- United Nations Home Page When States
become Members of
the United Nations, they agree to accept the obligations
of the UN Charter, an international treaty which sets out basic principles
of international relations. According to the Charter, the UN has four
purposes: to maintain international peace and security, to develop
friendly relations among nations, to cooperate in solving international
problems and in promoting respect for human rights.
- The
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
 "The
most comprehensive collection of translations of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the
United Nations General Assembly ... in 1948." Over 300
different language versions are
available in HTML, PDF and graphical forms.
- Agreements, Treaties & Negotiated
Settlements Project
 "The
Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements database (ATNS)
is an online gateway which links together current information,
historical detail and published material relating to agreements
made between indigenous people and others in Australia and overseas.
The ATNS database is designed for the use of indigenous and other
community organisations, researchers, government and industry
bodies."
- Australian Human
Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission "Human
Rights education is one of the core responsibilities of the Commission
along with the investigation and attempted resolution of complaints
about breaches of human rights and anti-discrimination legislation. The
Commission plays a central role in contributing to the maintenance
and improvement of a tolerant, equitable and democratic society,
through its public awareness and other educational programs aimed
at the community, government and business sectors. ... the key message
being that the elimination of discrimination and harassment are prerequisites
for the enjoyment of human rights by all Australians. Matters
which can be investigated by the Commission include discrimination
on the grounds of race, colour or ethnic origin, racial vilification,
sex [gender],
sexual
harassment, marital status, pregnancy, or disability."
- Amnesty International Australia "An
independent, politically impartial worldwide movement, Amnesty
International works to both promote and to defend human rights
around the world."
- Child
Prostitution and Tourism Watch - "World Tourism Organisation
Task Force to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation in Tourism
is a global action platform of tourism-related key-players from
the government and the tourism industry sectors, international
organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and
media associations whose aim is to prevent, uncover, isolate
and eradicate the sexual exploitation of children in tourism."
- The United
Nations Global Compact "... Through
the power of collective action, the Global Compact seeks
to advance responsible corporate citizenship so that business can be
part of the solution to the challenges of globalisation. In this
way,
the private sector – in partnership with other social actors –
can help realize the Secretary-General’s [Kofi Annan] vision:
a more sustainable and inclusive global economy. ... The Global
Compact's ten
principles in
the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption
enjoy universal consensus and are derived from [UN charters]".
- The Business & Human
Rights Resource Centre "is
an independent, international, non-profit organisation,
in a collaborative partnership with Amnesty International
sections and leading academic institutions. Our online
library covers over 2400 companies, over 160 countries,
over 150 topics. [Our purpose is] To promote greater awareness
and informed discussion of important issues relating to
business and human rights. ... It includes reports
of corporate misconduct, as well as positive examples
of "best
practice" by companies."
- Corporate Watch "In
the conventional economic view corporations are simply neutral
providers of the goods and services that people want. They
exist to serve society's needs (and make a tidy profit in the
process). This view dismisses corporate crimes as mere accidents,
at worst errors of judgement, which will ultimately be corrected,
since market forces have everyone's best interests at heart.
Don't they? ... Corporate Watch is a small independent
not-for-profit research and publishing group which undertakes
research on the social and environmental impact of large corporations,
particularly multinationals. We aim to expose the mechanisms
by which corporations function and the detrimental effects
they have on society and the environment as an inevitable result
of their current legal structure." Predominantly
UK based.
- The International Confederation
of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) "The
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), was set
up in 1949 and has 236 affiliated organisations in 154 countries
and territories on all five continents, with a membership of 155
million, 40% of who are women. ... The five
main ICFTU priorities are: employment and international
labour standards, tackling the multinationals, trade
union rights, equality, women, race and migrants,
trade union organisation and recruitment."
- The Multinational
Monitor "is
a monthly magazine devoted primarily to examining the
activities of multinational companies. The magazine also
covers issues involving labor, the environment, corporate
crime, multilateral banks and development." An
excellent web site version.
with links to blogs
and third party activist sites.
- New Internationalist "...
exists to report on issues of world poverty and inequality;
to focus attention on the unjust relationship between the
powerful and the powerless in both rich and poor nations;
to debate and campaign for the radical changes necessary
if the basic material and spiritual needs of all are to be
met." Comprehensive site with back
issues documented from #1 in 1973 and articles available
online from issue #107 in 1982. Comprehensive search facilities,
Special "web
only" articles and reports, plus you can subscribe
to the mag. online or visit the eshop for ethical
gifts.
- Transparency International
Official Web Site "Corruption is one of the greatest
challenges of the contemporary world. It undermines good
government, fundamentally distorts public policy, leads to
the misallocation of resources, harms the private sector
and private sector development and particularly hurts the
poor." Global corruption reports for each country,
annual reports available (PDF), and more. English, French, Spanish, Deutsch.
- War Profiteers Company
loves misery, especially when there's a buck in it. Originally
launched in 2004 on the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq,
this web site has expanded its focus to "War
and Disaster profiteering", especially by USian companies.
"The War Profiteers website is maintained and updated
by CorpWatch (see link below), an organization based in Oakland,
California, that counters corporate-led globalization through
education, network-building and activism. The orginal site
was created by the Ruckus Society, an organization that specializes
in engaging nonviolent direct action, also based in Oakland,
California".. Like Deepthroat said
... "follow
the money".
- "CorpWatch investigates
and exposes corporate violations of human rights,
environmental crimes, fraud and corruption around
the world. We work to foster global justice, independent
media activism and democratic control over corporations."
- International Campaign
to Ban Landmines *A
network of more than 1,400 groups in over 90 countries, works
locally, nationally and internationally to eradicate antipersonnel
mines.
Members include human rights, humanitarian, children,
peace, disability, veterans, medical, humanitarian, mine action,
development, arms control, religious, environmental and women’s
groups."
- The International Court of
Justice "The International
Court of Justice, which sits at The Hague in the Netherlands, acts as
a world court. It decides in accordance with international law disputes
of a legal nature submitted to it by States, whilst in addition certain
international organs and agencies are entitled to call upon it for advisory
opinions. It was set up in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations
to be the principal judicial organ of the Organization, and its basic
instrument, the Statute of the Court, forms an integral part of the Charter."
English, French
- The International Crisis Group
(ICG) "is
an independent, non-profit, multinational organisation, with
over 80 staff members on five continents, working through field-based
analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly
conflict. ... Based on information and assessments from the field,
ICG produces regular analytical reports containing practical
recommendations targeted at key international decision-takers."
- International Institute for Peace
through Tourism "The International Institute for Peace
through Tourism (IIPT) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated
to fostering and facilitating tourism initiatives which contribute
to international understanding and cooperation, an improved quality
of environment, the preservation of heritage, and through these
initiatives, help to bring about a peaceful and sustainable world."
- World Audit "brings
together statistics and reports from highly respected agencies,
each with their own developed specialities. Freedom House, Transparency
International, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, The
International Commission of Jurists are THE names where political
rights, civil liberties, press freedom, perceptions of corruption,
human rights, and the rule of law, are concerned."
See also: Activism,
Humanitarian Aid, Non Government Agencies, Volunteer
and Community Tourism, Codes
of Conduct, Practice & Operational Guidelines and Development & Environment |
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