECO must bring legal action against Nestlé under Unfair Competition Act]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/sugar-in-baby-food-seco-must-bring-legal-action-against-nestle-under-unfair-competition-act</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A joint investigation by Public Eye and IBFAN recently revealed double standards over added sugar in two of Nestlé's best-selling baby food brands and has triggered international public outcry. In low- and middle-income countries, Cerelac and Nido are promoted as healthy and "key to supporting young children’s development" but the products contain high levels of added sugar, which is prohibited under WHO’s Guidelines. In Switzerland the company sells such products without added sugar. The two NGOs are now calling on the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) to lodge a federal complaint to stop this unethical and unfair business practice – and protect children, but also the reputation of Nestlé's home country.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1865</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Follow-up investigation in China refutes Shein’s promise of improvement]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/follow-up-investigation-in-china-refutes-sheins-promise-of-improvement</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[More than two years after the poor working conditions in Shein’s supplier factories were exposed, 75-hour working weeks are still the norm there. Our second on-site visit highlights the stark contradiction between the everyday working life of the seamsters in southern China, based on piecework, and the new sustainability rhetoric of the fashion giant. Our latest analysis of the Shein Group also shows the increasingly intricate web of companies within which it operates. In particular, its opaque financial operations and the disappearance of its founder from the scene raise questions in the run-up to the planned IPO.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1860</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Sugar: for Nestlé, not all babies are equal]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/sugar-for-nestle-not-all-babies-are-equal</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Two of the best-selling baby-food brands marketed by Nestlé in low- and middle-income countries contain high levels of added sugar, while such products are sugar free in its home country, Switzerland. These are the key findings of an investigation by Public Eye and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN). On the eve of its Annual General Meeting, a petition demands that Nestlé put an end to this unjustifiable and harmful double standard, which contributes to the explosive rise of obesity and leads children to develop a life-long preference for sugary products.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1856</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[How Nestlé gets children hooked on sugar in lower-income countries]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/default-28ab63a5e521e1a5896c2497b0c4b4a8</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1182</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Burning coffee sacks in Chiapas: Desperate farmers protest against Nestlé's low purchase prices]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/burning-coffee-sacks-in-chiapas-desperate-farmers-protest-against-nestles-low-purchase-prices</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Since 2010 the Nescafé Plan has promised coffee producers more income and a better life, including in Mexico. However, our field research in the federal state of Chiapas shows that farming families participating in this sustainability project cannot make ends meet and feel betrayed by Nestlé. Their main accusation is that for years the Swiss market leader has been paying prices, which scarcely cover production costs. This is why Nescafé sacks are now burning in the Soconusco coffee region.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1854</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[How Nestlé is driving Mexican coffee farmers to ruin]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/wie-nestle-kaffeebauern-in-den-ruin-treibt</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1180</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Gunvor in Ecuador: The "how to" guide on corruption in the oil market]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/gunvor-in-ecuador-the-how-to-guide-on-corruption-in-the-oil-market</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Based on new documents, Public Eye’s new investigation shows how Gunvor set up a sophisticated corruption scheme to get its hands on Ecuadorian crude oil. A ploy that allowed it to bank $384 million in illicit profits over a decade. The Geneva-based trading house was condemned on 1st March by the US and Swiss courts, but none of its senior executives has so far been investigated, to our knowledge. Even though one of them made direct approaches to Petroecuador to facilitate oil contracts.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1851</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Defamation trial: Bern court dismisses Kolmar Group AG’s claims]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 21 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/defamation-trial-bern-court-dismisses-kolmar-group-ags-claims</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Regional Court of Bern-Mittelland has acquitted the authors of a report published by Public Eye and TRIAL International of the charges of "slander and defamation", following a criminal complaint filed by Kolmar Group AG. Their investigation exposed the Zug-based trader’s involvement in the trade of gasoil from Libya between 2014 and 2015, when the country was in the midst of armed conflict. However, the legal tug-of-war continues: in a civil action in Zug, the company is claiming the unprecedented sum of $1.8 million in damages. These proceedings are emblematic of the growing pressure that journalists and NGOs investigating issues that are of public interest are facing in Switzerland.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1846</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Trade in Plundered Grain: Risky Business for Swiss Commodity Trading Hub]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 19 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/trade-in-plundered-grain-risky-business-for-swiss-commodity-trading-hub</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[For almost two years, the Russian occupying forces in south-eastern Ukraine have been systematically plundering grain, which is being sold on the world market as a Russian commodity. According to Swiss newspaper NZZ, a Zug-based agricultural trader is suspected of having purchased such a cargo from a Russian company in October 2023. Research by Public Eye now reveals that this is likely not an isolated case. Such risky transactions highlight, on the one hand, the glaring lack of robust due diligence measures. On the other hand, they demonstrate that the EU and Switzerland’s sanctions against Russia don’t cover the core business of the Swiss commodity trading hub.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1843</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Leak on free trade agreement with India: Switzerland protects pharma at the expense of the poorest patients]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 14 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/leak-on-free-trade-agreement-with-india-switzerland-protects-pharma-at-the-expense-of-the-poorest-patients</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[According to recent media reports, Switzerland and its EFTA partners are close to finalising a free trade agreement with India. A leak suggests that it contains provisions that would have a devastating impact on access to lifesaving medicines for people in India and many other low and middle-income countries. Switzerland must urgently change its negotiating course.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1173</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Madagascar sapphires: a blessing for Swiss jewellers, but a curse for miners]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 16 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/madagascar-sapphires-a-blessing-for-swiss-jewellers-but-a-curse-for-miners</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Madagascar is today the main source of sapphires for Swiss jewellery and watch brands, such as Bucherer, Richemont or Gübelin. But the Malagasy state and the tens of thousands of small-scale miners who extract them, at great risk to their lives, hardly benefit from this precious resource. Meagre wages, child labour and illegal exports: a field report funded by the Public Eye Investigation Award tells the story of the sapphire curse on Madagascar, as well as of the lacking due diligence on the part of Swiss and international companies.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1837</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Following in Zara’s slipstream: the airborne fashion of other brands]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/following-in-zaras-slipstream-the-airborne-fashion-of-other-brands</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Inditex Group, with its flagship brand Zara, sends huge quantities of clothes around the world by plane. This is the conclusion of our investigation into airborne fashion. But the Spanish fast-fashion giant is not alone in doing this. We also found evidence of thousands of tons of products being needlessly transported by plane to the detriment of the climate – including Calzedonia, Lululemon, Roger Federer’s main sponsor Uniqlo, and other fashion retailers.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1170</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Goodbye Geneva? Dubai becomes new hub for Russian oil trading]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 21 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/goodbye-geneva-dubai-becomes-new-hub-for-russian-oil-trading</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Western embargo, aimed at diminishing Putin’s war chest, has re-drawn the world map of Russian oil. Dubai, which doesn’t impose sanctions, has now supplanted Geneva, as an on-the-ground investigation by Public Eye shows. According to customs data, small opaque businesses, recently registered in the Emirati tax haven, are now among the main buyers of Russian crude oil. The larger Swiss traders have, for now, taken a back seat. The exception is Litasco, which continues to sell oil from its parent company Lukoil. Among increasing global tensions, Switzerland’s sanctions enforcement agency SECO must clarify the grey areas relating to the implementation of this historic embargo.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1827</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[How Swiss Re insures illegally deforested farmland in Brazil]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 17 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/how-swiss-re-insures-illegally-deforested-farmland-in-brazil</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Swiss insurance group has concluded contracts with Brazilian farms that contributed to deforestation or are under investigation for armed violence and slave labor. This is shown by research from Repórter Brazil, made possible by the Public Eye Investigation Award. According to their report, Swiss Re insures farms in Brazil whose land is roughly equivalent to the area of Grisons, Switzerland's largest canton.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1826</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Fast-fashion flights: climate crisis fuelled by Zara and other online retailers through transporting tons of items by air]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 08 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/fast-fashion-flights-climate-crisis-fuelled-by-zara-and-other-online-retailers-through-transporting-tons-of-items-by-air</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The faster the delivery, the greater the environmental damage: the fast-fashion industry is all about short-lived production cycles, which means it has hundreds of thousands of tons of its products flown around the world. Due to their business model, the Spanish fashion giant Zara and global online retailers like Shein lead the way in this trend. Public Eye has investigated the phenomenon of “airborne fashion” and is calling on companies to phase out this climate-damaging activity.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1818</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The Swiss trader Kolmar Group AG claims 1.8 million US dollars from Public Eye and TRIAL International.]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 29 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-swiss-trader-kolmar-group-ag-claims-18-million-us-dollars-from-public-eye-and-trial-international</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Kolmar Group AG filed a lawsuit with the Zug Cantonal Court for an alleged infringement of personality rights against Public Eye and TRIAL International, as well as against two employees of these organisations and an independent journalist, on the 25 September 2023. The lawsuit comes three and a half years after the publication of a joint report revealing the company's involvement in the trade of gasoil from Libya in 2014 and 2015, while the country was in the midst of an armed conflict between different factions. This case is emblematic of the increasing pressures faced by journalists and NGOs investigating sensitive and public interest topics, even in Switzerland.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1808</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swiss Parliament calls for a Commodity Trading Act and wants the Enforcement of Sanctions against Russia inspected]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 21 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/swiss-parliament-calls-for-a-commodity-trading-act-and-wants-the-enforcement-of-sanctions-against-russia-inspected</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Today, the National Council adopted a proposal, which called for a report on the enforcement and monitoring of sanctions against Russia in the Swiss commodity sector. According to the proposal of its Foreign Affairs Committee (APK-N), the current voluntary approach puts Switzerland’s reputation at risk. The Federal Council must now identify and rectify specific deficiencies in the embargoes against Russian oil and coal. Additionally, a motion from the Swiss Socialist Party (SP) was accepted yesterday, demanding legal rules for commodity trading. This could create the basis for a supervisory authority for this high-risk sector, as advocated by Public Eye for nearly a decade.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1802</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Borneo, the new frontier of Swiss coal]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 19 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/borneo-the-new-frontier-of-swiss-coal</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In the Indonesian region of Kalimantan, a village of indigenous Dayak people is in the grip of a mine operated on behalf of a conglomerate based in Zug, IMR Holding. Land grabbing, pollution of the air, water, and crops – Borneo Prima, the company that operates the mine, has not taken the necessary measures to address the problems caused by its activities. While in February 2022, the president of IMR Holding, the Zug-based lawyer Hans-Rudolf Wild, claimed that the company had divested its stake in the controversial mine, Public Eye’s investigation shows that the shares were transferred to a discreet Singaporean entity that is still part of the IMR universe.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1785</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[How a pesticide banned in Europe robbed a Costa Rican town of its drinking water]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/wie-ein-in-europa-verbotenes-pestizid-zwei-doerfern-in-costa-rica-das-trinkwasser-raubt</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1185</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The dirty practices of a Zug-based mining group in Borneo]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 05 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/die-schmutzigen-methoden-einer-zuger-rohstoffgruppe-auf-borneo</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1188</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[EU exporting over 10,000 tonnes of banned bee-killing pesticides a year, investigation finds]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 17 May 2023 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/eu-exporting-over-10000-tonnes-of-banned-bee-killing-pesticides-a-year-investigation-finds</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A new investigation has revealed for the first time the full scale of exports of banned neonicotinoid pesticides from Europe.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1777</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Steinmetz trial: a landmark verdict in the fight against corruption «made in Switzerland»]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 04 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/steinmetz-trial-a-landmark-verdict-in-the-fight-against-corruption-made-in-switzerland</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Court of Appeal of the Canton of Geneva has upheld the conviction of Israeli businessman Beny Steinmetz and his co-defendants for bribery of foreign public officials. Public Eye welcomes the determination of the Geneva judiciary, which did not allow itself to be blinded by the smoke screens of the defence. This verdict sends a strong signal to the entire commodities sector. It also shows that Switzerland needs to finally close the legislative loopholes that facilitate such criminal practices.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1770</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Sanctions on Russian oil: Switzerland's enforcement refusal leaves its traders to regulate themselves]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/sanctions-on-russian-oil-switzerlands-enforcement-refusal-leaves-its-traders-to-regulate-themselves</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The war in Ukraine disrupted a long love story between Geneva and Russia’s black gold. Swiss traders, formerly key partners to Putin’s regime, have had to distance themselves while small companies have emerged on an increasingly opaque market. Exclusive data obtained by Public Eye shows that since the Russian invasion, Geneva-based Paramount Energy & Commodities and an almost eponymous entity in Dubai have collected 72 million barrels of crude oil from the port of Kozmino, in the far east of Russia. In contrast to Brussels, London and Washington, Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) refuses to enforce the import embargo and price cap against Russian oil.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1763</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[No Transparency and No Consistency: Russia’s War Exposes the ‘Swiss Business Model’]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/no-transparency-and-no-consistency-russias-war-exposes-the-swiss-business-model</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Tomorrow marks the first, and hopefully last, anniversary of Putin’s attack on Ukraine. As a host country that ranks among the favourites with businesspeople loyal to the Kremlin and a trading hub for Russian commodities, Switzerland has been facing criticism since the start of the war. With its research on the Swiss coal trading hub, on the sanctioned oligarchs and on the profits made by commodity companies during these times of crisis, Public Eye has shown the pivotal role played by Swiss politics and businesses, as well as their particular responsibility. Also, that the implementation of the sanctions is still lacking.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Will Syngenta's controversial pepper-patent finally be revoked?]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/will-syngentas-controversial-pepper-patent-finally-be-revoked</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[On 16 February, the European Patent Office is hosting a public hearing on a highly controversial Syngenta patent. Nine (!) years after the appeal on behalf of a broad coalition of NGOs, farmers' and breeders' associations against the unlawful patenting of a conventionally grown pepper plant by the Basel seed and agrochemical company, it is high time for the patent to be revoked. This would be an important signal against the appropriation of nature by multinationals.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Crisis Profits by Commodity Traders: Why Switzerland Needs a Supervisory Authority and an Excess Profits Tax]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/crisis-profits-by-commodity-traders-why-switzerland-needs-a-supervisory-authority-and-an-excess-profits-tax</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[While millions of people are suffering from massive increases in energy and food prices, Glencore, Cargill & Co. are rejoicing at their historically high profits. Due to their record earnings in these times of crisis, the commodity sector now accounts for a staggering 8% of Switzerland's GDP - almost as much as the financial market. However, there is still no authority to supervise this booming industry prone to scandal. Moreover, in Switzerland there is no excess profits tax on the record earnings of the traders generated during the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Australian Coal: mining companies in Switzerland boost profits while Aborigines pay the price]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 16 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/australian-coal-mining-companies-in-switzerland-boost-profits-while-aborigines-pay-the-price</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Since the invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions against Russian fossil fuels, Australia has been exporting coal to Europe. Hand in hand, authorities and mining groups, such as Glencore and Adani, took advantage of the situation to give a boost to controversial projects. Public Eye has met with the Aboriginal peoples and environmental activists who are organising the resistance to the mining lobby.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Wanted: Explosive Research Projects for the 2023 Investigation Award]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/wanted-explosive-research-projects-for-the-2023-investigation-award</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Set up in 2018, Public Eye’s Investigation Award was met twice with great success and is now being held for the third time. Human rights violations, environmental problems, murky deals or corruption: media professionals from around the world have until the 24 March to submit journalistic projects on the activities of Swiss companies in developing countries, two of which will obtain research grants of CHF 10,000.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1743</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Poisonous coal in Australia]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/default-28ab63a5e521e1a5896c2497b0c4b4a8-2</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Syngenta’s upcoming IPO: warning against hidden investment risks!]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 15 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/syngentas-upcoming-ipo-warning-against-hidden-investment-risks</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Five years after it was delisted, Syngenta has announced an “Initial Public Offering” (IPO) in China by the end of the year. Against this backdrop, a study commissioned by Public Eye calculated for the first time the commercial risks presented by Syngenta’s business model which puts profit over people and the environment. Alongside many ongoing legal cases and increasing numbers of bans imposed on its outdated pesticides, climate damage caused by the company’s synthetic fertilizer business could have particularly high costs. Together, these sources of risk could cost the Basel-based company – and with it, its investors – up to a three-digit billion amount. ]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Coal trading: the hidden aspect of Switzerland’s climate policy]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 07 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/coal-trading-the-hidden-aspect-of-switzerlands-climate-policy</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Coal is the most polluting fossil fuel on Earth. Nevertheless, it has never been extracted and consumed as much as in 2022. In an exclusive new report, Public Eye reveals how Switzerland became the world’s foremost coal-trading hub. Since the Paris climate agreement, six years of hypocrisy have passed during which time Swiss banks have continuously filled the pockets of the coal barons. At the start of the climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Switzerland must assume its responsibility as "carbon dioxide dealer" and put in place an exit plan for this profitable business.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Kazakh President's Underground Business passed through Switzerland]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 23 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/kazakh-presidents-underground-business-passed-through-switzerland</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Never-before-seen documents obtained by Public Eye reveal how Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the current President of Kazakhstan and former Director-General of the United Nations at Geneva, discreetly held assets in oil and rare metals in the 2010s, in possible violation of Kazakh law. Tokayev was able to carry out this business through his son, a naturalized businessman residing in Geneva. Part of the profits made in Kazakhstan ended up with private bank Julius Bär in Zurich. This inquiry demonstrates the appeal of the Swiss financial centre for Central Asian elites, and the need to fight against opaque business dealings by introducing a public register of companies’ beneficial owners.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Online fashion: How Shein, Amazon & Co. manipulate their customers]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 14 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/online-fashion-how-shein-amazon-co-manipulate-their-customers</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Joint research by the Fédération romande des consommateurs (FRC) and Public Eye shows the extent to which consumers from Switzerland are exposed to so-called "dark patterns" – intended to influence consumers decisions to purchase – when fashion-shopping online. Shein, Aliexpress et La Redoute are the worst offenders (9 to 18 dark patterns). The two associations demand that the 15 platforms reviewed renounce this digital manipulation which entices consumers to make more purchases – encouraging overconsumption – and to disclose personal data. They also request that the political authorities regulate these practices.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[40 to 90 percent! Astronomical profit margins of Pharma companies cause skyrocketing premiums]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 12 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/40-to-90-percent-astronomical-profit-margins-of-pharma-companies-cause-skyrocketing-premiums</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[When a Swiss health insurer pays CHF 1,000 for a drug, up to CHF 900 goes straight into the producer’s account as profit, a Public Eye study reveals. It debunks longstanding assertions made by the pharma industry that its high prices serve to hedge against the high-risk research and development costs. In Switzerland, drugs comprise a quarter of the expenditure of basic health insurance and are a key driver of skyrocketing healthcare costs and insurance premiums.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Yavatmal pesticides poisonings - Swiss judicial system takes victims' complaints seriously]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 26 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/yavatmal-pesticides-poisonings-swiss-judicial-system-takes-victims-complaints-seriously</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A Swiss Civil Court in Basel handling three civil actions by one Indian farmer and two wives of deceased Indian farmers has ruled that the court has jurisdiction in the case and granted legal aid to all three plaintiffs to pursue their case in Switzerland against agrochemical company Syngenta.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1147</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Dubious transactions involving Kabila’s clan and UBS: a criminal complaint filed in Switzerland]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 08 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/dubious-transactions-involving-kabilas-clan-and-ubs-a-criminal-complaint-filed-in-switzerland</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Public Eye, the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF) and the UNIS association have filed a criminal complaint with the Public Prosecutor of the Confederation, based on the revelations of "Congo Hold-up". This investigation by an alliance of media and NGOs revealed in 2021 the possible involvement of UBS in the laundering of Congolese public funds embezzled by the clan of Joseph Kabila, the former President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A member of his inner circle, the Belgian businessman Philippe de Moerloose, had received $19 million of dubious origin in his UBS accounts in Zurich and Geneva.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Ukraine Conference in Lugano: Host country Switzerland must finally stop its war financing]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 04 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/ukraine-conference-in-lugano-host-country-switzerland-must-finally-stop-its-war-financing</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[With the international Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, Switzerland wants to contribute to the reconstruction of the country after the destruction by Russian tanks and missiles. Meanwhile, Putin's war continues to ruin Ukrainian cities. Instead of merely providing humanitarian aid, the Federal Council must also use all levers at its disposal to stop the financing of this inhuman aggression. As a safe haven for oligarchs close to the Kremlin and as a trading hub for Russian oil, grain and coal, Switzerland bears a big political responsibility, which is highlighted by various reports from Public Eye.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1708</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Against warning labels on junk food in Mexico: How Switzerland allowed itself to be harnessed by Nestlé]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Sat, 02 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/against-warning-labels-on-junk-food-in-mexico-how-switzerland-allowed-itself-to-be-harnessed-by-nestle</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In Mexico, black “stop signs” are warning people about unhealthy food since 2020 - a measure against the rampant obesity. However, the political initiative was met with fierce resistance, especially from Switzerland. Internal mails and documents provide evidence of how willingly the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) acted as an extension of Nestlé and torpedoed Mexico's health policy. According to exclusive market data obtained by Public Eye, a market worth over a billion euros was at stake for the Vevey-based food company. Our research also shows that this lobbying of Switzerland for Nestlé's business interests is not an isolated case.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[King of Bulgarian cocaine: Credit Suisse is condemned but Swiss justice lacks bite]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 27 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/king-of-bulgarian-cocaine-credit-suisse-is-condemned</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Switzerland's second-largest bank was convicted today by the Federal Criminal Court for money laundering of more than 19 million Swiss francs for Bulgarian drug traffickers. While this verdict is a warning to the Swiss financial sector, it also exposes the weaknesses of the anti-money laundering system at both, the preventive and repressive level. Switzerland must strengthen the enforcement tools at Finma's disposal and set really deterrent fines.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Yavatmal pesticide poisonings: Syngenta gets away without providing remedy to Indian farmers]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 17 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/yavatmal-pesticide-poisonings-syngenta-gets-away-without-providing-remedy-to-indian-farmers</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Today the Swiss National Contact Point (NCP) for the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises closed the mediation between five NGOs and Syngenta over alleged pesticide poisonings in India, with no outcome. The agrochemical company refused to even discuss whether its “Polo” pesticide caused the poisonings alleged in the complaint. No agreement was reached on remedy for the harm caused to dozens of Indian farmers and measures to prevent future poisonings. This demonstrates once again the need for binding rules to hold companies accountable and prevent human rights violations before they occur.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Despite the sanctions, Russian coal remains in Switzerland's blind spot]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 13 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/despite-the-sanctions-russian-coal-remains-in-switzerlands-blind-spot</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Unnoticed by the public, Switzerland has over the last twenty years become a key hub for Russian coal. Three-quarters of Russia’s exports are now traded in and around Zug, as revealed by an exclusive Public Eye investigation. With companies such as SUEK, founded by oligarch Andrey Melnichenko, Zug's “Coal Valley” is home to Russia's biggest mining groups, which produce more than 225 million tonnes of coal per year. Despite an embargo on Russian coal in place since the end of April, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs does not even know which companies are based in Switzerland or who owns them. The war in Ukraine shows that Switzerland must take the blinkers off and start regulating commodity trading.