The right to know
There is a great deal of
secrecy surrounding the activities of
corporations and their financial backers
around the world. Governments too often
collude with these schemes to keep illegal,
unethical or simply unpopular projects and
processes away from public scrutiny.
In response, communities and individuals are calling for information disclosure when activities impact the environment or people. Campaigners and citizens are making use of ‘right to know' provisions on the national and international levels; for example, Friends of the Earth Germany is suing their government for refusing to release information about the contribution of the country's Export Credit Agencies to climate change. In the United States, groups including Friends of the Earth are calling for an International Right to Know requirement, which would force companies to reveal environmental, labour and human rights information about their overseas operations.
International financial institutions are notoriously non-transparent and non participatory in their operations. In Slovakia, Friends of the Earth is working with people in the town of Ruzomberok to require the European Investment Bank to address the environmental and social impacts of its funding for a polluting paper mill.
further reading
- This page is an extract from the Friends of the Earth International publication 'our environment, our rights' read it here in full.
- The Cartagena Declaration on human and environmental rights
Photo: Demonstration against in Berlin against the German Export Credit Agency