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[WTO: Switzerland blocks the COVID-19 waiver until the end]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 10 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/wto-switzerland-blocks-the-covid-19-waiver-until-the-end</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The WTO is heading for a major political failure in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. As its 12th Ministerial Conference opens the day after tomorrow in Geneva, member states are unable to agree on India and South Africa's request to suspend intellectual property rights on vaccines, tests and anti-covid drugs. Through its systematic blocking, Switzerland is at the forefront of this multilateral failure, which offers no coherent solution for equitable access to means of fighting health crises.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Oligarchs.ch – How 32 Russian billionaires are playing the Swiss card]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 09 May 2022 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/oligarchsch-how-32-russian-billionaires-are-playing-the-swiss-card</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Swiss finance and commodities trading industry have long and close relations with Russian oligarchs who support the Kremlin, among them some of Vladimir Putin’s close associates. Public Eye profiled 32 personalities whose cumulative wealth – often acquired under murky circumstances – amounts to some USD 312 billion. Last week, Swiss parliamentarians have received the results of this investigation as a game of cards, accompanied by a demand: make sure that Switzerland effectively applies the sanctions against this business elite and reinforce the fight for financial transparency and against money laundering.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[The astonishing rise of a small Swiss trader in Russian oil]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 05 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-astonishing-rise-of-a-small-swiss-trader-in-russian-oil</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Among the biggest buyers of Russian oil is a Geneva company that almost no one has heard of. In February and March, Paramount Energy & Commodities obtained 11.7 million barrels of crude, just behind the giants Litasco, Vitol and Trafigura. The Public Eye investigation reveals how this small company enjoys strong support in Russia, in particular because of its relations with the oligarch Gennady Timchenko, who today is subject to sanctions. The fact that such an opaque structure can sell Vladimir Putin's black gold out of sight underlines the urgency of regulating the commodities sector in Switzerland.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Protests in Geneva: No to UPOV and seed privatisation]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 08 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/protests-in-geneva-no-to-upov-and-seed-privatisation</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[60 years are enough: Nine Swiss organizations held a protest and demanded the abolition of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) in Geneva on Wednesday. They are opposing the monopolization of seeds and the threat to food sovereignty driven by UPOV. Almost 300 organisations and networks worldwide are formulating the same demand.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[75-hour weeks for Shein: Public Eye looks behind the Chinese online fashion giant’s glitzy front]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 12 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/75-hour-weeks-for-shein-public-eye-looks-behind-the-chinese-online-fashion-giants-glitzy-front</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Today’s hippest teen-fashion brand is growing rapidly – and its internet-based recipe for success is top secret. Still, Chinese researchers working on behalf of Public Eye managed to visit some of Shein’s suppliers in Guangzhou, where conditions of production violate numerous state labour laws. Our trip inside the ultra-fast fashion leader also takes us to the European logistics centre in Belgium, where precarious working conditions are also a daily occurrence.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Offshore in Switzerland: welcome to shell companies paradise]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 06 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/offshore-in-switzerland-welcome-to-shell-companies-paradise</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Five years after the Panama Papers, the Pandora Papers highlight that Switzerland’s offshore sector is still operating at full capacity. But Swiss lawyers and fiduciaries are not creating shell companies not only in exotic jurisdictions. A survey conducted by Public Eye reveals that almost 33,000 such letterbox companies are domiciled in the cantons of Geneva, Zug, Fribourg and Ticino alone. This type of corporate structure features in almost half of the transactions suspected of involving corruption and money laundering, which are passed to the Swiss authorities.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1636</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA["Corruption for Dummies" - Public Eye offers advice to kleptocrats on how to best use Swiss financial services]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 14 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/corruption-for-dummies-public-eye-offers-advice-to-kleptocrats-on-how-to-best-use-swiss-financial-services</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Despite all efforts to polish the country’s image, Switzerland remains a haven for economic crime. Instead of redoubling efforts in the fight against corruption, the Swiss authorities are refusing any form of regulation and are failing to respond to international pressure. To show the shortcomings in the system, Public Eye has developed a satirical handbook for white collar criminals. Moreover, citizens are invited to "bribe" the Swiss Minister of Finance, Ueli Maurer, to convince him to combat corruption.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Gunvor in Ecuador: Swiss prosecutor initiates a criminal investigation]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 30 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/gunvor-in-ecuador-swiss-prosecutor-initiates-a-criminal-investigation</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A year and a half after its conviction in a vast oil bribery case in Congo-Brazzaville, the Geneva-based trader Gunvor is once again the target of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in Switzerland, due to a former employee’s alleged acts of bribery of foreign public officials and money laundering. Public Eye welcomes this move from the prosecuting authorities, which sharply contrasts with the inertia from the Federal Council vis-à-vis this high-risk sector.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1616</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Global Civil Society Statement on Child Labour in Cocoa]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Sat, 12 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/global-civil-society-statement-on-child-labour-in-cocoa</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Today, June 12th is the International Day against Child Labour. On this day, as a large group of civil society organisations working on human rights in the cocoa sector across the world, we urgently call on chocolate & cocoa companies and governments to start living up to decades-old promises. The cocoa sector must come with ambitious plans to develop transparent and accountable solutions for current and future generations of children in cocoa communities.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Gunvor’s dirty hands in the Amazon]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/gunvors-dirty-hands-in-the-amazon</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[An ex-employee’s confession in relation to the payment of bribes in Ecuador has shown that Gunvor learnt nothing from its woes in Africa. Public Eye’s investigation sets out how the Geneva-based trader acted as a go-between for the national oil company Petroecuador and Chinese state-owned entities, pushing Correa’s government to take on huge debts, to be reimbursed with oil. Unlike the Ecuadorian population, which bears the full brunt of oil exploration, Gunvor made profits from contracts obtained under questionable circumstances.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1608</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA["The Paraquat Papers" – how Syngenta put profits over product safety and tolerated thousands of deaths]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 25 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-paraquat-papers-how-syngenta-put-profits-over-product-safety-and-tolerated-thousands-of-deaths</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[For decades, the Basel-based agrochemical company Syngenta and its UK predecessor have known that the dose of emetic (to cause vomiting), mixed into its highly toxic Paraquat products as a safety measure, is ineffective. But the company’s management refused to increase the proportion of emetic, along with other measures, primarily on cost grounds. Hundreds of internal documents exclusively analysed by Public Eye together with Unearthed, the UK investigative unit of Greenpeace, prove this. They come from a US court case against Syngenta that includes a testimony from a whistleblower who had been responsible for the safety of Paraquat products for 20 years.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1595</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Patent abuse, lack of transparency, profiteering – how Covid-19 exposes Big Pharma’s harmful business strategies]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 09 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/patent-abuse-lack-of-transparency-profiteering-how-covid-19-exposes-big-pharmas-harmful-business-strategies</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The pandemic has shone the harsh light of day on the business model with which the pharmaceutical industry maximises its profits at the public interest’s expense. In an exclusive report, Public Eye reveals the ten strategies with which Pfizer, Roche, and Novartis are systematically using Covid-19 to their advantage. By the same token, the report outlines how governments of rich countries like Switzerland are complicit in the current shortage and inequitable distribution of vaccines.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1587</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Steinmetz trial: landmark judgement against mining magnate in Geneva]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 22 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/steinmetz-trial-landmark-judgement-against-mining-magnate-in-geneva</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[At the conclusion of a widely followed trial, French-Israeli businessman Beny Steinmetz was today found guilty of bribery of foreign public officials and document forgery by the Geneva criminal court. This conviction of a high-profile business figure not only sends a strong signal to the commodities’ sector as a whole, but also demonstrates the vital need for Switzerland to finally remedy the legal loopholes that allow such predatory practices.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Steinmetz trial: the largest corruption case in the mining sector goes to court in Geneva]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/steinmetz-trial-the-largest-corruption-case-in-the-mining-sector-goes-to-court-in-geneva</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Today, a historic trial is starting in Calvin’s city. Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmetz faces charges of “corruption of foreign public officials” and “document forgery” with two business partners. He is alleged to have arranged the transfer of at least USD 8.5 million from 2006 to 2012 to get his hands on the Simandou iron-ore deposit in the Republic of Guinea. Switzerland must take preventive action so that it will no longer be complicit in predatory practices that deprive the populations of resource-rich countries of essential revenues.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Glencore shirks its responsibility in Bolivia]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/mine-accidents-child-labour-environmental-damage-glencore-shirks-its-responsibility-in-bolivia</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[At the Porco mine operated by a Glencore subsidiary in the Bolivian Highlands, cooperatives dig for zinc, lead and silver. They take what is left behind by the operator, working in inhumane and dangerous conditions. The Swiss company buys a large portion of that ore, while systematically turning a blind eye to the frequent work accidents and the water pollution. The Responsible Business Initiative would help to finally put an end to this organised lawlessness.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[When Gunvor and Vitol rub shoulders with the same straw man]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/when-gunvor-and-vitol-rub-shoulders-with-the-same-straw-man</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[One year ago, oil trading giant Gunvor was handed a historic conviction for acts of corruption in Congo-Brazzaville and in Côte d’Ivoire. Now, a Public Eye investigation reveals that its competitor Vitol was also engaged in business with the beneficial owner of a Hong Kong-based company – an intermediary who has since been convicted as part of the Gunvor affair. Banking documents show that Vitol transferred over 3.3 million euros to this company.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[The Federal Council bans the export of five pesticides banned in Switzerland]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 14 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-federal-council-bans-the-export-of-five-pesticides-banned-in-switzerland</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Today, the Federal Council announced a ban on the export of five pesticides that are banned in Switzerland due to the proven risks they present. Public Eye welcomes this important decision in favour of the protection of people and the environment against dangerous chemicals, and encourages the Federal Council to continue down this path.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[«Trade Finance Demystified»: How dangerous instruments evade the control of banks]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/trade-finance-demystified-how-dangerous-instruments-evade-the-control-of-banks</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[When it comes to the war on money laundering, Switzerland is still in the 19th century. The FinCEN Files last week provided another stark reminder of this, yet the Federal Council continues to place blind faith in banks to bring order to the commodities trade, a sector which produces various scandals every year. In the report "Trade Finance Demystified", Public Eye analyses trade financing instruments and unveils the ways in which its kingpins, who are launching their traditional FT Commodities Summit today, take advantage of regulatory loopholes to engage in high-risk deals.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Yavatmal poisonings: Syngenta’s pesticide far more heavily involved]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 18 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/yavatmal-poisonings-syngentas-pesticide-far-more-heavily-involved</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[More people affected, more severe damage to health: the cases of poisonings by Syngenta’s “Polo” in the Indian region of Yavatmal took place on a far larger scale than previously thought. This is shown by exclusively accessed documents, yet the Basel-based agro-chemical firm still sells its highly toxic product in India. As a result, 51 affected families are filing today a specific instant at the Swiss OECD National Contact Point.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1545</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Bitter oranges: how Brazilian orange pickers do hard graft for Swiss agricultural trader LDC]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/bitter-oranges-how-brazilian-orange-pickers-do-hard-graft-for-swiss-agricultural-trader-ldc</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Working conditions that are hazardous to health, informal employment, pay that does not provide a living wage: Public Eye observed all these abuses on orange plantations in Brazil that supply the Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC). The coronavirus crisis further exacerbates the already precarious conditions in which the pickers in LDC’s supply chain work.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1531</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Eleven reasons why Europe needs to ban patents on food plants and farm animals]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/eleven-reasons-why-europe-needs-to-ban-patents-on-food-plants-and-farm-animals</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The “No Patents on Seeds” coalition published a new report on patent applications for conventional plant and animal breeding which, according to European patent law, are excluded from patentability. Nevertheless, from beginning of 2018 until the end of 2019, more than 100 patent applications were filed on conventional breeding.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Smuggling Libyan gasoil: a Swiss trader navigates through troubled waters]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/smuggling-libyan-gasoil-a-swiss-trader-navigates-through-troubled-waters</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Torn apart and bled dry since the fall of Colonel Gaddafi, Libya is a paradise for smugglers. Public Eye and TRIAL International uncovered business transactions in 2014 and 2015 between the Swiss trader Kolmar Group AG and a network of Libyan gasoil smugglers whose leaders are facing trial in Sicily. This case highlights the need to subject Swiss companies to binding due diligence requirements.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[How dare you, Novartis?]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/how-dare-you-novartis</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Statement by Patrick Durisch, Public Eye Health Policy expert, at Novartis Annual General Assembly of 28th February 2020 in Basel (Switzerland).]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1091</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Pesticide giants make billions from bee-harming and carcinogenic chemicals]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 20 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/pesticide-giants-make-billions-from-bee-harming-and-carcinogenic-chemicals</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A groundbreaking investigation by Public Eye and the investigative unit of Greenpeace UK, Unearthed, reveals that more than a third of the pesticide sales made by BASF, Bayer Crop Science, Corteva Agriscience, FMC and Syngenta contain chemicals that are highly toxic to health or the environment. The companies’ principal markets? Developing and emerging countries, where regulations are weaker and risks higher.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1507</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Wanted: explosive research projects for the Investigation Award 2020]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 16 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/wanted-explosive-research-projects-for-the-investigation-award-2020</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[After the success of the first edition, Public Eye is now holding the Investigation Award, which was started in 2018, every two years. Human rights violations, environmental pollution, murky deals or corruption – up to 9 March, media professionals from around the world can once again submit projects on the activities of Swiss companies in developing countries in the hope of obtaining research grants of CHF 10,000 each.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Toxic exports: a Syngenta pesticide banned in Switzerland pollutes drinking water in Brazil]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 09 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/toxic-exports-a-syngenta-pesticide-banned-in-switzerland-pollutes-drinking-water-in-brazil</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Documents obtained by Public Eye show that 37 tonnes of profenofos were exported from Switzerland to Brazil in 2018. This dangerous insecticide sold by Syngenta has been banned in Switzerland since 2005. In Brazil, profenofos is one of the substances most frequently detected in drinking water.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1502</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Novartis drops the Kymriah patent that was opposed by Public Eye]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 16 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/novartis-drops-the-kymriah-patent-that-was-opposed-by-public-eye</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Landmark victory for public health: Novartis has relinquished a patent on its personalised cancer treatment Kymriah in reaction to the opposition filed by Public Eye and Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World). This volte-face confirms that the patent should never have been granted in the first place, given that the underlying technology is not novel.  It also questions the validity of other patents on Kymriah and weakens the monopoly position of the Swiss giant in future price reviews.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[How Inditex usurps the word ‘Respect’]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 20 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/how-inditex-usurps-the-word-respect</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The fashion giant Inditex, which owns the brand Zara, presents itself as a transparent company that attaches the utmost importance to the people who produce its clothes. Public Eye’s exclusive investigation into the conditions in which one of its iconic hoodies was produced reveals what goes on behind the scenes: meagre wages, excessive hours, precarious contracts. The workers pay the price for the huge pressure to drive down prices that Inditex exerts on its suppliers in order to boost its handsome profits. According to calculations, realized in cooperation with our partners from the Clean Clothes Campaign and BASIC, the company makes twice as much profit per hoody than the earnings of all the people involved in its production put together.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1485</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Gunvor: unprecedented conviction in corruption case]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 17 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/gunvor-unprecedented-conviction-in-corruption-case</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[After an eight-year-long investigation, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has found Gunvor guilty of organisation failures in connection with corruption in oil markets in Congo-Brazzaville and Ivory Coast. As part of this conviction, the Geneva trading company will have to pay a 4 million franc fine as well as 90 million francs of compensation amount (créance compensatrice). Public Eye regrets that, up to now, the Swiss prosecuting authorities have not been able to go up the entire accountability ladder and prosecute the company’s senior executives.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[A pioneering analysis of Swiss agricultural traders – responses from firms lack substance]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 09 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/a-pioneering-analysis-of-swiss-agricultural-traders-responses-from-firms-lack-substance</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In the first comprehensive analysis of the agricultural trading sector, Public Eye investigated 16 of the world’s largest agricultural traders, all of which operate out of Switzerland. For once a spotlight was shone on these discreet companies – which were unable to come up with compelling counter arguments.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1075</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Novartis cancer treatment for CHF 370,000?! Public Eye opposes Kymriah patent]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 03 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/novartis-cancer-treatment-for-chf-370000-public-eye-opposes-kymriah-patent</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The price tag of Novartis’ personalised cancer gene therapy Kymriah has set a new record in the Swiss health system. Public Eye and Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) opposed a patent application on Kymriah filed at the European Patent Office in Munich today because the underlying technology is not novel. The ensuing market monopoly paves the way for irresponsible price setting, which is increasingly leading to a ‘two tier’ healthcare system in Switzerland.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1472</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Switzerland’s role as an agricultural trading hub raises serious human rights issues]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 03 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/switzerlands-role-as-an-agricultural-trading-hub-raises-serious-human-rights-issues</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Eight years on from its seminal study on oil, coal and metals traders, Public Eye is publishing an in-depth analysis on Switzerland’s role as a global hub of agricultural commodities. Nowadays, half of all grains, 40% of sugar and a third of cocoa and coffee traded globally are bought and sold through companies headquartered on the banks of Lake Geneva or in central Switzerland. Their growing market power and farming activities has harmful effects on producer countries, leading to abysmal pay, child labour, land grabbing and even corruption. Instead of courting traders from as far as China, Switzerland should impose binding provisions to force these companies to act responsibly.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1466</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Portraits highlighting the real danger of highly hazardous pesticides]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 29 May 2019 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/pesticide-portraits</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Syngenta is flooding Brazil with highly hazardous pesticides which make their way into drinking water. Using water polluted by pesticides, a watercolour artist painted portraits of affected people who denounce the ravages of pesticides on health and the environment, and Syngenta’s illegitimate practices in their country.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1067</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Clinical trials: Roche and Novartis neglect their ethical responsibility in emerging countries]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2019 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/clinical-trials-roche-and-novartis-neglect-their-ethical-responsibility-in-emerging-countries</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Only the wealthy part of the population benefits when Roche or Novartis test new anti-cancer drugs in Mexico or Ukraine, for these essential treatments sometimes cost more in these countries than they do in Switzerland. That is the conclusion of a Public Eye investigation, conducted in the five emerging countries that serve as the Switzerland-based giants’ favourite 'laboratories' for their clinical trials. Pharma companies must change these scandalous pricing policies to guarantee access to medicine for all.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1457</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Mozambique’s hidden debt: Public Eye files a criminal complaint against Credit Suisse]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/mozambiques-hidden-debt-public-eye-files-a-criminal-complaint-against-credit-suisse</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The public debt of Mozambique, one of the poorest countries in the world, has skyrocketed due to loans totalling over two billion dollars that have been subject to large-scale embezzlement. Half of this sum was granted by Credit Suisse’s UK subsidiary. There are sufficient indications to justify the opening of criminal proceedings in Switzerland to determine the responsibility of the Zurich-based parent company in the granting of the loans and in relation to payments suspected of being corrupt. For this reason, Public Eye has filed a criminal complaint with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in Bern, Switzerland.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1453</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Syngenta makes billions selling highly hazardous pesticides]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/syngenta-makes-billions-selling-hhps</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Based on exclusive industry data, Public Eye reveals the key role played by the Swiss agrochemical giant in selling highly hazardous pesticides – above all in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). In Brazil, the world’s number one consumer, studies show high rates of cancers and other chronic diseases linked to the massive use of such substances. In a petition, Public Eye calls on Syngenta to take its most toxic pesticides off the market. Switzerland should also take binding measures to put an end to this illegitimate business.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[CNNMoney: NGO hopes to set Swiss business practices abroad straight]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/ngo-hopes-to-set-swiss-business-practices-abroad-straight</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Andreas Missbach, Public Eye's Joint Managing, on CNN Money.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Asian shipbreaking and toxic African tobacco: the winners of the “Investigation Award” shed light on Swiss companies’ shady activities]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 21 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/asian-shipbreaking-and-toxic-african-tobacco</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Who is enticing young Africans to start smoking particularly harmful cigarettes? And who has seafaring giants scrapped in terrible conditions on Indian beaches? Two journalists, honoured and funded by Public Eye’s first ever “Investigation Award”, reveal two highly problematic practices used by Swiss companies. They give the victims a voice and explain the political context – find out more online now or live this evening in Zurich.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1433</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Fatal inaction: Swiss government has shied away from regulating the commodities sector since 2013]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 29 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/fatal-inaction-swiss-government-has-shied-away-from-regulating-the-commodities-sector-since-2013</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Federal Council is due to release its latest assessment of the state of the Swiss commodities sector in the coming days, five years on from its “Background Report: Commodities.” Despite the countless scandals that have hit Swiss commodity trading companies, the government has failed to take effective measures to mitigate corruption and other risks. Public Eye is issuing an advance “shadow report” analysing the government’s “sins of omission” and outlining feasible ways in which Switzerland can and must fulfil its responsibility to help combat the resource curse.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1422</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[How Vitol became king of oil in Kazakhstan]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 14 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/how-vitol-became-king-of-oil-in-kazakhstan</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The world’s largest private oil trader has become a major player in Kazakhstan. In 2014, Vitol sold nearly a quarter of crude earmarked for export; it then obtained access to the biggest oil fields in the country. What’s the recipe for such success? A Public Eye investigation reveals that Vitol associated itself with individuals close to the ruling powers via a discreet joint venture which handled billion-dollar contracts. Exclusive documents show that the president’s son-in-law, Timur Kulibayev, indirectly benefitted from this lucrative partnership.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1410</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Guardian: Oil trading firms with ties to UK named in Brazil's Car Wash corruption scandal]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 09 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/guardian-oil-trading-firms-with-ties-to-uk-named-in-brazils-car-wash-corruption-scandal</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Vitol, Glencore und Trafigura machten Geschäfte mit Vermittlern, die in den grössten Korruptionsskandal in der Geschichte Brasiliens verwickelt sind. Der Guardian berichtet über die neue Recherche von Public Eye und Global Witness, die diesen Deals der drei Rohstoffhandelsfirmen nachgeht.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1011</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Switzerland should stop pushing for TRIPS-plus measures in trade agreement with Indonesia]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 06 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/switzerland-should-stop-pushing-for-trips-plus-measures-in-trade-agreement-with-indonesia</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Swiss and Norwegians civil society groups led by Public Eye and Third World Network addressed their serious concerns in an open letter to their Minister of Trade over TRIPS-plus provisions being included in the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), currently under negotiation between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Indonesia. The reply from the Swiss government doesn’t address those concerns and makes some very problematic assertions. Public Eye therefore reiterates its call on Switzerland/EFTA.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1032</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Syngenta’s alternative facts]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 21 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/syngentas-alternative-facts</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[On 18 September, we published a press release entitled “A Syngenta pesticide produced in Switzerland is implicated in deadly poisonings in India” which is based on our report about “The Yavatmal scandal”. In an official counter statement as well as in numerous media reports, Syngenta called our findings and allegations “salacious and incorrect” and denied plainly that its Polo pesticide was involved in the wave of poisoning in Yavatmal, Maharashtra in 2017.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1003</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[A Syngenta pesticide produced in Switzerland is implicated in deadly poisonings in India]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 18 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/a-syngenta-pesticide-produced-in-switzerland-is-implicated-in-deadly-poisonings-in-india</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[From July to October 2017, some 800 agricultural workers were poisoned whilst spraying pesticides on cotton fields in the district of Yavatmal. Over 20 of them died. Public Eye reveals that a key product implicated in the affair was Polo, produced by Syngenta in the Swiss town of Monthey. The agro-chemicals giant exports the insecticide to countries of the South, even though in Switzerland it has been banned since 2009 due to its harmful effects on health and the environment. A motion soon to be discussed in parliament calls for the authorities to ban such toxic exports.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1409</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[More than 33,000 people call on the Swiss Federal Council to take steps to curb the exorbitant cost of medicines]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 13 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/more-than-33000-people-call-on-the-swiss-federal-council-to-take-steps-to-curb-the-exorbitant-cost-of-medicines</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Public Eye submitted to Alain Berset, the Health Minister, a giant packet of medication containing the 33,103 signatures gathered as part of its collective appeal for affordable medicines. The signatories are requesting the Swiss Federal Council to make use of compulsory licensing where necessary, to fight against the emergence of a two-tier healthcare system in Switzerland. The reaction to parliamentary initiatives submitted in this respect demonstrates the lack of political will on the part of the government to protect patients rather than patents.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Corruption in Congo and Ivory Coast: Gunvor in the spotlight]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 28 Aug 2018 11:44:19 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/corruption-in-congo-and-ivory-coast-gunvor-in-the-spotlight</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Today, a former employee of the Geneva-based trader was sentenced to a suspended 18-month prison sentence for acts of corruption in Congo Brazzaville and Ivory Coast. Bribes of tens of millions of dollars were paid to public officials in order for Gunvor to obtain oil shipments. The facts documented by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (MPC) confirm the findings of Public Eye’s investigation: the employee did not act alone. Even CEO Torbjörn Törnqvist gave his approval for a Congolese public official to be hired as an intermediary. This landmark case shows that Switzerland needs to regulate the Swiss commodities trading sector.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1388</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Dirty Diesel: Dutch Environment Inspectors Confirm Dodgy Business of Swiss Commodities Traders]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 10 Jul 2018 15:47:16 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/dirty-diesel-dutch-environment-inspectors-confirm-dodgy-business-of-swiss-commodities-traders</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Yesterday the Dutch “Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate” (ILT) presented a report to parliament about the composition and hazardousness of fuels exported to West Africa from Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The investigation highlighted the decisive role played by commodities trading firms that maximize profits by taking advantage of lax West African fuel standards. In contrast to Holland, neither the Swiss firms named in the report – Vitol, Gunvor and Litasco –&nbsp;nor the Swiss authorities recognize their responsibility for this scandal that harms the health of millions of people.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[UNIQLO makes Federer cry]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 04 Jul 2018 11:07:32 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/uniqlo-makes-federer-cry</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Since 2015, 2,000 laid-off Indonesian workers who made clothes for UNIQLO and other companies have been waiting for USD 5.5 million of compensation. That must make Roger Federer – known for his sense of fairness – cry as much as it does us. That’s why at www.hello-roger.ch fans and activists are calling on the tennis star to join an urgent international action to make his new sponsor change its stance. Specifically, Public Eye and the Clean Clothes Campaign are criticising UNIQLO for failing to live up to its social responsibility towards the affected women by refusing to negotiate with Indonesian trade unions over compensation for former factory workers.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1382</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Guardian: Glencore hit with US subpoena over alleged money laundering]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 03 Jul 2018 16:14:11 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/guardian-glencore-hit-with-us-subpoena-over-alleged-money-laundering</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Shares in world’s biggest mining firm fall as it faces potential investigation]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[Transparency requested in the negotiations between Mercosur and EFTA!]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 02 Jul 2018 14:09:51 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/transparency-requested-in-the-negotiations-between-mercosur-and-efta</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Today, a new round of negotiation of the free-trade agreement between Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay) and EFTA (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) kicks off in Geneva. The undersigned NGOs ask State parties to allow the transparency of negotiations and to carry out a sustainability impact assessment.]]></description>
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                    <title><![CDATA[IP-Watch: Swiss Group Suggests Switzerland Use Compulsory Licences To Curb Cancer Drug Prices]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 24 May 2018 16:03:13 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/ip-watch-swiss-group-suggests-switzerland-use-compulsory-licences-to-curb-cancer-drug-prices</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[During a side event held alongside this week’s World Health Assembly, public health advocates proposed that Switzerland use compulsory licensing as a way to decrease what they said are exorbitant drug prices.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-970</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swissinfo: Swiss campaign to make lifesaving drugs affordable]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 22 May 2018 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/swissinfo-swiss-campaign-to-make-lifesaving-drugs-affordable</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Swiss authorities must act to make lifesaving drugs more affordable by introducing compulsory licensing, says NGO Public Eye.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-962</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swissinfo: Swiss firms pressured to sign Bangladesh safety accord]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 23 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/swissinfo-swiss-firms-pressured-to-sign-bangladesh-safety-accord</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Five years after the factory complex collapse that killed 1,138 textile workers in Bangladesh, 145 international brands have signed an accord to improve factory safety. Only one of them is Swiss.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-955</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swissinfo: Is the Abacha accord a model for returning ‘dictator funds’?]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 13 Mar 2018 16:35:38 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/swissinfo-is-the-abacha-accord-a-model-for-returning-dictator-funds</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A recent Swiss agreement with Nigeria and the World Bank to return hundreds of millions in so-called “Abacha funds” is being hailed as a model for how other countries deal with dictators’ assets. But civil society organisations in both Switzerland and Nigeria have reservations.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-950</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Guardian: Paradise Papers prompt criminal complaint against Glencore]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 21 Dec 2017 17:17:51 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/guardian-paradise-papers-prompt-criminal-complaint-against-glencore</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Rights group formally asks Swiss attorney general to investigate firm’s mining links with Democratic Republic of the Congo: “It’s overdue for [Swiss authorities] to rule on the legality of operations, whose dubious nature has been brought to the fore by the press and NGOs for more than five years.”]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-927</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Glencore’s murky deals in the DRC]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 19 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/glencores-murky-deals-in-the-drc</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In December 2017, Public Eye filed a criminal complaint with the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland on account of the activities carried out by Swiss commodities giant Glencore in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). With the Paradise Papers, there are now even more elements pointing at embezzlement surrounding the acquisition of mines for the legal authorities to launch an investigation. It’s overdue for them to rule on the legality of operations, whose dubious nature has been brought to the fore by the press and NGOs.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-920</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Glencore in the DRC: Public Eye calls upon Swiss justice to take action]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 19 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/glencore-in-the-drc-public-eye-calls-upon-swiss-justice-to-take-action</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Public Eye has today filed a criminal complaint with the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland on account of the activities carried out by the Swiss commodities giant in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). With the Paradise Papers, there are now even more elements pointing at embezzlement surrounding the acquisition of mines for the legal authorities to launch an investigation. It’s overdue for them to rule on the legality of operations, whose dubious nature has been brought to the fore by the press and NGOs for more than five years.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1347</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The ‘Public Eye Investigation Award’: prestigious selection panel looking for explosive research projects]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 08 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-public-eye-investigation-award-prestigious-selection-panel-looking-for-explosive-research-projects</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, Public Eye is launching its Investigation Award which offers CHF 20,000 to support one or two investigative projects directly covering the practices of Swiss actors in developing or emerging countries. The selection panel will include the renowned journalists Fabrice Arfi (Mediapart), Will Fitzgibbon (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, ICIJ), Anya Schiffrin (Columbia University), and Oliver Zihlmann (Tamedia).]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1342</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Don’t release Egypt's Frozen Assets in Switzerland!]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 04 Dec 2017 18:03:57 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/dont-release-egypts-frozen-assets-in-switzerland</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In an open letter released today, Swiss, Egyptian and international NGOs working on asset recovery issues ask the Federal Council to extend the freezing order related to Mubarak’s money.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-919</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Statement by Public Eye]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 04 Dec 2017 00:01:30 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/statement-by-public-eye</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Statement by Public Eye from 4.12.2017 concerning its analysis entitled The “Paradise Papers”, Switzerland and commodities]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1339</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[UN Experts fail to deliver assessment of Bayer and Syngenta compliance with the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 23 Nov 2017 12:46:40 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/un-experts-fail-to-deliver-assessment-of-bayer-and-syngenta-compliance-with-the-international-code-of-conduct-on-pesticide-management</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In 2015 Public Eye, ECCHR and their partners submitted a report to FAO and WHO providing evidence that Syngenta and Bayer were violating the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management when distributing highly hazardous pesticides in Punjab, India. The report was discussed during the Joint Meeting on Pesticides Management (JMPM) held in New Dehli on April 2017. The meeting concluded with the JMPM only taking note of the report and failing to assess compliance of Syngenta and Bayer with the Code. Without improvements the FAO/WHO monitoring procedure is on its way to become meaningless.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-912</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Brazil bans paraquat – Switzerland supports Syngenta’s behind-the-scenes lobbying]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 17 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/brazil-bans-paraquat-switzerland-supports-syngentas-behind-the-scenes-lobbying</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Brazil has joined the list of States that have banned the use of the pesticide called paraquat, on the grounds of its high level of toxicity. Syngenta is the main producer of paraquat. The company is actively lobbying to convince the Brazilian authorities to reverse their decision. Confidential information shows that the Basel-based giant participates in the organization of a visit for influential Brazilian parliamentarians to Switzerland, with the support of the Swiss authorities. The delegation should have been received today in Bern by the Secretary of State for Education, Research and Innovation. The meeting was cancelled at the last minute due to the presence of Public Eye and Multiwatch, who protested against the participation of Switzerland in Syngenta’s lobbying efforts to promote dangerous pesticides that are banned in our country.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1331</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Report finds ‘Made in Europe’ label tied to garment and shoe production in European sweatshops]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 09 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/report-finds-made-in-europe-label-tied-to-garment-and-shoe-production-in-european-sweatshops</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A new report published today by the Clean Clothes Campaign, Europe's Sweatshops, documents endemic poverty wages and other stark working conditions in the garment and shoe industry throughout Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. Despite working overtime, many workers in the Ukraine for example make just EUR 89 a month, where a living wage would have to be five times that much. Among customers of the factories are fashion brands like Benetton, Esprit, GEOX, Triumph and Vero Moda.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1327</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Glencore and Appleby: plundering in Africa, apathy in Switzerland]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2017 11:07:51 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/glencore-and-appleby-plundering-in-africa-apathy-in-switzerland</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Paradise Papers, the latest leak from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalistse (ICIJ), confirms what Public Eye has been saying for years: Commodity trading is Switzerland’s most dangerous business. The serious allegations against Glencore – of aggressive tax optimisation, corruption, and conflicts of interest – once again bear witness to Switzerland's hand in the resource curse, as well as the federal authorities’ unacceptable passivity.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1324</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The Guardian: The inside story of Glencore's hidden dealings in DRC]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2017 09:21:25 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/the-guardian-the-inside-story-of-glencores-hidden-dealings-in-drc</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Leaked files - the Paradise Papers - reveal for the first time how the secretive firm enlisted a controversial diamond tycoon – ignoring ‘red flags’]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-899</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[A new report exposes the difficulties of the Mubarak asset recovery]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 25 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/a-new-report-exposes-the-difficulties-of-the-mubarak-asset-recovery</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In the aftermath of the Arab Spring in 2011, Switzerland froze 700 million Swiss francs belonging to former Egyptian president Mubarak and his entourage, including business mogul Hussein Salem. The move raised huge expectations among the Egyptian population that this money would be quickly seized and returned to their country. But six years later, this high profile asset recovery case has produced almost nothing. In a report released today, Public Eye tells for the first time the story of the failed recovery of Egyptian money in Switzerland and presents the reasons explaining this poor result.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-894</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swiss repatriation of Mubarak funds stuck in dead end]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 25 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/swiss-repatriation-of-mubarak-funds-stuck-in-dead-end</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Following the Arab Spring, the Swiss authorities blocked 700 million francs held by Mubarak’s clan. Despite the opening of criminal investigations in Switzerland and Egypt, it appears that the confiscation of this money is increasingly unlikely. One quarter of the money frozen on Swiss bank accounts was already released in December 2016. Last August, the Federal Prosecutor discontinued the cooperation with Egypt – explaining that it had led to no result.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1321</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Brazil bans paraquat and the agribusiness lobby is gearing up for action]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 23 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/brazil-bans-paraquat-and-the-agribusiness-lobby-is-gearing-up-for-action</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In September, Brazil joined the list of countries having banned paraquat because of its acute and chronic toxicity. The ban will enter into force in 2020, following a three-year transition period. But this decision could be called into question if new studies persuade the authorities before then that the product is safe to use. Everything indicates that the agribusiness lobby is already hard at work behind the scenes to try and persuade the Brazilian authorities to reconsider their decision.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-891</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Handbook: For Human Rights Beyond Borders]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 29 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/handbook-for-human-rights-beyond-borders</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In today’s highly interdependent world, decisions by States often have impacts beyond their own national borders. These decisions can affect the enjoyment of human rights in other countries. Through their domestic and foreign policies and practices, as well as the international norms and standards they promote, States individually and jointly shape the international legal, political and economic environment in which other States operate.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-886</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[UK exports banned pesticide to developing countries]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 27 Sep 2017 11:31:18 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/uk-exports-banned-pesticide-to-developing-countries</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Paraquat is one of the most toxic pesticides in the world. It causes thousands of acute poisonings each year and is linked to several chronic illnesses, including Parkinson's disease.(1)]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-885</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Gunvor in the Congo: new disclosures undermine the trader’s case]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 15 Sep 2017 10:03:24 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/gunvor-in-the-congo-new-disclosures-undermine-the-traders-case</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Public Eye has seen a new legal document showing that up to six employees from oil trader Gunvor had authorised the payment of suspicious commissions to “facilitate” profitable oil contracts in the Republic of Congo. This information seriously undermines Gunvor’s defence case, in which the trader claims to have been a victim of a former lone wolf employee “acting without the company’s knowledge and much to the detriment of the company”. This decisive fact led Switzerland’s attorney general to initiate legal proceedings against Gunvor for “organizational shortcomings” linked to possible acts of corruption of foreign public servants.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1318</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swiss prosecutor widens probe into commodities trader Gunvor.]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 12 Sep 2017 12:23:36 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/swiss-prosecutor-widens-probe-into-commodities-trader-gunvor</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has expanded a bribery investigation into the activities of a former employee of the Swiss commodities trader Gunvor Group.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-875</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Oil and embezzlement: Public Eye reveals Gunvor's secrets in Congo]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 12 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/oil-and-embezzlement-public-eye-reveals-gunvors-secrets-in-congo</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A report published today, the result of a two-year investigation, reveals the dubious practices of the world’s fourth largest private oil trading company. To get hold of Congolese black gold, Gunvor went as far as entering into dealings with dodgy partners and paying exorbitant commissions. Ever since the Attorney General of Switzerland opened criminal proceedings in 2012, the Geneva trader has offloaded the responsibility for these embezzlements onto a former employee. The facts revealed by Public Eye show that the dodgy dealings continued well after this employee was dismissed. In 2014, a company executive was caught on (hidden) camera as he outlined a scheme intended to “buy off” Congolese officials. Unsurprisingly, the Swiss justices now have Gunvor directly in their sights, as confirmed yesterday by the Attorney General.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1315</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[UK condemned over 'shocking' export of deadly weedkiller to poorer countries]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 24 Aug 2017 17:39:43 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/uk-condemned-over-shocking-export-of-deadly-weedkiller-to-poorer-countries</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[UK accused of double standards as thousands of tonnes of pesticide not authorised for use in EU are produced in Britain for export to developing world]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-869</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Sixty times less sulfur: Accra and Lagos breathe a sigh of relief]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 05 Jul 2017 11:03:17 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/sixty-times-less-sulfur-accra-and-lagos-breathe-a-sigh-of-relief</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Ghana and Nigeria have legislated for significantly lower limits on the sulphur content in imported fuels, effective 1st July, just 10 months after the publication of “Dirty Diesel”. The report from Public Eye exposed the illegitimate business model with “African Quality” fuels and the role of the Swiss commodity traders. With the support of a global media echo, Public Eye’s African partners have used the public’s outrage to bring about real political change.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1312</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Patents on Seeds: Europe misses the boat]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 30 Jun 2017 18:07:21 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/patents-on-seeds-europe-misses-the-boat</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Yesterday in The Hague, the 38 Member States of the European Patent Convention (EPC), including Switzerland, adopted stricter rules on granting of patents on plants and animals. The scope of the decision is however limited by many flaws.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1307</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Syngenta is now in Chinese hands, but will the company finally stop producing Paraquat?]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 29 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/syngenta-is-now-in-chinese-hands-but-will-the-company-finally-stop-producing-paraquat</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Annual General Meeting of Syngenta approved the buy out of the company by ChemChina. In spite of a slight drop in sales, Syngenta remains the global leader in the pesticide market. Public Eye called upon the new owners of the Basel-based multinational corporation to assume their responsibility and stop producing Paraquat and other highly hazardous pesticides.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-858</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Exclusive study dedicated to corruption risks in commodity trading]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2017 12:19:53 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/exclusive-study-dedicated-to-corruption-risks-in-commodity-trading</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Despite high corruption risks, sales of State-owned resources have until recently received little attention in the academic literature or in political debates around the resource curse. A Public Eye exclusive study released today by the Norwegian anti-corruption center U4 offers for the first time a typology of corruption risks associated with commodity trading and existing measures to tackle them.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-844</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Neue Studie zu Korruptionsrisiken im Rohstoffhandel]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2017 12:19:53 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/neue-studie-zu-korruptionsrisiken-im-rohstoffhandel</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Trotz erhöhtem Korruptionsrisiko haben staatliche Rohstoffverkäufe bislang weder in akademischen Diskussionen noch in politischen Debatten grosse Aufmerksamkeit erhalten. In einer vom norwegischen Antikorruptions-Center U4 heute veröffentlichten Studie präsentiert Public Eye eine Typologie dieser Korruptionsrisiken sowie Massnahmen zur Verhinderung von Korruption.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1033</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Stevia: 260,000 signatures demanding from Coca-Cola to stop its biopiracy]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 07 Jun 2017 09:28:21 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/stevia-260000-signatures-demanding-from-coca-cola-to-stop-its-biopiracy</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Over 260,000 people have signed a petition asking Coca-Cola to negotiate a fair benefit-sharing agreement with the Guarani people on their profits from the commercial use of stevia-derived products. Stevia is a plant with sweetening properties which were discovered by the Guaranis many centuries ago. The petition, launched in November 2016, will be handed over to Coca-Cola today. Coca-Cola has invited Pubic Eye and their partners to discuss these issues. The NGOs already met with some of the main companies in the stevia-derived sweetener market in Paris, with encouraging results.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1306</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The role of banks in the Dirty Diesel scandal]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 01 Jun 2017 17:46:48 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/the-role-of-banks-in-the-dirty-diesel-scandal</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A new publication by the NGO BankTrack sheds a crude light on the role of banks in funding trading of toxic fuel. Although the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights require banks to carry out reasonable due diligence in the framework of their activities and use their influence to prevent human rights’ violations, they would appear to take this responsibility rather too lightly.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-828</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swiss export products banned as toxic at home]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 09 May 2017 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/swiss-export-products-banned-as-toxic-at-home</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Switzerland exports two powerful herbicides, atrazine and paraquat, to developing countries. However, these products, manufactured by Basel giant Syngenta, are prohibited in the Swiss territory. It's a situation denounced by Public Eye. The explanations of Laurent Gaberell, responsible for the file with Public Eye.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-820</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Switzerland is exporting banned pesticides to developing countries]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 08 May 2017 07:44:03 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/switzerland-is-exporting-banned-pesticides-to-developing-countries</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[According to confidential information obtained by Public Eye, Switzerland is exporting atrazine and paraquat to developing countries. The use of these herbicides, made by the Swiss-based Syngenta, has been banned in Switzerland due to their extreme toxicity. Public Eye demands that the Swiss authorities end this double standard and respect their commitments made under the Basel Convention. A parliamentary intervention to this effect has just been made.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1303</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[United Nations to assess Bayer and Syngenta’s adherence to international standard on pesticides management]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 07 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/united-nations-to-assess-bayer-and-syngentas-adherence-to-international-standard-on-pesticides-management</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and Public Eye request strong recommendations to avoid health and environmental consequences caused by Bayer and Syngenta pesticides in Punjab.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1294</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[“Alternative facts” in a report by the Swiss association of commodity traders]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 28 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/alternative-facts-in-a-report-by-the-swiss-association-of-commodity-traders</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A recent report entitled Commodity Trading Monitoring Report claims to be the “first scientific study” of the very secretive commodities market in Switzerland. But it is in fact merely a lobbying instrument created by the STSA trading association, and it demonstrates yet again how this impenetrable sector fails to communicate reliable data.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1291</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Adverse health effects caused by paraquat –  A bibliography of documented evidence]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/adverse-health-effects-caused-by-paraquat-a-bibliography-of-documented-evidence</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Paraquat is now banned in over 40 countries, including in the European Union and Switzerland, Syngenta’s home country, because of its adverse health effects.
Yet paraquat is still the third most widely used herbicide in the world. Syngenta and others continue to sell it in many developing countries, where its safe use has proven to be impossible. And still too many people die – or are severely injured – each year because of paraquat poisoning. Safe use of paraquat in developing countries is simply not happening on the ground.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-793</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Analysis of the Swiss National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2017 10:59:19 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/analysis-of-the-swiss-national-action-plan-on-business-and-human-rights</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Following the adoption of Switzerland’s National Action Plan on Business an Human Rights on December 9th 2016, the Swiss Coalition for Corporate Justice has published its analysis and comments. The 18 page document, released on December 22nd 2016, is available for download in English and German.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-783</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Switzerland’s disappointing Action Plan]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/switzerlands-disappointing-action-plan</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Over 5 years after the adoption of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Switzerland finally published its implementation strategy. Although the National Action Plan (NAP)[1] recognizes the challenges at hand, only six new measures are foreseen.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1278</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Guardian: Five west African countries ban 'dirty diesel' from Europe]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 07 Dec 2016 10:13:18 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/guardian-five-west-african-countries-ban-dirty-diesel-from-europe</link>
                            <description><![CDATA["Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast to block imports from oil companies and traders of diesel with sulphur levels many times European limit", The Guardian writes.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-771</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The two worlds of Nagoya]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 06 Dec 2016 16:50:35 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/the-two-worlds-of-nagoya</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A new report, published by Public Eye and Natural Justice, shows the large discrepancies between the EU ABS framework and emerging provider country legislations in how they implement the Nagoya Protocol, and the consequences for access and benefit sharing.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-768</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Breakthrough on „Dirty Diesel“: West African countries to reduce sulphur standards by the factor 60 to 200]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2016 11:06:46 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/breakthrough-on-dirty-diesel-west-african-countries-to-reduce-sulphur-standards-by-the-factor-60-to-200</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Yesterday‘s meeting convened by the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) in Abuja, Nigeria, saw major steps towards the improvement of fuel quality in West Africa. Following Ghana’s announcement in November, Nigeria, Benin, Ivory Coast and Togo also announced to lower sulphur limits for imported diesel to 50 ppm (parts per million). The controversy caused by Public Eye‘s «Dirty Diesel» report has led to yet another important step towards cleaner air in African cities. In the Netherlands, the city council of Amsterdam has called for a ban on the production and export of fuels containing harmful substances.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1276</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Transparency in the commodities sector: Switzerland continues to shirk its responsibilities]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Nov 2016 16:19:31 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/transparency-in-the-commodities-sector-switzerland-continues-to-shirk-its-responsibilities</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Swiss Federal Council does not want to make the commodities trade more transparent and exempts it from new provisions on payments to governments adopted today as part of the revision of Swiss company law, thereby completely misreading the signs of the times. In other countries, meanwhile, the broadening of transparency laws is already well underway.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1273</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Stevia: Coca-Cola needs to negotiate a benefit-sharing agreement with the Guarani]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/stevia-coca-cola-needs-to-negotiate-a-benefit-sharing-agreement-with-the-guarani</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Guarani that discovered stevia's sweetening properties do not receive any share of the benefits arising from of its commercial use, in clear breach of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol. While the indigenous peoples are reclaiming their rights, the Basel-based company Evolva indicated its willingness to negotiate an agreement with the Guarani. Nestlé, meanwhile, supports the benefit-sharing principle, but has not made any specific commitment yet. But Coca-Cola, which is one of the main users of steviol glycosides, is not even acknowledging the basic problem. Therefore a  petition  is launched to convince the American soft drink giant to end its biopiracy.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1270</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[„Dirty Diesel“ – Trafigura Ignores 20‘000 Voices of Protest, but Ghana Toughens Sulfur Standards]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 07 Nov 2016 10:16:09 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/dirty-diesel-trafigura-ignores-20000-voices-of-protest-but-ghana-toughens-sulfur-standards</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Flanked by a container full of dirty air from Ghana's capital Accra, Public Eye in Geneva today handed Trafigura a petition signed by almost 20'000 people asking the commodities giant to stop selling „Dirty Diesel“ to Africa. While Trafigura continues to deny all responsibility for its health damaging business, public pressure moved the government of Ghana to toughen its national sulfur standard by a factor of 60. This campaign success of Public Eye and its African counterparts is an important step on the way to reducing air pollution and protecting people's health.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1267</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[One step closer to the sender: Container with dirty air has arrived in Antwerp]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 26 Oct 2016 13:56:17 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/one-step-closer-to-the-sender-container-with-dirty-air-has-arrived-in-antwerp</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The container filled with dirty air that Public Eye is returning to the sender Trafigura has arrived in Antwerp. The “Return to Sender” campaign has drawn attention to the illegitimate business practices of Swiss commodity trading companies which exploit existing double standards to sell toxic fuel in Africa that would never be allowed at the pump in Europe.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-756</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Citifmonline: Automobile firms threaten import cuts over sulphur saga]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 12 Oct 2016 11:58:23 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/citifmonline-automobile-firms-threaten-import-cuts-over-sulphur-saga</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Automobile dealers have threatened they will halt the importation of new cars to Ghana should government refuse to reduce further the sulphur content.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-751</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swiss quality must include the protection of human rights and the environment]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 10 Oct 2016 09:38:12 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/swiss-quality-must-include-the-protection-of-human-rights-and-the-environment</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Swiss Responsible Business Initiative will be presented to the Swiss authorities today. The 80 civil society organizations supporting the initiative share one common goal: Swiss quality must incorporate the protection of human rights and the environment.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1262</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Dirty Diesel: Toxic Air from Africa Returns to Switzerland]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 04 Oct 2016 10:52:23 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/dirty-diesel-toxic-air-from-africa-returns-to-switzerland</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Today, the “Irenes Rainbow” leaves the Port of Accra and sets course for Antwerp. On board is a container labelled “Return to Sender” which Public Eye and its African partner organizations plan to deliver to the door of the trading company Trafigura in Geneva. It is filled with toxic air from the capital of Ghana, which owes much of its pollution to Swiss commodities companies that produce and distribute fuels with high levels of sulfur. Already, more than 12,000 people have signed a petition calling on industry leader Trafigura to sell its African customers only diesel and gasoline that meet European quality standards. The dirty fuel business model has been criticized by authorities as well.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1259</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Successful conference on clinical drug trials]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/successful-conference-on-clinical-drug-trials</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[On the occasion of the conference organised by Health Action International (HAI) and Public Eye in Geneva, re-known international specialists have debated about ethical challenges and lack of transparency around clinical trials. Despite their importance, clinical trials as such are rarely debated in public. The all day long event has thus sparked international interest, convening up to 100 participants from the NGO, regulatory, academia, medical, media and industry sector.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-781</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Working Paper:  Farmers’ Right to Participate in Decision-making]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 29 Sep 2016 18:04:50 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/working-paper-farmers-right-to-participate-in-decision-making</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A new working paper shows that the operationalization of Article 9.2(c) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is severely lacking at the national, regional and international levels. Farmers face considerable challenges in exercising their right to participate at all these levels, with the consequence that decisions including on policies and laws not only ignore farmers’ needs, but also adversely affect farmers’ freedom to operate. Learning from the challenges, this paper discusses some of the key elements that are essential for the effective operationalization of farmers’ right to participate in decision-making]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-747</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Our reply to the letter from the Africa Refiners Association (ARA)]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 16 Sep 2016 16:29:14 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/our-reply-to-the-letter-from-the-africa-refiners-association-ara</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The answer of Public Eye to the letter from the African Refiners Association (ARA), which aims at distracting from the discussion on the responsibility of trading companies.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-735</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[DakarActu: CARBURANT TOXIQUE : Pourquoi Baba Diao et les traders sénégalais doivent-ils s'expliquer]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 16 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/dakaractu-carburant-toxique-pourquoi-baba-diao-et-les-traders-senegalais-doivent-ils-sexpliquer</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The article by the senegalese newspaper DakarActu refers to the press release by SAR (Société Africaine de Raffinage) and asks for transparency on the part of the senegalese traders, especially Baba Diao (acticle in French).]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-734</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[New York Times: Companies Dump Dirty Fuel in West Africa, Report Says]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/new-york-times-companies-dump-dirty-fuel-in-west-africa-report-says</link>
                            <description><![CDATA["Swiss commodity trading companies are blending and dumping dirty fuel in West Africa with sulfur levels far higher than those allowed in Europe, causing health and environmental hazards, a new report said Thursday", the New York Times wrote.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-726</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[BBC News: Fuel 'too dirty' for Europe sold to Africa]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/bbc-news-fuel-too-dirty-for-europe-sold-to-africa</link>
                            <description><![CDATA["Swiss firms have been criticised in a report for their links to the African trade in diesel with toxin levels that are illegal in Europe", BBC News wrote.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-727</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swiss Commodity Traders Flood Africa with Toxic Fuel]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/swiss-commodity-traders-flood-africa-with-toxic-fuel</link>
                            <description><![CDATA["Dirty Diesel", a report published by Public Eye today, reveals how Swiss commodity trading firms exploit lax regulatory standards to sell African customers fuel with high sulfur content. Produced by the trading firms themselves, these types of fuel have long been banned in Europe. They contribute significantly to the rapidly rising air pollution in African cities and jeopardize the health of millions of people. In a petition addressed to Trafigura, Public Eye and its West African partners call on the Geneva-based commodities giant only to sell fuel that meets European standards in all of its operations around the world.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1256</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Guardian: The expensive ‘Italian’ shoes made for a pittance in east European sweatshops]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 24 Aug 2016 12:41:25 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/guardian-the-expensive-italian-shoes-made-for-a-pittance-in-east-european-sweatshops</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A troubling study claims that workers producing UK high street brands are enduring low pay and poor conditions.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-718</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Public Conference on Clinical Drug Trials]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 23 Aug 2016 09:57:36 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/public-conference-on-clinical-drug-trials</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Join Health Action International and the Berne Declaration for a public conference on Clinical Drug Trials, 30 september 2016 in Geneva.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-717</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[New investigation: Industry-sponsored clinical drug trials in Egypt]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 22 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/new-investigation-industry-sponsored-clinical-drug-trials-in-egypt</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[After our 2013 investigations in Russia, Ukraine, India and Argentina, Public Eye (formerly the Berne Declaration) investigated in 2016 into the clinical trial offshoring in Egypt. Our research work on the ground, in a very opaque environment, has shed the light on serious ethical violations.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-710</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Shoes ‘Made in Europe’ – for Starvation Wages]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/shoes-made-in-europe-for-starvation-wages</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[For the first time, new research has revealed the true cost of Eastern Europe’s shoe manufacturing industry: tens of thousands of workers producing shoes sold as ‘Italian’ or ‘German’ – and often earning even less than their counterparts in China. Until now, brand-name companies have shown far too little interest in the conditions under which their shoes are produced.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1249</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Berne Declaration becomes Public Eye]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Sat, 21 May 2016 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/berne-declaration-becomes-public-eye</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The members that gathered for the Berne Declaration's general assembly have decided to change their organisation's name to "Public Eye". This new name better describes the NGO's role, is forward-looking and is already well established thanks to the counter-summit that the Berne Declaration organised to protest against the Davos World Economic Forum for 15 years. It is believed that "Public Eye" is more representative of the values, aims and methods of the organisation, which is supported by over 25,000 members and focuses on the issue of "business and human rights".]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1246</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[65.000 x opposition against Syngenta patent on tomatoes - All-time record high for mass opposition filed at the European Patent Office]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 12 May 2016 09:31:56 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/65000-x-opposition-against-syngenta-patent-on-tomatoes-all-time-record-high-for-mass-opposition-filed-at-the-european-patent-office</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A mass opposition will today be filed against a patent on tomatoes held by the Swiss company Syngenta. 65.000 individuals from 59 countries and 32 organisations are supporting the opposition. Never before have so many people been involved in an opposition at the European Patent Office (EPO). They are all opposing the Syngenta patent, which claims tomato seeds, plants and fruit as an invention, but which actually originate from crossings with tomato plants discovered in Peru and Chile.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1241</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Rana Plaza three years on: the struggle for justice and safety is not over]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Sun, 24 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/rana-plaza-three-years-on-the-struggle-for-justice-and-safety-is-not-over</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[On April 24th 2013 the deadliest tragedy in the history of garment industry happened in Dhaka. Three years later, all of the victims finally have received compensation. But despite public pressure, factories remain blatantly unsafe.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-707</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Over 140'000 signatures for the Swiss Responsible Business Initiative]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Sun, 17 Apr 2016 14:11:55 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/over-140000-signatures-for-the-swiss-responsible-business-initiative</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Less than a year after its launch, the Swiss Responsible Business Initiative has gathered the required number of signatures. This significant step paves the way for the initiative to be taken up by the Swiss government and shows that a large number of Swiss citizens want multinational corporations to respect human rights and the environment abroad.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1232</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Restitution of Abacha funds: Swiss and Nigerian NGOs demand guarantees]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 2016 10:57:40 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/restitution-of-abacha-funds-swiss-and-nigerian-ngos-demand-guarantees</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Switzerland will soon return a sum of 321 million dollars to Nigeria, which was confiscated from the clan of the African nation's former dictator Sani Abacha. In an open letter, Swiss and Nigerian NGOs have demanded that the authorities of these two countries, together with the World Bank, take all measures necessary to guarantee that these funds be returned in a manner that is transparent and benefits the general population of the country, the people that were initially cheated out of their money. These funds cannot be allowed to just disappear into thin air, as happened with the funds recently returned by Liechtenstein.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1225</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Switzerland’s financial secrecy brought under human rights spotlight]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/switzerlands-financial-secrecy-brought-under-human-rights-spotlight</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Tax avoidance and evasion represent a systemic drain on government revenues needed for the fulfilment of women’s rights and gender equality. As the international human rights system begins to grapple with the consequences of tax policy for human rights, a groundbreaking initiative is about to shine a bright light into the dark corners of financial secrecy. Switzerland – arguably the world’s most important tax haven — may soon face scrutiny from the United Nations human rights system over its role in facilitating cross-border tax abuse. A coalition of civil society organizations has asked the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) — the UN body mandated to oversee compliance with governments’ legal obligations related to women’s human rights — to examine the extra-territorial impacts of Switzerland’s opaque financial legislation on women’s rights and gender equality, particularly in developing countries.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1222</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[New report: Patents on Plants and Animals]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 15 Jan 2016 09:07:45 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/new-report-patents-on-plants-and-animals</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The new report of the NGO alliance No Patents On Seeds shows the latest developments on the patenting of plants. Around 2400 patents on plants and 1400 patents on animals have been granted in Europe since the 1980s. More than 7500 patent applications for plants and around 5000 patents for animals are pending. The EPO has already granted more than 120 patents on conventional breeding and about 1000 such patent applications are pending. The scope of many of the patents that have been granted is extremely broad and very often covers the whole food chain from production to consumption. These patents are an abuse of patent law, designed to take control of the resources needed for our daily living.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-690</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Working Paper: Plant Variety Protection in Developing Countries]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 21 Dec 2015 16:57:32 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/working-paper-plant-variety-protection-in-developing-countries</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[This working paper is a tool to assist developing countries to design a plant variety protection system that is suitable for the seed and agricultural systems that prevail in their countries and promotes achievement of the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (Nagoya Protocol) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agricultures (ITPGRFA). This tool could also support civil society and farmer organizations engaged in seed policy work and advocating for an appropriate sui generis system.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-686</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Glivec in Colombia: new leaked letter from Novartis attests to pressure at highest level]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 11 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/glivec-in-colombia-new-leaked-letter-from-novartis-attests-to-pressure-at-highest-level</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A new leaked letter signed by the CEO of Novartis himself sheds additional light on the aggressive power play carried out by the Swiss pharma giant against the Colombian authorities to prevent a compulsory license* being issued for its leukemia drug Glivec (imatinib).]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-944</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Stevia-Derived Sweeteners Violate Indigenous Rights]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 19 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/stevia-derived-sweeteners-violate-indigenous-rights</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A new report, published by a coalition of NGOs and scientific institutions (1), shows that the current hype around Stevia results in the violation of the rights of indigenous peoples, misleading marketing, and controversial synthetic biology. The basis for all the current commercialization of Stevia-derived sweeteners comes from the traditional knowledge of the impoverished Guaraní people in Paraguay and Brazil. In spite of this, the Guaraní have neither given their consent for the use of their knowledge, nor have they received any benefit-sharing as stipulated by the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Nagoya Protocol.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1210</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Switzerland Must Seize Opportunity for Commodity Trading Transparency]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/switzerland-must-seize-opportunity-for-commodity-trading-transparency</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Switzerland, the world’s leading commodity trading hub, must pave the way for more transparency in natural resource payments. The Swiss government should alter its course and include commodity trading in a pending transparency law. Furthermore, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) must improve its requirements around commodity trading at its Berne meetings, which starts today.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1205</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[H&M Fails to Honor Commitment to Make Fire and Building Safety Repairs in Bangladesh]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/hm-fails-to-honor-commitment-to-make-fire-and-building-safety-repairs-in-bangladesh</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[H&M is dramatically behind schedule in correcting the dangers faced by the Bangladeshi workers who produce its clothing, according to a report published today by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF), Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN), and Worker Rights Consortium (WRC).]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1199</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Bangladeshi factories remain unsafe: H&M suppliers fail on deadlines to address safety hazards]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/bangladeshi-factories-remain-unsafe-hm-suppliers-fail-on-deadlines-to-address-safety-hazards</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[As Swedish fashion giant H&M prepares to announce a predicted increase in their profits for 2015, labour rights groups are calling on the company to do more to protect garment workers in Bangladesh, after a review of H&M’s strategic suppliers shows that severe delays in carrying out urgent and vital building repairs continue to leave tens of thousands of workers at risk of death and injury.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1217</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Largest Swiss refinery purchases gold extracted by children]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/largest-swiss-refinery-purchases-gold-extracted-by-children</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[How can it be that every year Switzerland imports tonnes of gold from Togo, a non-producer country? The report “A Golden Racket”, published today by the Berne Declaration, reveals that this gold comes from artisanal mines in Burkina Faso, where it is extracted under abysmal conditions, by adults and children alike. It is then smuggled over the border to Togo, imported into Switzerland by a Geneva-based trading company and sold on to the world’s biggest refinery, Valcambi. The report underlines the political necessity to establish binding due diligence measures for Swiss commodity firms.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1197</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Compulsory licensing in Colombia: Leaked documents show aggressive lobbying by Novartis]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/compulsory-licensing-in-colombia-leaked-documents-show-aggressive-lobbying-by-novartis</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Novartis has threatened Colombia with international investment arbitration to avoid the issuance of a compulsory license.* The Swiss pharma giant is also turning to Colombian courts in an attempt to kill the price reduction imposed by the authorities over its cancer blockbuster Glivec. Both of these moves are confirmed by confidential documents obtained by Public Eye.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1295</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[India, Indonesia and Guatemala block the listing of a highly hazardous Paraquat formulation and deprive other countries of their right to information]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2015 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/india-indonesia-and-guatemala-block-the-listing-of-a-highly-hazardous-paraquat-formulation-and-deprive-other-countries-of-their-right-to-information</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[At the 7th Conference of Parties of the Rotterdam Convention, being held in Geneva from May 12th to 15th, once again India and Guatemala now with Indonesia blocked the listing of Paraquat (20%). The ongoing stalemate over this and chrysotile asbestos, blocked for the fifth time, show the urgent need for a revision of the rules of the Rotterdam Convention. Only one for the five chemicals up for listing was allowed through. The rules must be changed so that a small handful of countries cannot deny the other countries their right to information on trade in these hazardous chemicals.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1182</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Paraquat in India: Untenable risk for farmer and workers]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2015 08:03:27 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/paraquat-in-india-untenable-risk-for-farmer-and-workers</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A new report published today shows that the herbicide paraquat is widely used under high–risk conditions in India. Rules and recommendations are often ignored, and users have no means to protect themselves and to get relevant information. The victims are farmers and workers who are suffering from numerous adverse health effects caused by paraquat. The report’s authors call on the 154 Parties to the Rotterdam Convention to add the most common paraquat formulation to the Convention when they meet in three weeks’ time in Geneva. Such a listing will support developing countries to make an informed decision on the importation of paraquat.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1176</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Global Business? Global Responsibility!]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/global-business-global-responsibility</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Swiss companies that threaten human rights and the environment through their economic activities abroad must take responsibility. This is the message with which a broad coalition launches the Responsible Business Initiative today in Bern. The initiative seeks to ensure that Swiss companies are compelled to integrate the protection of human rights and the environment in their business practices.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1172</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Conservative backlash blocks increased corporate accountability]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2015 08:54:43 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/conservative-backlash-blocks-increased-corporate-accountability</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Following a turbulent debate, the Swiss lower chamber of parliament initially accepted a motion yesterday for increased corporate accountability only to repeat the vote and ultimately dismiss the motion. This decision shows how a narrow majority in the lower chamber of the Swiss parliament continues to obstruct a sustainable Swiss human rights and foreign economic policy. The Swiss Corporate Justice Campaign is launching a popular initiative for responsible business this April so that Swiss citizens can weigh in on this important issue.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1162</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Congolese oil wealth squandered in Geneva]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/congolese-oil-wealth-squandered-in-geneva</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[An investigation conducted by the Berne Declaration (BD) reveals how Philia, a Swiss trader, has been profiting at the expense of the Congolese state-owned oil refinery, Coraf. Coraf is managed by the President’s notoriously corrupt son, Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso. Largely unknown in the opaque world of trading, Philia was able to obtain an exclusive contract to export petroleum products with no public tender process and under highly questionable conditions. This case clearly illustrates the problems that plague the commodity sector, notably the risk of misappropriation of oil rents at the expense of the population of producer countries.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1155</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Chevron wins the Public Eye Lifetime Award, and The Yes Men bury the “Demon of Davos”]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 23 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/chevron-wins-the-public-eye-lifetime-award-and-the-yes-men-bury-the-demon-of-davos</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[At the gates of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Berne Declaration and Greenpeace Switzerland have bestowed upon Chevron the Lifetime Award for being the most irresponsible corporation in the ten-year era of the Public Eye Awards. The US oil giant received the largest number of the neigh-on 64,000 online votes, followed by Glencore and Walmart. At the closing ceremony of the long-standing counter event to the WEF, protest satirists The Yes Men said that "Corporate Social Responsibility is like putting a bandage on a severed head – it doesn’t help".]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1150</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[New Factsheet "Owning Seeds, Accessing Food" (English)]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 15 Jan 2015 20:44:17 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/new-factsheet-owning-seeds-accessing-food-english</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The expansion of intellectual property rights on seeds might well restrict small-scale farmers’ practices of seed saving and exchange in the informal seed system, thus limiting access to protected seeds and putting farmers’ right to food at risk. A pioneering report presented those findings in October 2014. This factsheet illustrates the report's findings in a nutshell.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-604</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Comments on the proposed Implementing Act on Regulation (EU) No 511/2014]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 15 Jan 2015 17:55:15 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/comments-on-the-proposed-implementing-act-on-regulation-eu-no-511-2014</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Berne Declaration and Natural Justice issued a comment on how to improve the implementing regulation's draft for the implementation of the Nagoya-Protocol in the EU.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-601</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Opposition to stop Monsanto soybean patent biopiracy]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2014 08:51:21 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/opposition-to-stop-monsanto-soybean-patent-biopiracy</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Members of the coalition of No Patents on Seeds! have filed an opposition against a European patent held by the US company Monsanto. They are accusing Monsanto of biopracy. The patent EP2134870 was granted in February 2014 by the European Patent Office (EPO) and covers selecting soybean plants adapted to various climate zones for further breeding. For the patent, Monsanto screened more than 250 plants from “exotic” species closely related to the soybean. They were screened specifically for their genetic diversity regarding climate adaptation and the period of time needed to maturity and harvest. The plants were taken from both wild and cultivated species in Asia and Australia. In the patent Monsanto claims the usage of hundreds of DNA sequences originating from natural genetic diversity. Further, the patent also applies to other regions such as the US, Canada, China and South Africa. While the EPO has been first to grant the patent, is was issued in the US in September 2014.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1143</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Transparency in commodity trading: The Swiss Government misses regulatory opportunity offered by company move]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 28 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/transparency-in-commodity-trading-the-swiss-government-misses-regulatory-opportunity-offered-by-company-move</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Swiss Federal Council is not prepared to include trading in a new law on the disclosure of resource payments, thereby ignoring the reality of its trader-dominated commodity hub. Trading-giant Trafigura announced this month its intention to disclose payments to governments in numerous countries, showing up the Federal Council’s unfounded reticence in including trading in the draft bill.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1141</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The Swiss Council of States approves the postulate on compensation for victims]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-swiss-council-of-states-approves-the-postulate-on-compensation-for-victims</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Council of States today approved postulate 14.3663. This requires a report on access to remedy for victims of human rights violations by companies. The way is now open for the Federal Council to close a significant gap for victims of human rights violations. The Swiss Coalition for Corporate Justice (SCCJ) calls for a rapid and detailed clarification of the current situation and effective measures for Switzerland.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1139</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Public Eye Lifetime Award and The Yes Men Mark Farewell from Davos]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/public-eye-lifetime-award-and-the-yes-men-mark-farewell-from-davos</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[After 15 years of the Public Eye, the Berne Declaration and Greenpeace Switzerland are taking stock and, in their farewell to Davos and the WEF, will present a final award to one company for its lifetime achievements in corporate irresponsibility. The six nominees in the online voting starting today on www.publiceye.ch are Chevron, Dow Chemical, Gazprom, Glencore, Goldman Sachs and Walmart. Infamous for their irresponsible business practices, they have all won a Public Eye Award before. Within sight of the World Economic Forum, the high-profile closing event of the Public Eye will take place on 23 January 2015 and will feature the handing over of the "Public Eye Lifetime Award" – if the winning corporation dares to attend.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1134</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Troubled waters off Western Sahara: Glencore plans to drill in occupied territory]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2014 09:35:46 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/troubled-waters-off-western-sahara-glencore-plans-to-drill-in-occupied-territory</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A subsidiary of Glencore has been awarded two petroleum exploration licences off the coast of Western Sahara. The two concessions granted by the occupying power, Morocco, undermine the ongoing UN peace process. If the Swiss commodities giant proceeds with its exploration activities against the wishes of the local population, it will do so in violation of international legal principles.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1129</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Patent industry selling out future of our food]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/patent-industry-selling-out-future-of-our-food</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The international coalition of "No Patents on Seeds" published a report on patents on seeds on the 23d of october. The report was prompted by the fact that the European Patent Office (EPO) has already granted several thousand patents on plants and seeds, with a steadily increasing number of patents on plants and seeds derived from conventional breeding. Around 2400 patents on plants and 1400 patents on animals have been granted in Europe since the 1980s. More than 7500 patent applications for plants and around 5000 patents for animals are pending. Amongst others, the EPO has already granted more than 120 patents on conventional breeding and about 1000 such patent applications are pending. The scope of many of the patents is extremely broad and very often covers the whole food chain from production to consumption.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1126</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Stronger plant variety protection may threaten the right to food]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 09 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/stronger-plant-variety-protection-may-threaten-the-right-to-food</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Governments in industrial countries regularly put pressure on developing countries to introduce stringent plant variety protection (PVP) regimes and to adhere to the 1991 Act of the UPOV Convention, without duly considering its consequences on the enjoyment of human rights of vulnerable groups such as small-scale farmers and in particular women. New research shows, the expansion of intellectual property rights on seeds might well restrict small-scale farmers’ practices of seed saving and use, exchange and selling in the informal seed supply system, limiting access to seeds and putting their right to food at risk.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1121</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Open letter to the secretary of the ITPGRFA on farmers rights]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2014 15:36:24 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/open-letter-to-the-secretary-of-the-itpgrfa-on-farmers-rights</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1120</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Syngenta’s “Good Growth Plan”: “Business as Usual” Packaged as “Sustainability”]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/syngentas-good-growth-plan-business-as-usual-packaged-as-sustainability</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[One year ago, Syngenta launched The Good Growth Plan, its program for responsible growth, with great fanfare. The DB report “More Growth Than Good” now takes a sobering look at the plan, one year later. Through selectively chosen goals and indicators, key problems caused by Syngenta’s corporate policies are systematically disregarded. Moreover, the company ignores any due diligence for its own core products, which is absolutely unacceptable for credible Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1119</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Concrete and Comprehensive: The Swiss Commodity Market Supervisory Authority ROHMA acts to counter the “resource curse” and lessen Switzerland’s reputational risks]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 01 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/concrete-and-comprehensive-the-swiss-commodity-market-supervisory-authority-rohma-acts-to-counter-the-resource-curse-and-lessen-switzerlands-reputational-risks</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[On-going corruption, growing inequalities and simmering conflicts mean that their abundance of natural resources leads to suffering rather than gain in too many developing countries. Switzerland, as the world’s most important commodities hub, plays a decisive role in this “resource curse.” An independent Swiss Commodity Market Supervisory Authority as launched by the Berne Declaration today would present an effective counterweight to this trend, regulating this high-risk sector with a mixture of due diligence and transparency requirements.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1112</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[New analysis on UPOV report on the impact of plant variety protection]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:49:22 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/new-analysis-on-upov-report-on-the-impact-of-plant-variety-protection</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-583</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Analysis of How UPOV and WIPO Affect Farmers Rights]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:49:22 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/analysis-of-how-upov-and-wipo-affect-farmers-rights</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[“Farmers’ rights” is a core component of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (hereafter referred to as “the Treaty”), and as such its full implementation is a prerequisite for achieving the Treaty’s objectives. It is enshrined in the Treaty’s Article 9. However, there is much concern that the activities of UPOV and WIPO are not supportive of farmers’ rights, and even undermine those rights, thereby hindering the implementation of the Treaty’s provisions.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-660</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Big Spenders Swiss trading companies, African oil and the risks of opacity]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 21 Jul 2014 09:06:19 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/big-spenders-swiss-trading-companies-african-oil-and-the-risks-of-opacity</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The sale of crude oil by governments and their national oil companies (NOCs) is one of the least scrutinized aspects of oil sector governance. This report is the first detailed examination of those sales, and focuses on the top ten oil exporting countries in sub-Saharan Africa. From 2011 to 2013, the governments of these countries sold over 2.3 billion barrels of oil. These sales, worth more than $250 billion, equal a staggering 56 percent of their combined government revenues.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1107</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Transparency in commodities: the Federal Council’s schizophrenic proposal]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/transparency-in-commodities-the-federal-councils-schizophrenic-proposal</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Federal Council today announced its wish to close the Swiss gaps in transparency for the global commodity industry. But the entire commodities trading business may well be excluded from any future regulation. In other words, the current proposal for regulation may just be window dressing.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1106</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The Federal Council acknowledges problems and knows the solution, but stops short of implementation]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2014 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-federal-council-acknowledges-problems-and-knows-the-solution-but-stops-short-of-implementation</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Federal Council published its report on the 28th of may in fulfillment of postulate 12.3980. The postulate arose in response to the Swiss Coalition for Corporate Justice petition, and demanded information about the ways to require businesses to undertake human rights and environmental due diligence. The Federal Council confirms that there is a need for action and that legislation on due diligence is conceivable. It is now up to Parliament to act.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1101</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Lausanne’s commodities summit puts global transparency and the Swiss trading hub on the agenda]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2014 16:21:46 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/lausannes-commodities-summit-puts-global-transparency-and-the-swiss-trading-hub-on-the-agenda</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Secretary of State Yves Rossier appears today at the third Global Commodities Summit before prominent industry leaders of Switzerland’s under-regulated commodity industry. As show-piece, he will flash the government’s latest “Inaction Plan” (The Independent), but have no political answers to the ever-growing number of scandals involving Swiss companies. The BD ventures into the lion’s den to push for greater financial transparency and due diligence requirements.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1094</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Update to Swiss commodities report insists on voluntary principles and business as usual]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:17:26 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/update-to-swiss-commodities-report-insists-on-voluntary-principles-and-business-as-usual</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[One year after the release of its Background Report: Commodities, the Swiss government has released an update on the implementation of the 17 recommendations contained therein. These were already insufficient, and since nothing much has happened since then on this front, the federal administration has had to draw on some of its other activities to fill out the report, stretching them so that, where possible, these have suddenly become “commodity-related”. This also includes discussions with respect to the “multi-stakeholder initiative,” a process eschewed by the invited NGOs for failure to meet even basic requirements.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1091</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Europe-wide resistance against Syngenta’s patent on pepper]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 03 Feb 2014 11:47:51 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/europe-wide-resistance-against-syngentas-patent-on-pepper</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Today a broad coalition consisting of 34 NGO’s, farmers’ and breeders’ organisations from 27 European countries filed an opposition to a pepper-patent from Syngenta. The company patented an insect resistance, which they copied from a wild pepper. Such patents are ethically questionable, increase the seed market concentration, hinder innovation, and consequently pose a threat to global food security. While filing the opposition in Munich, a hot pepper soup was served to the employees of the European patent office.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1076</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The Public Eye Awards 2014: Gap and Gazprom receive “awards of shame”]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 23 Jan 2014 16:36:28 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-public-eye-awards-2014-gap-and-gazprom-receive-awards-of-shame</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Today, the Berne Declaration (EvB) and Greenpeace Switzerland awarded the dreaded Public
Eye Awards during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. The Jury Award was awarded to
the American textile giant Gap who steadfastly refuses to contribute to effective reforms in the
textile industry. Over 280’000 people submitted an online vote this year for the People´s Award
and with a clear majority, this award goes to the Gazprom oil company; another clear example of
irresponsible business conduct at the cost of people and the environment.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1075</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Blog article: Banks and Human Rights – the Thun Group Discussion Paper]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 22 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/blog-article-banks-and-human-rights-the-thun-group-discussion-paper</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Andreas Missbach, Head of the Commodities, Trade and Finance Department of the Berne Declaration, wrote an article on rightingfinance.org concerning the Discussion Paper published by the Thun Group last fall.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-549</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[BD oil report triggers parliamentary investigation in Nigeria]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 13 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/bd-oil-report-triggers-parliamentary-investigation-in-nigeria</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Yesterday, the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ordered an immediate investigation into a multibillion dollar scheme used by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Nigerian importers, in connivance with Swiss oil traders, to rip Nigeria off to the tune of nearly $7 billion. The Berne Declaration (BD) welcomes this political decision which follows last week’s publication of its report, ‘Swiss traders’ opaque deals in Nigeria’, hoping more light will be shed on the way Nigeria’s most valuable resource is wasted. The BD also brings answers to NNPC’s “lame refutal” (Premium Times) of the report and addresses further questions to the powerful national oil company.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1064</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Claim against Swiss Gold Refinery demonstrates increasing problem with “commodity laundering”]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 05 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/claim-against-swiss-gold-refinery-demonstrates-increasing-problem-with-commodity-laundering</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich/Lausanne, 05.11.2013  - A criminal complaint was filed last Friday against Argor-Heraeus SA, registered in Mendrisio (Ticino), for laundering gold plundered from an armed conflict. BD’s partner organisation, Trial, accuses the company of having knowingly processed nearly three tons of plundered gold between 2004 and 2005, the proceeds of which financed an armed group’s participation in the conflict in Congo. This perfect example of commodity laundering demonstrates either that the money laundering laws are insufficient, or that they are not being used properly.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1061</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Report: Swiss traders’ opaque deals in Nigeria]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 04 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/report-swiss-traders-opaque-deals-in-nigeria</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Each year Nigeria loses billions of dollars through oil sale far below the market price, or because of Nigerian subsidies for the import of refined petroleum products.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1056</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Suspicions of Corruption in Guinea, Opacity in Geneva: the Steinmetz Group under pressure]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 22 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/suspicions-of-corruption-in-guinea-opacity-in-geneva-the-steinmetz-group-under-pressure</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[All key people in the Beny Steinmetz Group (BSG), who are the object of an investigation in Guinea, live either on the shores of Lake Leman in Geneva or just next door in France. The organogram put together by the Berne Declaration (BD) shows that the Israeli billionaire, whose fortune represents between three and six times Guinea’s annual budget, has constructed an extremely complicated web of companies, which he controls from Geneva. This sophisticated structure enables him to diminish his legal responsibilities and optimise his taxes. The Geneva authorities seem not to be turning a blind eye however, having invited Steinmetz to appear before the public prosecutor on the 18 October.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1049</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Background-Study: private collections should facilitate access]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 23 Sep 2013 16:58:21 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/background-study-private-collections-should-facilitate-access</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[This background study published by the Berne Declaration and the Development Fund tries to give some insight into private collections and makes specific recommendations on how the Treaty could improve access to these genetic resources.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-529</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Brand eins: ‘Textile factory in Bangladesh  - fashion companies cornered’]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Sun, 01 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/brand-eins-textile-factory-in-bangladesh-fashion-companies-cornered</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Bangladesh Accord was concluded after the collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory. It was the result of a hugely successful negotiation by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and by Ineke Zeldenrust in particular.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-1128</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Open letter regarding the vegetable patent licensing platform]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/open-letter-regarding-the-vegetable-patent-licensing-platform</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Open letter to the responsible persons of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) concerning the proposal to bring the vegetable patent licensing platform under the governance of the Treaty. The underwriting representatives of non-governmental organizations vehemently oppose this proposal.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-518</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Will the European Union legalise biopiracy?]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/will-the-european-union-legalise-biopiracy</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A new opinion piece, published today by Natural Justice and the Berne Declaration, sharply criticises the European Commission’s draft EC Regulation 2012/0278 (COD) to implement the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing in the European Union (EU). By excluding a significant category of genetic resources (GRs) from the scope of the regulation, the Draft fails to implement the main objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol: the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of GRs and associated traditional knowledge (TK). In addition it will lead to greater legal uncertainty for users, allow for unfair competitive practices and, in the long run, lead provider countries to implement more burdensome access procedures to GRs.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1035</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Federal Councilor announces transparency draft law for the entire Swiss commodities sector]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/federal-councilor-announces-transparency-draft-law-for-the-entire-swiss-commodities-sector</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich/Berne, 11.06.2013  - On the eve of the adoption of new EU transparency rules for commodities companies, Switzerland has now also taken the next political step. As today's decision by the National Council shows, there is now broad consensus that the Swiss commodity trading hub needs mandatory transparency standards.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1030</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Guatemala and India block listing of toxic paraquat formulation in the Rotterdam Convention]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/guatemala-and-india-block-listing-of-toxic-paraquat-formulation-in-the-rotterdam-convention</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Geneva, 10.05.2013  - More than 120 government parties to the Rotterdam Convention support the listing of paraquat (20%) as a severely hazardous pesticide formulation in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention. However, at the 6th Conference of Parties, Guatemala together with India blocked the listing of paraquat. A Convention listing would not ban paraquat but simply require exporters to notify and get permission from importing countries.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1019</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Commodities Summit in Lausanne ignores European and Swiss transparency debates]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/commodities-summit-in-lausanne-ignores-european-and-swiss-transparency-debates</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich/Lausanne, 15.04.2013 - The ‘‘Global Commodities Summit“ to be held tomorrow for the second time on the shores of Lake Geneva underlines the importance of Switzerland as a trading hub. However a discussion of the Federal Council’s Commodities Report is missing from the programme, as well as the debate on the new transparency rules of the EU. BD is on the spot and will attempt to bring both political topics onto the agenda of the sector meeting.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1008</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Commodities Report of the Swiss Federal Council names problems but fails to provide solutions]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/commodities-report-of-the-swiss-federal-council-names-problems-but-fails-to-provide-solutions</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich/Lausanne, 03.04.2013  - With its report published last week, the Swiss government finally acknowledges the risks of the commodity hub Switzerland. But the political industry review is far too cautious and fails to present suggestions for regulations in the booming sector. To fill this gap, Berne Declaration today publishes an in-depth analysis of the report.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1001</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Trafigura's business in Angola]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Sun, 03 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/trafiguras-business-in-angola</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Lausanne/Zurich, 03.02.2013 - An investigation conducted by the Berne Declaration has found that Trafigura, the Swiss commodity trader, is contributing to enriching a caste of autocratic rulers, through its opaque business practice. This is taking place to the detriment of the Angolan people who figure amongst the poorest in the world. Switzerland cannot allow itself to be complicit in such activity. Legislation must be adopted which favours transparency in order to curtail the risk of corruption and therefore allow the wider population to benefit from their natural resources.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-978</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Roundtable for Sustainable Palmoil: The permission of highly hazardous pesticides puts the health of plantation workers at risk]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 30 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/roundtable-for-sustainable-palmoil-the-permission-of-highly-hazardous-pesticides-puts-the-health-of-plantation-workers-at-risk</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich/ Geneva, 30.11.2012  - The Berne Declaration and the IUF are calling for fundamental changes to proposed «Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Palm Oil Production» which would still permit the use of highly toxic pesticides that are extremely harmful to human health and the environment. In their proposed form, the revised criteria ensure the interests of the pesticide industry – members of the initiative - rather than the health of palm oil plantation workers. They will not encourage sustainable production and must therefore be dramatically improved.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-968</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Implementation of Farmers’ Rights in Switzerland]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 11 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/implementation-of-farmers-rights-in-switzerland</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The submission by the Berne Declaration to the Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture comments the implementation of Farmers’ Rights in Switzerland. We take a particular view on relevant articles in the Patent and Plant Variety Protection Act and the Seeds Regulation]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-474</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Changes in The Public Eye Awards in Davos]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 02 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/changes-in-the-public-eye-awards-in-davos</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 02.10.2012  - The nominating process of the 9th Public Eye Awards is underway. The Awards are now being aided by the University of St. Gallen and internationally-renowned experts in business ethics]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-949</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Pioneering Commodities Studies Bring Transparency to Oil Companies and Swiss Trading Hub]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/pioneering-commodities-studies-bring-transparency-to-oil-companies-and-swiss-trading-hub</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich/New York, 23.04.2012  - National oil companies and their customers should publish the price, volume, and crude grade for every cargo of oil sold, thereby bringing greater transparency to a largely hidden part of the world’s oil market, Revenue Watch (RW) reports in pioneering research released today. The study is being published simultaneously with the English edition of “Commodities: Switzerland’s Most Dangerous Business,” a groundbreaking analysis of the industry by Berne Declaration (BD) that shows why and how resource-rich developing countries remain poor while Swiss trading companies make billions.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-914</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Syngenta Annual Meeting: Controversial Pesticide Draws Investor Criticism]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/syngenta-annual-meeting-controversial-pesticide-draws-investor-criticism</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 23.04.2012  - On the eve of Syngenta’s annual shareholder meeting the Ethos Foundation – representing 130 institutional investors - recommended to oppose the discharge of Board Members and the Executive Management. The reason for this refusal is the company’s irresponsible policy of marketing its highly toxic pesticide Paraquat in developing countries where it causes great numbers of poisoning cases every year. A report about the dialog with Syngenta published some days ago by the Swiss Bank Pictet also demands a radical change of Syngenta’s strategy .]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-915</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[European Patent Office at Crossroads: Report about Patents on Plants and Animals Granted in 2011]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/european-patent-office-at-crossroads-report-about-patents-on-plants-and-animals-granted-in-2011</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Industry and examiners at the European Patent Office (EPO) are systematically using legal loopholes to grant patents on seeds, plants and even harvest and food products derived thereof. This is shown by the new report published by the international coalition of "No Patents on Seeds". The report gives examples of patents on sunflowers, melons, cucumbers, rice and wheat. Patents were granted despite a decision of the highest court of the EPO (Enlarged Board of Appeal) in 2010, reaffirming the prohibition of patents on conventional breeding as written in European patent laws.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-458</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The 2012 Public Eye Awards: (In)famous Awards go to Barclays and Vale]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-2012-public-eye-awards-infamous-awards-go-to-barclays-and-vale</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 27.02.2012  - At a press conference within view of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Berne Declaration (BD) and Greenpeace Switzerland today denounced particularly flagrant human rights abuses and environmental harm by corporations. The jury prize was awarded to the British banking corporation Barclays, for its food speculation at the expense of the world’s poorest people. The People’s Award goes to Vale. 88,766 people cast their votes online. Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz, U.S. star economist and Nobel laureate, delivered an impassioned case for more social and ecological responsibility.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-890</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Public Eye 2012: With Ad Parodies and Nobel Laureate Stiglitz Against Unscrupulous Corporations]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/public-eye-2012-with-ad-parodies-and-nobel-laureate-stiglitz-against-unscrupulous-corporations</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 05.01.2012  - At the end of January, within sight of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Berne Declaration and Greenpeace Switzerland will once again confer the Public Eye Awards for the worst cases of contempt for the environment and human rights. Nominated this time for the (in)famous awards are the following six corporations: Barclays (UK), Freeport McMoRan (US), Samsung (KOR), Tepco (J), Vale (BRA) and the Swiss corporation Syngenta. Online voting for the 2012 People’s Award begins today on www.publiceye.ch, accompanied by snarky advertising parodies. Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel laureate in economics, will speak in Davos at the awards ceremony press conference about the global crisis.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-887</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Legal Opinion: Syngenta ignores Human Rights]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/legal-opinion-syngenta-ignores-human-rights</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Basel, 09.12.2011  - Syngenta ignores fundamental human rights by selling its Paraquat herbicide in developing countries. Both a legal opinion, as well as the Permanent People’s Tribunal held in India, which examined the practices of agrochemical corporations, have come to this conclusion. On the day before Human Rights Day, the Berne Declaration is using advertisements and an event to draw attention to the many victims of Syngenta’s highly-toxic best-seller.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-885</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Commodities Trading: Book Examines Discreet and Booming Swiss Industry]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/commodities-trading-book-examines-discreet-and-booming-swiss-industry</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 19.09.2011  - Today marks the release of the controversial book “Rohstoff – Das gefährlichste Geschäft der Schweiz” (“Commodities: Switzerland’s Most Dangerous Business”). The fact-filled and groundbreaking analysis of the industry, as powerful as it is unknown, shows why resource-rich developing countries remain poor while Switzerland-based commodity companies rake in profits in the billions. And it illustrates the gray areas of a business model whose risks are becoming increasingly apparent.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-870</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Glencore’s First Sustainability Report Merely a Declaration of Intent]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/glencores-first-sustainability-report-merely-a-declaration-of-intent</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich/Berne, 09.09.2011  - Less than three months after its IPO, Zug-based commodities giant Glencore already published its first sustainability report. Instead of concrete goals and measures, this hastily-prepared document primarily contains grandiose declarations of intent. This demonstrates the enormous catching up that is necessary in the area of ecological and social responsibility by the firm formerly known as Marc Rich + Co AG. Glencore is still miles away from its intended international best practice.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-866</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Syngenta Patents Melons with a Pleasant Taste. Consumers Reject Patents on Foodstuffs]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/syngenta-patents-melons-with-a-pleasant-taste-consumers-reject-patents-on-foodstuffs</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Bern, Zurich, 27.07.2011  - The European Patent Office awarded Syngenta a patent on melons „with a pleasant taste“, after an opposition filed by another seed company to revoke the patent had been rejected. According to a poll among Swiss consumers a majority of respondents reject such patents as well as the food products they protect.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-860</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Melons now a Monsanto “invention”]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 17 May 2011 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/melons-now-a-monsanto-invention</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Munich, 17.05.2011  - Recent research conducted by the coalition No Patents on Seeds! shows that in May 2011, the US corporation Monsanto was awarded a European patent on conventionally bred melons (EP 1 962 578). Melons have a natural resistance to certain plant viruses. It is especially evident in melons grown in India. Using conventional breeding methods, this type of resistance was introduced to other melons and has now been patented as a Monsanto “invention”.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-851</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Medecins Sans Frontiere and Declaration de Berne join the call to stop the World Health Forum]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 16 May 2011 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/medecins-sans-frontiere-and-declaration-de-berne-join-the-call-to-stop-the-world-health-forum</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The International Baby Food Action Network and the People’s Health Movement, two of the largest people’s networks on public health issues, the Swiss advocacy NGO, Declaration de Berne and the medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontieres are jointly opposing the report of the WHO Director General, “The future of financing for WHO: World Health Organization: reforms for a healthy future.”]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-850</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Public Eye 2011: With Advertising Spoofs and OpenLeaks against Unscrupulous Corporations]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/public-eye-2011-with-advertising-spoofs-and-openleaks-against-unscrupulous-corporations</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 10.01.2011 - At the end of January and within sight of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Berne Declaration and Greenpeace Switzerland will once again present the Public Eye Awards for the worst corporate offenses against human rights and the environment. The nominees for this year’s defamation awards are six major corporations including Foxconn, Axpo, BP and Philip Morris. Today is the first day of public voting at www.publiceye.ch for the winner of the People’s Award 2011, on a voting site decked out with biting advertising spoofs . At the awards presentation on January 28 in Davos, Richard Howitt, a member of the European Parliament, will review the latest political initiatives for more corporate responsibility. Ex-WikiLeaks-activist Daniel Domscheit Berg will present the new whistleblowing platform OpenLeaks.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-840</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Neste Oil and AngloGold in the Public Eye Pillory in Davos]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/neste-oil-and-anglogold-in-the-public-eye-pillory-in-davos</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 28.01.2011  - Within sight of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Berne Declaration (BD) and Greenpeace today denounced the particularly flagrant human rights abuses and environmental sins committed by corporations. The jury-selected Global Award was presented to the South African mining company AngloGold/Ashanti. The People’s Award, determined by Internet voting, went to the Finnish agrofuel concern Neste Oil. Over 50,000 people took part in the online voting. Also during the press conference, OpenLeaks co-founder Daniel Domscheit-Berg called for more transparency and ethics from the business world.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-817</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Syngenta’s bestseller ‘Gramoxone’ on the way to be listed as Severely Hazardous Pesticide Formulation by the Rotterdam Convention]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/syngentas-bestseller-gramoxone-on-the-way-to-be-listed-as-severely-hazardous-pesticide-formulation-by-the-rotterdam-convention</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Rome, 01.04.2011  - The Chemical Review Committee of the Rotterdam Convention – a group of 31 designated experts – agreed to recommend that pesticides containing Paraquat (20% or above) should be listed in Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention. The proposal was made by Burkina Faso due to the high amount of poisonings related to the use of the Syngenta product Gramoxone Super (Paraquat 20%). There is hope that through this step the countless Paraquat victims could be significantly reduced worldwide.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-847</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[European Patent Office to grant Monsanto a new patent on tomatoes. Seed monopolists increasingly gaining market control]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/european-patent-office-to-grant-monsanto-a-new-patent-on-tomatoes-seed-monopolists-increasingly-gaining-market-control</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Munich, 09.03.2011 - The European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich is intending to grant further patents on seed, plants and food derived from conventional breeding. This is shown by recent research commissioned by the No Patents On Seeds coalition initiated by organisations from Germany, Switzerland and Norway. The EPO's Examination Division in January 2011 wrote a letter to the Seminis seed company to tell them that there are no fundamental objections to a patent application on tomatoes. Seminis, a subsidiary of the US company Monsanto, applied for a patent on conventionally­bred tomatoes that have less core (EP1026942). The EPO has been sending similar examination reports to other applicants too.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-829</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Access and benefit sharing in the FAO Plant Treaty needs serious improvements or the Treaty will never achieve its objectives]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/access-and-benefit-sharing-in-the-fao-plant-treaty-needs-serious-improvements-or-the-treaty-will-never-achieve-its-objectives</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[07.03.2011  - Two new reports (1, 2) commissioned by the Berne Declaration (Switzerland) and the Development Fund (Norway) highlight serious shortcomings in the Multilateral System for Access and Benefit Sharing of the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). The Governing Body of the Treaty, meeting in Bali, Indonesia, from March 14th to 18th, has to tackle this problem, otherwise the Treaty will not achieve its objectives of conservation and sustainable use of PGRFA and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of these resources.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-828</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[How US sorghum seed distributions undermine the FAO Plant Treaty’s MLS]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/how-us-sorghum-seed-distributions-undermine-the-fao-plant-treatys-mls</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[New data from ICRISAT and the US Department of Agriculture and a comparison of genebank records indicates that half of more of ICRISAT’s sorghum genebank collection is also being distributed outside of the Multilateral System. This yawning gap creates an economic incentive for the Multilateral System and its benefit sharing requirements to be avoided. USDA’s sorghum germplasm customers, who are primarily corporate and commercially oriented academic breeders, are taking advantage of this perverse incentive. In the past six years, they have ordered four times more ICRISAT genebank seeds from USDA than from ICRISAT itself. Globally, it is likely that more distributions of Multilateral System sorghum take place without an SMTA than occur with one.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-424</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Outstanding Issues on ABS under the Multilateral System – a background study paper]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/outstanding-issues-on-abs-under-the-multilateral-system-a-background-study-paper</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) came into force in 2004. This study assesses the state of implementation of the Treaty’s Multilateral System for Access and Benefit-sharing (MLS), seven years after the Treaty came into force. The study finds that overall implementation of the MLS has been slow and identifies a need for several measures to allow for an implementation of the MLS in a way that achieves the objectives of the Treaty]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">188-425</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Joint Open Letter Calling Novartis to cease seemingly endless legal process in India]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/joint-open-letter-calling-novartis-to-cease-seemingly-endless-legal-process-in-india</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[24.02.2011 - Health Action International (HAI) Europe, in collaboration with Berne Declaration, HAI Africa, HAI Asia Pacific, Third World Network and Knowledge Ecology International, have urged the pharmaceutical company Novartis to put an end to its five year legal actions in India regarding the patenting of the anticancer drug Glivec. The NGOs also called on the Swiss company to refrain from attempting to influence the Indian government over laws and policies that would hinder access to medicine.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-826</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Syngenta Herbicide found to be major cause of poisoning in West Africa]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/syngenta-herbicide-found-to-be-major-cause-of-poisoning-in-west-africa</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[13.12.2010 Another strike against Syngenta blockbuster paraquat: a new study out of Burkina Faso shows that the Syngenta herbicide Gramoxone (active substance paraquat) causes more poisonings than any other pesticide. Alarmed by these findings Burkina Faso has requested that this paraquat formulation be added to the annex of the Rotterdam Convention.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-805</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[UPOV to decide on farmers’ and civil society participation in its sessions]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/upov-to-decide-on-farmers-and-civil-society-participation-in-its-sessions</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) will decide next week if it will open its doors to farmers and civil society organizations that work in the interest of peasants, small and medium scale farmers and the broader public.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-787</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[European Patent Office issues broccoli decision Europe rejects patents on breeding of plants and animals]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/european-patent-office-issues-broccoli-decision-europe-rejects-patents-on-breeding-of-plants-and-animals</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Munich, 10.12.2010 - In a long awaited decision, the European Patent Office (EPO) issued its decision on the so- called 'Broccoli Patent' today. In its opinion, the EPO explained that methods for conventional breeding of plants and animals cannot be considered as a technical process and cannot be covered by patents. The decision is binding for all similar cases. But observers are warning that plants and animals derived from conventional breeding will still be patented, since the decision of the European Patent Office only excludes processes for breeding but does not concern itself with patents on plants and animals.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-804</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Roiboos-Robbery: Nestle accused of biopirating against South African genetic resources]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 28 May 2010 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/roiboos-robbery-nestle-accused-of-biopirating-against-south-african-genetic-resources</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zürich/ Kapstadt, 28.05.2010 - Research by the Berne Declaration and Natural Justice reveals that five recent patent applications by Nestlé on the use of Rooibos and Honeybush are in conflict with South African Law and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This second biopiracy case in South Africa in less than a year again demonstrates how big corporations neglect their obligations to seek prior informed consent and to share benefits when using genetic resources from the developing countries as obliged by the CBD.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-761</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Stop patenting the food chain! Meat claimed as invention by Monsanto]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/stop-patenting-the-food-chain-meat-claimed-as-invention-by-monsanto</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Multinational seed corporations are following a consequent strategy to gain control over basic resources for food production.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-757</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Major breakthrough in the fight against biopiracy: German pharmaceutical Schwabe announces withdrawal of 5 pelargonium patents]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/major-breakthrough-in-the-fight-against-biopiracy-german-pharmaceutical-schwabe-announces-withdrawal-of-5-pelargonium-patents</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Johannesburg, Zürich, Bonn, 26.04.2010  - The African Centre for Biosafety(ACB), the Berne Declaration (BD) and the Church Development Service (EED) welcome the announcement by Schwabe today that it will not pursue five pelargonium related patents granted to it by the European Patent Office EPO). Mariam Mayet, African Center for Biosafety (ACB): "Nevertheless, we regret that such action comes only after such patents have been challenged by us".]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-756</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swiss Banks Cooperate with Human Rights Abusers]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/swiss-banks-cooperate-with-human-rights-abusers</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 15.04.2010  - Forced Labor in Uzbekistan, forced displacement in Papua-New Guinea, toxic waste in Côte d'Ivoire: time and again, Credit Suisse und UBS are seen cooperating with companies accused of human rights abuses. The Bern Declaration (BD) urges Switzerland’s largest banks to develop binding human rights standards and to make them accessible to public view.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-751</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Roche and the Royal Bank of Canada: Worthy Public Eye Award Winners]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/roche-and-the-royal-bank-of-canada-worthy-public-eye-award-winners</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 27.01.2010 - Within sight of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Berne Declaration (BD) and Greenpeace have today crowned the most socially and environmentally unscrupulous firms of the year. The non-state-owned Royal Bank of Canada and the Basel-based pharmaceutical firm Roche each won a well-deserved 2010 Public Eye Award. In the online voting for the People’s Award, again Roche held on to win with over 20,000 participants in a head-to-head contest against GDF Suez. Meanwhile, the first Greenwash Award went to the highly dubious U.N. Water Mandate.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-744</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[European Patent Office revokes Monsanto patent on melons]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/european-patent-office-revokes-monsanto-patent-on-melons</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The European Patent Office (EPO) has revoked a patent held by Monsanto on melons (EP1962578) for technical reasons. Monsanto was claiming melons with a natural resistance to plant viruses as its own invention, derived from breeding without genetic engineering. The resistance was detected in Indian melons. The patent was granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) even though European patent law does not allow patents on plant varieties and processes for conventional breeding. The Indian government supported the opposition from No Patents on Seeds! by sending a letter requesting the patent to be revoked.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1216</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Public Eye reloaded: With Stiglitz, Jentsch and Hard Facts Against Corporate Arrogance]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/public-eye-reloaded-with-stiglitz-jentsch-and-hard-facts-against-corporate-arrogance</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 14.01.2010 - On Opening Day of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Berne Declaration and Greenpeace will pre-sent the Public Eye Awards 2010 in Davos. Screen star Julia Jentsch will moderate the WEF-critical event on January 27th, joined by keynote speakers Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economics, and Jürgen Trittin, former German Environment Minister and current parliamentary leader of The Greens. Six corporations are once again nominated for the (in)famous awards, including Arcelor Mittal, Roche, the Royal Bank of Canada and the IOC. Online voting for the People’s Award is possible at www.publiceye.ch, and for the first time a Greenwash Award will expose the most implausible social and eco labels.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-737</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[UPOV DENIES PARTICIPATION TO FARMERS’ AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS - 28th October 2009]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/upov-denies-participation-to-farmers-and-civil-society-organizations-28th-october-2009</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[On 21st October 2009, the Consultative Committee of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) rejected the application by the Association of Plant Breeding for the Benefit of Society (APBREBES) and the European Coordination Via Campesina (then known as CPE) for observer status in UPOV Bodies.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-727</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Global alert against ‘Monsantosizing’ our food]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/global-alert-against-monsantosizing-our-food</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[UN General Assembly to discuss patents on seeds and right to food]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-721</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Leading Food Producers Say No to Syngenta Bestseller Paraquat]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/leading-food-producers-say-no-to-syngenta-bestseller-paraquat</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 06.02.2009 - One of the key products of the Swiss agrochemical company Syngenta is increasingly losing ground in the pesticide market. Today, the IUF* and the Berne Declaration are publishing the report „Goodbye Paraquat“ which shows that leading producers of palm oil, bananas and tea are increasingly abandoning the highly toxic herbicide, paving the way for a global ban. The report leaves no doubt that the use of Paraquat in modern agriculture is neither essential nor justifiable.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-675</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Bernische Kraftwerke and Newmont Mining pilloried at Public Eye in Davos]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/bernische-kraftwerke-and-newmont-mining-pilloried-at-public-eye-in-davos</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Within view of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, the Bern Declaration and Greenpeace Switzerland today denounced some particularly blatant violations of corporate ethics and sustainable corporate managment. The Public Eye Awards 2009 go to the US gold mining corporation Newmont Mining and the Swiss utility Bernische Kraftwerke (BKW). In an Internet-vote Newmont was also selected as the winner of the people’ shaming award. The „Public Eye Positive Award“ goes to two courageous Colombian trade unionists.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-669</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Public Eye celebrates its 10th year: "Bond antagonist" exposes true villains in Davos]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/public-eye-celebrates-its-10th-year-bond-antagonist-exposes-true-villains-in-davos</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[On the opening day of the world economic forum the Bern Declaration and Greenperace Switzerland present their "Public Eye Awards 2009".]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-666</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Time for joined-up justice on oil-related corruption cases involving Angola]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/time-for-joined-up-justice-on-oil-related-corruption-cases-involving-angola</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In France the Angolagate trial investigating illicit arms sales to Angola during the late 1990s, funded by oil revenues and allegedly involving the payment of illegal commissions, is currently underway. Two of the key defendants, businessmen Pierre Falcone and Arcadi Gaydamak, are also central figures in a case pending in Switzerland, which relates to the diversion of Angola oil revenues via similar offshore mechanisms but which has made no progress since 2005. In light of this, the Berne Declaration and Aktion Finanzplatz Schweiz are calling on the Geneva Public Prosecutor to fully investigate this case. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), for its part, must rethink its agreement to a demining deal that forms part of the restitution of US$21 million in Angolan public funds blocked in connection with the case.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-654</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Free Trade Agreements EFTA-India: Civil Society Concerned about Lack of Democracy]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/free-trade-agreements-efta-india-civil-society-concerned-about-lack-of-democracy</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Berne, 07.10.2008 - On the 7th of octobre an Indian civil society delegation expressed concerns over negotiations that officially started this week between the EFTA-states and India for a bilateral free trade pact. Their meeting with representatives of the Swiss Federal Government had been organized by the Berne Declaration and Alliance Sud. The Indian delegation criticized the negotiations’ perceived lack of transparency and their failure to take into account the interests of the poor. The Swiss side showed little understanding for the criticism.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-649</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Rural community of South Africa stands up against pelargonium-patents and biopiracy]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/rural-community-of-south-africa-stands-up-against-pelargonium-patents-and-biopiracy</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Munich, 07.05.2008  - The Alice community, living in the Eastern Cape area of South Africa, in close collaboration with the African Center for Biosafety and supported by the Berne Declaration (Switzerland) , the Church Development Service (EED) and “Kein Patent auf Leben” (Germany), has challenged two European patents granted to the German company Schwabe Pharmaceuticals. Both patents are based on two pelargonium species that occur in the wild in South Africa. The Patents are seen as an illegitimate and illegal monopolisation of a genetic resource from Southern Africa and the traditional knowledge of the communities in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-628</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Switzerland attacks access to medicines in Thailand]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/switzerland-attacks-access-to-medicines-in-thailand</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Berne Declaration (BD) and 20 health Thai and Swiss NGOs* denounced the pressure exerted by Switzerland on the Thai Government. Switzerland asked Thailand to restrict its compulsory licences policy after the Thai Government had granted compulsory licences on medicines from Roche and Novartis. In compliance with international law, compulsory licences allow local production or importation of more affordable generic versions of patented medicines without the patent holder’s consent. This tool was recently introduced by Switzerland in its own patent law. The NGOs strongly ask the Swiss Government to stop its attacks against access to medicines in Thailand and to meet its commitments.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-623</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Greenwashing Syngenta-Style – Berne Declaration Finds Company’s CSR Report Misleading]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/greenwashing-syngenta-style-berne-declaration-finds-companys-csr-report-misleading</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Basel und Zürich, 22.04.2008 - At today’s general assembly of Syngenta, the Berne Declaration presents „Glaring Contradictions between Appearance and Reality“, an evaluation of the Corporate Social Responsibility Report of the Basel-based agrochemical company. The verdict is sobering: Syngenta clearly fails key criteria of the Global Reporting Initiative such as reliability, balance, or clarity. The CSR report does nothing to restore the battered image of the company that produces the notorious paraquat pesticide.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-619</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Geneva Prosecutor must revive Angola Oil Corruption Probe]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/geneva-prosecutor-must-revive-angola-oil-corruption-probe</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Basel, Lausanne und London, 13.02.2008 - Anti-corruption organizations Action Place financière Suisse (AFP), Berne Declaration and Global Witness today called on the Public Prosecutor and the Investigating Judge of Geneva to take action in a criminal investigation pending since 2000 into alleged corruption that involves significant public funds and key political figures in Angola, one of Africa’s major oil producers.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-609</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Syngenta Resorts to Disinformation to Save Paraquat]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/syngenta-resorts-to-disinformation-to-save-paraquat</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 06.02.2008 - Syngenta is set to present its yearly results tomorrow. Most likely the Basel-based agrochemicals giant will once again try to charm investors and media with tales of future promise. Over the past year, the company’s PR for its controversial blockbuster paraquat gave ample evidence of how careless or downright false Syngenta’s public statements often are.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-605</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Public Eye Denounces Areva and Glencore, Praises Hess Natur]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/public-eye-denounces-areva-and-glencore-praises-hess-natur</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 23.01.2008 - At the gates of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Berne Declaration (BD) and Pro Natura have once again selected the year’s most irresponsible corporations. The French atomic multinational Areva and the Zug-based natural resources giant Glencore were sentenced this week with an anti-award for particularly nasty corporate behavior. Areva also received the public “worst of” award, determined by online voting. Hess Natur, a German mail-order firm for organic textiles, was the proud winner of the Public Eye Positive Award. In his opening address, National Assembly member Bastien Girod proposed groundbreaking ideas for the state sponsorship of the political consumer.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-597</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[First “Public Eye Awards“ for Irresponsible Corporate Behaviour]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/first-public-eye-awards-for-irresponsible-corporate-behaviour</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich and Basel, 11.01.2005 - On 26 January 2005, coinciding with the opening day of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Berne Declaration and Pro Natura – Friends of the Earth Switzerland are giving the first “Public Eye Awards“ for irresponsible corporate behaviour. Nominees include more than twenty global corporations that have failed in their responsibilities regarding human rights, labour rights, the environment or taxes. The sixth “Public Eye on Davos“ takes place on 26 and 27 January 2005 in Davos/Switzerland. The event will be opened by renowned economist and globalisation critic Noreena Hertz.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-365</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Public Eye Awards 2008: With Girod and Stress Against Corporate Arrogance]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/public-eye-awards-2008-with-girod-and-stress-against-corporate-arrogance</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zürich, 10.01.2008  - On Opening Day of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Berne Declaration (BD) and Pro Natura will once again confer their (in)famous Public Eye Awards for contemptuous corporate behavior towards people and the environment. Among the candidates are Bayer CropScience, Dole and Glencore. The “Positive Award” will be presented this year by the popular Swiss rapper Stress, and newly-elected National Assembly member of the Swiss Parliament Bastien Girod will give a provocative keynote address. The WEF-critical event on January 23rd will be moderated by actress Melanie Winiger.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-593</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swiss NGOs call for a moratorium on bilateral free trade agreements with developing countries]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/swiss-ngos-call-for-a-moratorium-on-bilateral-free-trade-agreements-with-developing-countries</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The EFTA countries (Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland) are currently negotiating numerous bilateral free trade agreements with selected developing countries including Peru, Colombia and Thailand. At the EFTA ministerial meeting in Geneva on December 3rd, the trade ministers reaffirm their desire to begin trade negotiations with India and Indonesia as soon as possible. Alliance Sud and the Berne Declaration criticize this kind of free trade agreement, because it goes far beyond existing WTO agreements and results in further injustice for the developing countries involved.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-583</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Genocide in Darfur – No business with death]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/genocide-in-darfur-no-business-with-death</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 29.10.2007  - The genocide in Darfur relies mainly on the income of the Sudanese government from the oil industry. Involved are also Swiss financial institutions such as UBS or Credit Suisse which in total hold around 6 billion US dollars worth of investments in the controversial oil companies in Sudan. UBS plans, furthermore, to underwrite PetroChina’s IPO (initial public offering) on the Shanghai stock exchange on 5 November, despite massive international criticism. The non-governmental organisations Society for Threatened Peoples, Berne Declaration, Genocide Intervention Network and Bank Track demand that the financial institutions reconsider their investments.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-579</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Dole discontinues Paraquat use and puts additional pressure on Syngenta]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/dole-discontinues-paraquat-use-and-puts-additional-pressure-on-syngenta</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 12.10.2007  - As reported earlier this week, Dole, the world's largest producer and marketer of fruit, vegetables, and cut flowers will no longer use Paraquat. Even as growing numbers of major producers are voluntarily phasing out the highly toxic pesticide, Syngenta is obstinately fighting to have paraquat re-approved in Europe. This move may temporarily steady its share price but has no chance of success in the long run and will further damage the image of the Swiss agrochemical corporation.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-574</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The Berne Declaration welcomes the Indian justice’s decision and demands that Novartis and Switzerland respect this decision]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 06 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-berne-declaration-welcomes-the-indian-justices-decision-and-demands-that-novartis-and-switzerland-respect-this-decision</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Lausanne, 06.08.2007  - Today the Chennai High Court of Justice returned its verdict about Novartis’ court case against the Indian patent law. The Court confirmed that section 3 (d) of the Indian Patents Act, which was challenged by Novartis, complies with the law. The Berne Declaration (BD) welcomes the Indian justice’s decision that maintains an important provision for the access to medicines in India and in developing countries. The BD demands that Novartis respects this decision by not appealing against the verdict. It also demands that Switzerland respects this decision and does not lodge a complaint with the WTO against India.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-565</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[EU-Court Reins in Syngenta: the Beginning of the End for Paraquat.]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/eu-court-reins-in-syngenta-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-paraquat</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 12.07.2007  - In a ground-breaking decision yesterday the EU’s Court of First Instance revoked the EU-approval for the Syngenta herbicide paraquat. The court ruled that the approval procedure in 2003 did not sufficiently consider the link between paraquat and Parkinson’s and the herbicide’s other effects on human and animal health. Berne Declaration (BD), which has long cautioned against the use of paraquat because of health risks associated with it, feels vindicated by the court’s decision and calls on Syngenta to take paraquat off the market around the world.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-563</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[NGOs Criticize “Blue Washing” by the Global Compact]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/ngos-criticize-blue-washing-by-the-global-compact</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Geneva, 04.07.2007  - At the “Public Eye on the Global Compact” in the Palais des Nations in Geneva, leading non-governmental organizations express harsh criticism regarding the Global Compact (GC), a UN initiative for social and ecological corporate citizenship. On the day before the second GC Leaders Summit opens, the NGOs appeal to its host, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, to fundamentally rethink the “accord” with big business, launched by his predecessor Kofi Annan in 1999.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-558</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[NGO Protest before EFTA Ministerial Meeting in Vaduz/Liechtenstein]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/ngo-protest-before-efta-ministerial-meeting-in-vaduz-liechtenstein</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 28.06.2007  - “No world trade that only benefits the rich” is being called for by 150 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) before the trade minister’s meeting of the EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) on June 28th in Vaduz. At the same time, the global NGO alliance has sent open letters to protest against planned bilateral free-trade agreements with developing countries such as Colombia, India, Indonesia and Peru.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-555</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Syngenta accused of violating FAO code of conduct]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/syngenta-accused-of-violating-fao-code-of-conduct</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 01.05.2007  - NGOs from Asia, Latin America, and Europe are filing a complaint with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) against the Swiss agrochemical corporation Syngenta. The company is accused of violating the FAO’s pesticide code of conduct which it has pledged to uphold. At issue, once again, are the marketing and sales practices of paraquat, the company’s notorious pesticide. The NGO’s are urging Syngenta to take the product off the market.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-546</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Vasella questioned at the General Meeting in Basel about Novartis legal action against India]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 06 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/vasella-questioned-at-the-general-meeting-in-basel-about-novartis-legal-action-against-india</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Lausanne, Zurich, 06.03.2007 - At Novartis General Meeting today, the Berne Declaration will urge Dr. Vasella, to drop Novartis legal action against India, which threathens access to affordable generic medicines for millions of poor people in developing countries. The Berne Declaration with Oxfam will urge attending shareholders to make the same request to the company. Moreover investors are starting to question Novartis policy on the issue.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-531</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Former Swiss President joins Call for Novartis to Drop its Case in India]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/former-swiss-president-joins-call-for-novartis-to-drop-its-case-in-india</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Geneva, 15 February 2007 – Former President of the Swiss Confederation Ruth Dreifuss voiced her concern today about the impact Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis’ legal challenge against the Indian government could have on access to essential medicines across the globe. She joins over 300,000 people worldwide – including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis, and Dr. Michel Kazatchkine, the new head of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – in calling upon the company to drop the case.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-522</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Syngenta: Tidy profit at the expense of pesticide victims]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 07 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/syngenta-tidy-profit-at-the-expense-of-pesticide-victims</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 07.02.2007  - Tomorrow, Syngenta will present another set of splendid profit figures for the past year. With an action before the company’s corporate headquarters the Berne Declaration (BD) calls attention to the fact that a large share of Syngenta’s annual income is derived from the sale of paraquat – a pesticide that poisons tens of thousands of farmers and plantation workers every year. Over the past four months more than 34, 000 individuals and some 90 organizations from 29 countries has supported the international campaign against the dangerous Syngenta product. Governments and growers are increasingly aware of the dangers of paraquat and are taking action. Syngenta, however, plays deaf and sadly shows no sense of social responsibility.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-516</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The «Public Eye Awards 2007» go to Bridgestone, Novartis and Coop]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-public-eye-awards-2007-go-to-bridgestone-novartis-and-coop</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 24.01.2007 - On Opening Day of the World Economic Forum (WEF), The Berne Declaration and Pro Natura have for the third year selected the most irresponsible corporations. Recognized this year for
the dubious distinction of particularly nasty corporate behavior are the Japanese tire
manufacturer Bridgestone and the Basel-based pharmaceutical giant Novartis. The Swiss
retailer Coop, meanwhile, takes home the “Public Eye Positive Award”, given for the first time
to a corporation.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-512</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The Public Eye Awards: In Prosperous Times More Relevant Than Ever]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-public-eye-awards-in-prosperous-times-more-relevant-than-ever</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich and Basel, 11.01.2007 - On Opening Day of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Berne Declaration and Pro Natura will confer for the third year their Public Eye Awards for particularly irresponsible corporate behavior. Nine Swiss and international firms – among them Ikea, Novartis and Ruag – have been chosen from a record submission of over 40 nominations in three categories. One of them is the Public Eye Positive Award which will for the first time go to a corporation. Entertainer Patrick Frey will host the prominently-attended awards ceremony on January 24th in Davos.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-509</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Novartis denies access to generic medicines to poor countries]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 23 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/novartis-denies-access-to-generic-medicines-to-poor-countries</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Today, Berne Declaration and Oxfam International campaigners organized a stunt in front of Novartis Headquarter in Basel, Switzerland to denounce the company's attempt to prevent poor people in India and in other developing countries accessing affordable generic medicines. The Novartis case against the Indian government will have huge impact on poor people in developing countries.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-495</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Worldwide support for the Stop-Paraquat Campaign]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/worldwide-support-for-the-stop-paraquat-campaign</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zürich, 17.10.2006  - Groups call on Swiss agrochemical giant Syngenta to take responsibility for devastating health impacts and to stop production of this extremely hazardous pesticide.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-491</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Stop Paraquat: Citizens around the World condemn Syngenta]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/stop-paraquat-citizens-around-the-world-condemn-syngenta</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 06.11.2006 - The campaign to stop the Syngenta pesticide paraquat is gathering support around the world. The International Union of Agricultural Workers' Associations (IUF), the 2005 Alternative Nobel Prize Laureate Irene Fernandez of Malaysia, and a representative of the Swedish Chemicals Inspectorate said at a press conference in Switzerland that paraquat no longer has a place in agriculture because the highly toxic product of the Swiss agrochemical corporation had claimed too many victims already. Seeking to increase the pressure on Syngenta the Berne Declaration (BD) has called a “public proceeding”.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-492</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[NGOs and personalities demand that Novartis withdraws legal actions in India]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 12 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/ngos-and-personalities-demand-that-novartis-withdraws-legal-actions-in-india</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In an open letter, made public today, to Daniel Vasella, chairman and CEO of Novartis, 22 organizations and personalities demand that Novartis withdraws its legal actions against the Indian Patent Act and the rejection of its patent application for a life-saving cancer drug (Gleevec® - Imatinib Mesylate). This letter from the Berne Declaration is endorsed in particular by the Swiss Cancer League, the Swiss Aids Federation, Médecins Sans Frontières Switzerland, Mrs. Ruth Dreifuss and the Association of European Cancer Leagues*.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-486</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[EFTA FTAs may have serious consequences on Thailand and Indonesia]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 22 Jun 2006 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/efta-ftas-may-have-serious-consequences-on-thailand-and-indonesia</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Jakarta/Bangkok/Lausanne/Zürich/Oslo/Vaduz, 22.06.2006 - From 6th to 13th June, four representatives of the Thai and Indonesian civil society came to Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Norway. In each country, they met with parliamentarians, negotiators and media people to explain them the possible consequences of the bilateral free trade agreements that the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries (i.e. Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland) are negotiating with their respective country. In January 2006, the first round of negotiations with Thailand occured in Chiang Mai. Recently EFTA and Indonesia set up a Joint Study Group to assess the feasibility of a free trade agreement between them.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-476</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[San of southern Africa urge governments to act]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/san-of-southern-africa-urge-governments-to-act</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Windhoek, Cape Town, Zürich, Bonn, 06.03.2006 - The indigenous San population of southern Africa and a coalition of NGOs are urging the governments of Switzerland, Germany and South Africa to take steps against the illegal sale of Hoodia products. The San base their claims on the Convention for Biological Diversity which stipulates that indigenous groups be given a share of the profits from the commercial use of local genetic resources and traditional knowledge. There is no such profit sharing for the many Hoodia products sold in Germany and Switzerland.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-458</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The WTO Minister Mini-Meeting in Davos is Illegitimate and Counterproductive]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Sat, 28 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-wto-minister-mini-meeting-in-davos-is-illegitimate-and-counterproductive</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 28.01.2006 - Swiss Trade Minister Joseph Deiss has invited 25-30 selected country representatives to Davos for a mini-meeting of ministers. The Berne Declaration (BD) believes that such informal meetings in small groups undermine the coalition of developing countries formed in Hong Kong.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-452</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Bankers and Oil Barons Schmooze EBRD President Lemierre at Davos]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/bankers-and-oil-barons-schmooze-ebrd-president-lemierre-at-davos</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[This week’s World Economic Forum opens a door for power brokers who seek favor with the President of the EBRD]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-450</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[“The Public Eye Awards 2006” go to Chevron, Disney and Citigroup]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-public-eye-awards-2006-go-to-chevron-disney-and-citigroup</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 25.01.2006 - On opening day of the World Economic Forum (WEF), The Berne Declaration and Pro Natura have for the second year selected the most irresponsible corporations. This year’s award recipients are Chevron Corp., The Walt Disney Company and Citigroup Inc. The first-ever “Positive Award” goes to the Mexican labor union SNRTE and the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) Germanwatch and FIAN.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-447</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[NGOs urge EFTA countries not to endanger public health, food security and development in Thailand]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/ngos-urge-efta-countries-not-to-endanger-public-health-food-security-and-development-in-thailand</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zürich, 19.01.2006 - In a letter addressed to EFTA-trade and foreign ministers, 50 organisations urged the trade association’s member states to drop provisions from a free trade agreement with Thailand that would restrict access to cheap medicines and credit and limit farmers rights. A second round of negotiations is taking place this week in Thailand. The undersigning NGOs fear that a free trade agreement between EFTA and Thailand could have a negative impact on Thai society.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-444</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The «Public Eye Awards» Make an Impact]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 12 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-public-eye-awards-make-an-impact</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich/Basle, 12.01.2006 - On the opening day of the World Economic Forum (WEF), The Berne Declaration and Pro Natura will confer the «Public Eye Awards» for the second year for particularly irresponsible corporate behavior. Over 20 corporations, both domestic and foreign, have been nominated in the categories Environment, Social Rights and Taxes. In addition, a «Positive Award» will be given for the first time. The well-known actor and satirist Patrick Frey will moderate the awards ceremony in Davos.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-441</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Paraquat: Unacceptable health risks for users]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/paraquat-unacceptable-health-risks-for-users</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 08.12.2005 - For December 10, the «International Human Rights Day», the Pesticide Action Network and the Berne Declaration are publishing a report that highlights once more the unacceptable effects of paraquat. To stop the continuous poisoning of countless workers and farmers we demand that Syngenta, the main producer of the herbicide, stops production and takes the product off the market. Governments are urged to ban paraquat at the national level.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-433</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Unions, NGOs call for Changes to Industry-Sponsored Criteria for Sustainable Palm Oil Authorizing Highly Toxic Pesticides]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/unions-ngos-call-for-changes-to-industry-sponsored-criteria-for-sustainable-palm-oil-authorizing-highly-toxic-pesticides</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Geneva/Berna, 17.11.2005 - The IUF 1) and the Berne Declaration 2) are calling for fundamental changes to proposed «Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Palm Oil Production» which permit the use of highly toxic pesticides that are extremely harmful to human health and the environment. In their current form, the criteria ensure the interests of the pesticide industry – co-sponsors of the initiative - rather than the health of palm oil plantation workers. They will not encourage sustainable production and must therefore be revised.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-425</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Syngenta – a step closer to “owning” our food]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 11 Aug 2005 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/syngenta-a-step-closer-to-owning-our-food</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 11.08.2005  - Biotech company Syngenta has taken a huge step closer to “owning” seeds in the future, by filing 15 global patent applications on several thousand gene sequences from rice and other highly important crop plants (1). This would mean, in practice, that the company would be able to determine price, access, research and re-use of seeds in the future. On a meeting with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) this week (2), Syngenta refused to drop its so-called ‘megagenomic’ patents.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-415</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Access to medicines threatened in Thailand. EFTA states should respect the right to health.]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/access-to-medicines-threatened-in-thailand-efta-states-should-respect-the-right-to-health</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Berne Declaration and 16 NGOs from Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein submitted today a request to the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health. They urge him to warn the four member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) not to restrict access to affordable generic medicines in Thailand.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-403</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Protests against Seed Patents at Syngenta General Assembly]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 26 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/protests-against-seed-patents-at-syngenta-general-assembly</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Basel, 26.04.2005 - With an action at the door of the convention center and direct interventions before the assembled Syngenta shareholders Swissaid, Greenpeace, and the Berne Declaration protested against the plans of one of the world’s leading agribusinesses to monopolize important features of rice and other crops by means of patents on genetic materials. Farmers, researchers, and plant breeders would be most immediately affected by Syngenta’s wide-ranging patent claims. The three organizations are calling on Syngenta to cancel their applications for these patents.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-397</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[CSFB Shamed For Funding Whale Extinction]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 05 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/csfb-shamed-for-funding-whale-extinction</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 05.04.2005 - Civil Society Organisations call on bank to end relationship with destructive Sakhalin II mega-project.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-389</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Southern African countries have taken a firm stand against EFTA demands on Intellectual Property Rights in Free Trade Agreement]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 2005 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/southern-african-countries-have-taken-a-firm-stand-against-efta-demands-on-intellectual-property-rights-in-free-trade-agreement</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 04.03.2005 - A letter sent by South African Trade Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa to the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa confirms, that the demand of EFTA Countries (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) to include provisions on Intellectual Property Rights relating to medicines and agriculture in the Free Trade Agreement with SACU has been rejected.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-380</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Civil Society Calls for Mobilisation Against WTO Services Liberalization]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 14 Feb 2005 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/civil-society-calls-for-mobilisation-against-wto-services-liberalization</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Geneva, 14.02.2005 - Since the collapse of the WTO Cancun Ministerial, Geneva has become more important for WTO decision-making. In response to this development, Swiss and international civil societies have joined hands to monitor trade negotiations and to work together towards a more equitable and sustainable world trading system.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-376</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Challenging the informal WTO-Ministerial in Davos]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 28 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/challenging-the-informal-wto-ministerial-in-davos</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 02.02.2005 - Switzerland is using the WEF as a platform for an exclusive informal WTO meeting of ministers in a select circle. The Federal Council hopes to get new impulses for future WTO negotiations. The Berne Declaration calls on the Swiss government to respect the official forums for WTO negotiations and not to give preference to its own economic interests.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-375</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[The Social Irresponsibility of Corporate Tax Avoidance]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 27 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-social-irresponsibility-of-corporate-tax-avoidance</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 27.01.2005 - The current shape of the globalised economy makes it difficult if not impossible for national tax regimes to collect corporate taxes fairly. Many multinational corporations have structured their affairs in such a way as to avoid taxes in virtually every jurisdiction in which they operate.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-370</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[«The Public Eye Awards 2005» go to ...]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-public-eye-awards-2005-go-to</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 26.01.2005 - On 26 January 2005, the opening day of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Berne Declaration and Pro Natura present the first “Public Eye Awards” for irresponsible companies. The laureates of the “Public Eye Awards” are: The Dow Chemical Company, Royal Dutch/Shell Group, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and KPMG International. The Public’s Award goes to Nestlé S.A.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-367</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA["EFTA countries shall not endanger public health and food security in Southern Africa" NGOs request.]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 04 Nov 2004 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/efta-countries-shall-not-endanger-public-health-and-food-security-in-southern-africa-ngos-request</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 04.11.2004 - Today 57 organizations sent a letter* to the trade and foreign ministers of EFTA member states (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), urging them not to include provisions that would restrict access to medicines and farmers rights in a free trade agreement under negotiation with the five countries of SACU (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland). Both parties want to conclude the negotiations before the end of 2004. According to recent statements by Swiss officials, EFTA countries are pushing for stronger intellectual property rights on medicines and in agriculture in SACU countries. This move would have lasting and negative consequences on public health and food security in Southern Africa.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-359</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Stop unethical advertising of paraquat in Thailand!]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2004 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/stop-unethical-advertising-of-paraquat-in-thailand</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Penang/Malaysia, 28.07.2004  - Syngenta taken to task over violation of International Code of Conduct on marketing of toxic herbicide in complaint to UN FAO]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-345</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Paraquat Criticism: Syngenta turns a deaf ear]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 27 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/paraquat-criticism-syngenta-turns-a-deaf-ear</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Basel, 27.04.2004 - Malaysia is enforcing a ban on Paraquat; in Europe, Sweden, trade unions and NGOs are appealing a EU-decision to re-register Paraquat, and in Costa Rica new findings confirm the danger of the Syngenta herbicide. Yet despite all this activity Syngenta continues to market its controversial product. At Syngenta’s general assembly today, the leadership of the Swiss agri-corporation once again turned a deaf ear to a request by the Berne Declaration to withdraw the product. The company’s image is likely to suffer as a result of this intransigent attitude.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-330</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Volcafé saves on tax payments at the expense of developing countries]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 21 Apr 2004 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/volcafe-saves-on-tax-payments-at-the-expense-of-developing-countries</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 21.04.2004 - As Swiss TV’s “Rundschau” reported today, Volcafé Holding, acting through an undeclared offshore company, deprived numerous coffee-producing countries but also Switzerland of tax revenues worth millions. This was revealed by a document leaked to the Berne Declaration. The Berne Declaration denounces these practices and urges all parties engaged the coffee trade to take steps to ensure that countries will not be deprived of their tax revenues in the future.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-327</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[“The Public Eye on Davos” – counterpoint to the WEF with a critical eye on globalization]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-public-eye-on-davos-counterpoint-to-the-wef-with-a-critical-eye-on-globalization</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich/Basel, 07.01.2004 - (embargoed until January 7, 12.00 a.m.) The fifth independent conference «The Public Eye on Davos» will be held from January 21 to 23, 2004, in Davos — set, once again, to coincide with the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. The conference will be opened January 21 by Mary Robinson, former UN-High Commissioner for Human Rights.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-295</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[No U-turn allowed. NGOs call upon banks to save Equator Principles as support for Caspian oil pipeline threatens credibility]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 23 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/no-u-turn-allowed-ngos-call-upon-banks-to-save-equator-principles-as-support-for-caspian-oil-pipeline-threatens-credibility</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 23.01.2004 - Non-governmental organisations (NGO) present at “The Public Eye on Davos”, today called upon commercial banks not to back track on their commitment to the Equator Principles (EP). They voiced this concern as EP signatory banks intend to finance the highly controversial Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-303</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Trade talks behind closed doors]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 23 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/trade-talks-behind-closed-doors</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 24.01.2004 - Today trade envoys of some 20 select members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are set to meet in Davos to try to kick start international trade negotiations.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-310</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Today at the WEF: Business shepherds its Partnersheep]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 23 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/today-at-the-wef-business-shepherds-its-partnersheep</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 23.01.2004 - «Am I a Partnersheep?» asks the politician in sheep's clothing as the multinational dressed as a shepherd herds his flock with a staff crowned with the dollar sign. The Berne Declaration is taking this play on words to the streets of Davos today where the World Economic Forum is meeting under the motto «Partnership for Security and Prosperity».]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-302</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[EFTA free trade agreements - EFTA must stop pushing for patents on life in developing countries]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/efta-free-trade-agreements-efta-must-stop-pushing-for-patents-on-life-in-developing-countries</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 26.06.2003 - During their meeting tomorrow in Kristiansand, Norway, Ministers of trade and foreign affairs from the four member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) will sign a free trade agreement with Chile containing provisions on the protection of intellectual property rights which go far beyond the WTO rules. Four non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the four EFTA-States strongly oppose this policy by their governments: the Berne Declaration (Switzerland), the Rainforest Foundation (Norway), Mannvernd (Iceland) and the Liechtenstein Association for Environmental Protection (LGU).]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-273</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Development organizations launch campaign against «Tax haven Switzerland»]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2003 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/development-organizations-launch-campaign-against-tax-haven-switzerland</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Berne, 13.05.2003 - The Swiss Coalition of Development Organizations and the Berne Declaration accuse Switzerland of favouring worldwide tax fraud and tax avoidance, thereby causing massive revenue losses to developing countries. To stop this outflow of funds, the agreement with the EU on taxation of savings income must also be extended to developing countries. In the medium term, the distinction between tax evasion and tax fraud must be eliminated, as it one-sidedly favours rich foreigners who often originate from poor countries where they pay no taxes. The two development organisations wish to advocate, not just in Switzerland but worldwide, that the "Profiteers of globalisation must again be made to pay taxes". Along with representatives from England (a former Adviser to the Government of the Jersey tax haven) and Germany, they presented the global "Tax Justice Network" in Berne, which coordinates activities across several countries. It is made up of organisations and eminent persons from several European and American countries. In Switzerland, the two NGOs are endeavouring to win over more organisations for an “Alliance for Tax Justice”.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-264</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[WORKING CONDITIONS: RESULTS OF THE MONITORING OF CHINESE GARMENTS SUPPLIERS]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 19 Mar 2003 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/working-conditions-results-of-the-monitoring-of-chinese-garments-suppliers</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich and Lausanne, 19.03.2003  - The pilot project on independent monitoring set up by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and by Migros, Switcher and Veillon makes today public the reports on its follow-up visits to Chinese suppliers of these three Swiss companies.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-252</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Successful «Public Eye on Davos» 2003]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 28 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/successful-public-eye-on-davos-2003</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 28.01.2003 - This years Public Eye on Davos conference was the most successful to date with strong international and local Swiss participation. This success is part of an ever-growing world movement that is a progression from Rio, Seattle, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and the World Social Forum (WSF).]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-245</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Footloose Nike leaves workers rights behind]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 27 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/footloose-nike-leaves-workers-rights-behind</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 27.01.2003 - Thousands of workers in Asian factories that supply multinationals including Nike, Adidas and Levis have been thrown into unemployment and denied their entitled severance pay, according to Australian development agency Oxfam Community Aid Abroad (Oxfam Australia).]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-241</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Pressure Groups target the Private Banks Behind Corporate Misdeeds]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 27 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/pressure-groups-target-the-private-banks-behind-corporate-misdeeds</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 27.01.2003 - Over one hundred international advocacy groups and other non-governmental organizations today released a public statement calling big banks and investors to task for their responsibility for the environmentally and socially harmful impacts of their activities.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-240</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Transnational Corporations, Human Rights and Development]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 24 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/transnational-corporations-human-rights-and-development</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Davos, 24.01.2003 - While government leaders meet business leaders from Shell, BP, Dow, and financial institutions in Davos, at the World Economic Forum (WEF), community and civil society activists meet with international NGO's just up the road at the Public Eye on Davos conference.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-235</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[“The Shoe Creator”: how can we make ethical shoes?]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 24 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-shoe-creator-how-can-we-make-ethical-shoes</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[It is a serious challenge to succeed in buying perfectly ethical shoes. This is why Public Eye is launching the &nbsp;Shoe Creator, an on-line tool that will allow you to design the shoes of your dreams while also respecting human rights. It also highlights the deplorable working conditions in which our shoes are made and describes the sad reality of the factories. Be it in China, Albania or other countries, workers are paid a poverty wage, working hours are unacceptably long, and unhealthy working conditions are part of the daily lot of millions of workers. Companies engaged in this sector are far from transparent, and are responsible for the terrible consequences of a business model that has turned boots and sneakers into disposable consumer goods, to the detriment of our planet and the people who make them.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1300</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Blind trust is not enough – NGOs call for binding global rules]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 23 Jan 2003 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/blind-trust-is-not-enough-ngos-call-for-binding-global-rules</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich and Basle, 23.01.2003 - “The Public Eye on Davos,” an international NGO-coalition, has organised an independent conference in Davos on the occasion of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) . NGO experts, academics and political representatives from the global North and South will provide a critical analysis of corporate-driven globalisation and present alternatives towards more equitable and sustainable world economic policies.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-232</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Findings of the follow up visits to the indian suppliers]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 12 Dec 2002 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/findings-of-the-follow-up-visits-to-the-indian-suppliers</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich and Lausanne, 12.12.2002 - The Pilot project on independent monitoring set up in 2000 by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and by Migros, Switcher and Veillon to monitor compliance with the Code of Conduct has issued its first report.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-226</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Berne Declaration welcomes the Swiss federal government’s support for the proscription of paraquat]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 02 Dec 2002 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/berne-declaration-welcomes-the-swiss-federal-governments-support-for-the-proscription-of-paraquat</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, , 02.12.2002 - The Swiss government says it will support efforts to add paraquat to Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention to protect developing countries from the harmful consequences of this highly toxic pesticide, produced by the Syngenta corporation.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-220</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[«Public Eye» in Porto Alegre]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 24 Sep 2002 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/public-eye-in-porto-alegre</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Porto Alegre, 24.09.2002 - On Monday, September 23, the World Social Forum 2003 was launched in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Present at the launch ceremony were Olivio Dutra, Governor of the Brasilian state Rio Grande do Sul, and João Verle, Mayor of Porto Alegre. As in previous years, the third edition of the World Social Forum will be held in Porto Alegre, from January 23 - 28, 2003. Some 100,000 delegates, mostly from social movements across the world, are expected to participate.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-207</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Too dangerous: Malaysia bans Syngenta Pesticide Paraquat]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 20 Sep 2002 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/too-dangerous-malaysia-bans-syngenta-pesticide-paraquat</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich and Penang, 20.09.2002 - NGOs applaud the decision made by the government of Malaysia to ban the use of paraquat. The recently announced decision was taken at a cabinet meeting on August 27, 2002. Malaysia is the first Sout-East-Asian country to make the ground breaking step to phase out the use of this controversial product, which is very harmful to human health. Several European countries have already imposed a similar ban. The Malaysian decision follows the demand by various NGO's to ban the pesticide worldwide. Paraquat is the most important product of Syngenta, the worlds biggest agrochemical company.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-204</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Pulp Fiction – Credit Suisse and the destruction of the Indonesian rainforest]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2002 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/pulp-fiction-credit-suisse-and-the-destruction-of-the-indonesian-rainforest</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 31.05.2002 - The development organisation Berne Declaration and ACTARES (Shareholders for a Sustainable Development) demand that Credit Suisse, at its Annual General Meeting today, accepts the consequences of its financial contribution to the destruction of the rainforest in Indonesia.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-178</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Time to phase out paraquat – Syngenta’s controversial pesticide]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2002 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/time-to-phase-out-paraquat-syngentas-controversial-pesticide</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 22.04.2002 - Workers and farmers regularly exposed to the pesticide paraquat, sold by Syngenta as Gramoxone, experience serious problems with their health. The high toxicity and lack of antidote leads to serious ill-health, and even death, from exposure. The Berne Declaration, Foro Emaus, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Asia Pacific, PAN UK and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) urge Syngent,a one day before the company´s AGM, to phase out the production and use of this hazardous pesticide.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-170</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Abacha funds: catastrophic repatriation by Swiss authorities]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2002 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/abacha-funds-catastrophic-repatriation-by-swiss-authorities</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A secret agreement reported yesterday by the Swiss news outlet L’Hebdo sheds light on the more than problematic restitution of the blocked funds of former Nigerian dictator, Sani Abacha. The agreement between Nigeria and the Abacha family, approved by the Public Prosecutor in Geneva, does not contain a single provision to ensure that the returned money will be of benefit to the Nigerian people from whom it was stolen in the nineties and who continue to suffer endemic corruption. The agreement also closes the criminal proceedings for the plundering of the Nigerian treasury against the perpetrators and their accomplices, with the result that they go unpunished.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-1179</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[European Development NGOs critizise EU preparations for UN Development Conference in Monterrey as unsufficient]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2002 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/european-development-ngos-critizise-eu-preparations-for-un-development-conference-in-monterrey-as-unsufficient</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Brussels, 11.03.2002 - As world leaders prepare for the global conference on Financing for Development, scheduled for next week in Monterrey, Mexico (18-22 March), European non-governmental organizations issue a staunch warning that the conference might result in failure. In a statement of 70 NGOs from EU member states and accession countries, the draft outcome paper of the conference (Monterrey Consensus) is critizised as “void of any concrete commitment for raising the finances needed to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.”]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-159</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA["Public Eye on Davos" Challenges the World Economic Forum]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 30 Jan 2002 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/public-eye-on-davos-challenges-the-world-economic-forum</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[New York, 30.01.2002 - For the third year running, the NGO coalition "The Public Eye on Davos" has organized an international conference as a direct counterpoint and challenge to the WEF.
This year's Public Eye conference will be bigger than ever before. It will give representatives from the Global North and the Global South a platform from which to articulate their critique of one-sided economic globalization, and to discuss alternative paths to a fair and sustainable world economy. In contrast to the WEF, the Public Eye conference is open to the public. It will be held from January 31 till February 3, 2002 in the United Nations Church Center, a few blocks away from the luxury hotel Waldorf Astoria where the WEF annual meeting takes place.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-147</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[“The Public Eye on Davos” proposes binding rules for global corporations]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 15 Jan 2002 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-public-eye-on-davos-proposes-binding-rules-for-global-corporations</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich and Basel, 07.01.2003 - The fourth international conference “Public Eye on Davos”, set to coincide with the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), will be held in Davos from January 23-27, 2003. The conference will be opened by Oscar Lafontaine, former finance minister of Germany, with a speech on the social and environmental responsibility of big business. Public Eye on Davos is organized by the Berne Declaration, Pro Natura, and other non-governmental organizations (NGO) from all continents. They are calling for binding rules for big business.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-229</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Critical eyes will remain on the World Economic Forum (WEF)]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 07 Nov 2001 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/critical-eyes-will-remain-on-the-world-economic-forum-wef</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Zurich, 07.11.2001 - The WEF is to hold its annual meeting from January 31 to February 5 in New York, not in Davos where it has always been until now. For the Berne Declaration and Pro Natura (Public Eye on Davos supporting organizations) this move does not indicate any positive change in the WEF, as the concept of the meeting was not considered in the decision. Their demands - global social and environmental criteria for economic development, and open and democratic fora in which economic policy is made - have still not been met.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-127</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[NGOs Demand a Fundamental Re-thinking of the WTO TRIPS agreement]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 17 Sep 2001 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/ngos-demand-a-fundamental-re-thinking-of-the-wto-trips-agreement</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Geneva, 17.09.2001 - As World Trade Organisation (WTO) delegates meet for the last time to debate the contentious agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property (TRIPS) before the WTO Ministerial in Doha in November, groups from around the world have converged on Geneva to express opposition against patenting of life forms and the agreement’s wide ranging implications on health and human rights.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-112</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Final decision of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO): Prince of Liechtenstein's Basmati patent is largely invalid.]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 24 Aug 2001 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/final-decision-of-the-united-states-patent-and-trademark-office-uspto-prince-of-liechtensteins-basmati-patent-is-largely-invalid</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Last March, the USPTO had already judged that 13 out of the 16 claims from the patent held by RiceTec (fully owned by the Prince of Liechtenstein) were not valid. After the hearing of the patentee, the final decision confirms - with slight changes - last March's decision. This is a significant success for the worldwide coalition of NGO's - including the Berne Declaration - that had accused the Prince of Liechtenstein of biopiracy.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-106</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Agreement on influenza virus sharing and benefit sharing is a step forward but has some shortcomings]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 23 Aug 2001 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/agreement-on-influenza-virus-sharing-and-benefit-sharing-is-a-step-forward-but-has-some-shortcomings</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[19.04.2011 - by Berne Declaration & Third World Network
The Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework agreed to at a meeting of the WHO early Saturday morning (16th April 2011) will for the first time put in place terms and conditions to govern the sharing of influenza viruses of pandemic potential and the resulting benefits.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-843</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Treaty to protect major food crops survives]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Sun, 01 Jul 2001 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/treaty-to-protect-major-food-crops-survives</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Treaty to protect major food crops survives - but issues on patenting and trade still undecided]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-101</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[President of the World Bank urged to adopt the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams during the opening of a meeting between the Nile Basin countries in Geneva]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2001 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/president-of-the-world-bank-urged-to-adopt-the-recommendations-of-the-world-commission-on-dams-during-the-opening-of-a-meeting-between-the-nile-basin-countries-in-geneva</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[For the opening of the first International Consortium for Cooperation on the Nile in Geneva by the President of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, the Berne Declaration, a Swiss NGO, urges the institution to adopt the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-98</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Launch of the Campaign «No sell out of public services»]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2001 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/launch-of-the-campaign-no-sell-out-of-public-services</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Berne Declaration, labor unions and attac Switzerland launch the campaign "No public services sell out". Their postcard mailing action demands that Federal Councillor Pascal Couchepin (head of Economic Affairs Department), stop the sell out of public services WTO negotiations. Instead he should reopen public discussion on previous government commitments in this area, and where necessary revoke them.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-99</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Keep crop seeds patent-free in order to maintain world food security]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 20 Apr 2001 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/keep-crop-seeds-patent-free-in-order-to-maintain-world-food-security</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[255 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from 54 countries call on negotiators to endorse an agreement that will keep open access for all to the seeds of the world’s most important crops, unrestricted by patents and intellectual property rights.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-88</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Basmati rice «biopiracy» patent struck down by us patent office]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 02 Apr 2001 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/basmati-rice-biopiracy-patent-struck-down-by-us-patent-office</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[A GLOBAL campaign to overturn a US patent on basmati rice has scored a further – and near-fatal - victory with the announcement that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has thrown out 13 (of 16) remaining claims from US-based RiceTec’s controversial patent.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-84</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Campaigners launched international protest as WTO services negotiations begin]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 19 Mar 2001 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/campaigners-launched-international-protest-as-wto-services-negotiations-begin</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Civil society organisations representing 30 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America threw the spotlight on what they call "a potentially devastating, largely unheard of, and profoundly undemocratic agreement". As new WTO negotiations begin on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), citizens launched an international campaign to "stop the GATS attack", at a press conference at the European Cultural Centre.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-82</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Equal rights for men and women also applies to Swiss trade policy]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 07 Mar 2001 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/equal-rights-for-men-and-women-also-applies-to-swiss-trade-policy</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[International Women's Day 2001]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-81</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Government and University of Zimbabwe determinded to stop biopiracy by swiss University]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 28 Feb 2001 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/government-and-university-of-zimbabwe-determinded-to-stop-biopiracy-by-swiss-university</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Initiated by Berne Declaration (Switzerland) and Community Technology Development Trust of Zimbabwe a meeting was held on February 16, 2001, at the University of Zimbabwe to discuss a controversial patent held by Lausanne University. Attending the meeting were concerned stakeholders including the University of Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, the University of Lausanne and the Zimbabwe Traditional Healers Association (Zinatha).]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-78</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[NGOs protest against World Bank position on World Dams report]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 12 Feb 2001 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/ngos-protest-against-world-bank-position-on-world-dams-report</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Berne Declaration and the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People protest against the World Bank's refusal to accept the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams report. In a letter to President Wolfensohn which was endorsed by 85 other groups from 30 countries, they say that if the Bank does not comprehensively adopt the WCD's recommendations, NGOs will hesitate to engage in other dialogues with the Bank in the future.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-83</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[NGOs challenge the World Economic Forum]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jan 2001 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/ngos-challenge-the-world-economic-forum</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Private institutions like the World Economic Forum have no legitimate role to play in setting the agenda of global public affairs. Under the motto, "the Public Eye on Davos", an international NGO coalition organizes an independent conference to challenge the Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-73</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[A Speaker of the "Public Eye on Davos" detained and deported]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jan 2001 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/a-speaker-of-the-public-eye-on-davos-detained-and-deported</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[On Friday, 26th, Adam Ma’anit, member of the organization Corporate Europe Observatory, was prevented from giving his talk on the role of corporations in policy-making at the "Public Eye on Davos" Conference challenging the World Economic Forum.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-74</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[After WCD Launch, Critics Demand Dam-Building Moratorium]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 16 Nov 2000 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/after-wcd-launch-critics-demand-dam-building-moratorium</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Major New Report Confirms Social, Economic, Environmental Harm From Dams]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-59</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Export Credit Agencies Challenged on Corruption]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 13 Nov 2000 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/export-credit-agencies-challenged-on-corruption</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Export Credit Agencies should adopt strinct policies to prevent corruption in the projects which they fund. This is the main concern which 81 NGOs from 33 countries raise in a joint letter to the OECD Secretary General. The OECD’s Export Credit Group meets in Paris on 16/17 November in order to discuss export credit policies on corruption.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-56</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Agribusiness giant in new GM seeds threat]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Wed, 11 Oct 2000 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/agribusiness-giant-in-new-gm-seeds-threat</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[Two companies set to agree to merge today to form Syngenta, the world’s largest agribusiness pose a new threat to farmers in developing countries with GM crops which depend on chemicals to grow. This warning comes in a report issued to coincide with campaigners’ protests at merger meetings to approve the creation of the $20billion corporation Syngenta in London and Basle, Switzerland.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-53</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[NGOs condemn Biopiracy by Swiss University]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 22 Sep 2000 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/ngos-condemn-biopiracy-by-swiss-university</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[NGOs in Zimbabwe and Switzerland condemn the way by which the University of Lausanne gained access to genetic resources in Zimbabwe and the way the benefit sharing has been negotiated. They also reject the patent on antimicrobial diterpenes which Prof. Hostettmann of Lausanne University took out on these resources and which is based on traditional knowledge. This case is another example which illustrates that the ongoing bioprospecting in southern countries contradicts the rules defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). “While the Swiss government is supporting guidelines for Access and Benefit Sharing at the CBD, a Swiss University practises illegal bioprospecting in Zimbabweat the very same time”, says François Meienberg of the Swiss NGO Berne Declaration.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-50</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[78’000 affected by Ilisu dam?]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Fri, 08 Sep 2000 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/78000-affected-by-ilisu-dam</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[At 55,000-78,000, the number of people potentially or actually affected by Turkey’s Ilisu dam is much higher than has so far been estimated. A long series of project-specific, economic and political conditions must be fulfilled for the dam’s resettlement program to comply with international standards. These are the main conclusions of an internal document on the Ilisu project which the Berne Declaration and the British Ilisu Dam Campaign released to the public on 7 September.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-47</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Ilisu dam in breach of international law]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Sun, 20 Aug 2000 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/ilisu-dam-in-breach-of-international-law</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[An independent legal opinion concludes that the planned Ilisu dam in Turkey is in breach of international law. Switzerland and other governments would violate international law if they provided official export credits or guarantees to fund the dam. The Berne Declaration, which has commissioned the legal opinion, calls on governments not to become accomplices in the breach of international law.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-41</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[UN Commission on Human Rights: Arundhati Roy on Large Dams]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Thu, 23 Mar 2000 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/un-commission-on-human-rights-arundhati-roy-on-large-dams</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[In the context of this year's UN Commission on Human Rights session, prominent writer Arundhati Roy and film director Jharana Jhaveri denounced the massive human rights violations caused by the construction of large dams in India's Narmada Valley. Together with the Berne Declaration and the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, the two Indian artists called for an immediate halt of dam construction at a conference in Geneva on 23 March.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-31</guid>
                        

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                    <title><![CDATA[Swedish and Swiss NGOs protest against new Three Gorges contract for ABB]]></title>

                    <pubDate>Mon, 12 Apr 1999 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate>

                    
                            <link>https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/swedish-and-swiss-ngos-protest-against-new-three-gorges-contract-for-abb</link>
                            <description><![CDATA[The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) and the Berne Declaration (BD), two NGOs in Sweden and Switzerland, have issued protests against ABB's new contract for the Three Gorges project. According to an ABB press release of April 12, the company has received another contract of $ 340 million to supply two converter stations for a high-voltage power link from the Three Gorges project to the Shanghai area. SSNC and the BD are committed to preventing the funding of the project by the Swedish and Swiss export risk guarantees.]]></description>
                            <guid isPermaLink="false">187-6</guid>
                        

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