Press releases from the campaign FACING FINANCE
Today, within eyeshot of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Greenpeace Switzerland and the Berne Declaration (BD) presented the Public Eye Awards, thus denouncing particularly glaring… Read More »The Public Eye Awards Press Release: The Worst Company of the Year
(Berlin/Brussels/Warsaw/Maputo, 10 December 2012) – Embargoed 11:00 CET – Leading European financial institutions are heavily invested in high-risk business activities/corporations that violate human rights. This… Read More »PRESS RELEASE – Dirty profits – Billions in Profits at the Expense of Human Rights
Activists call on financial institutions and governments to ban explosive investments Berlin, June 14, 2012 – Today, the two nongovernmental organisations IKV Pax Christi (Netherlands)… Read More »Still no End to Worldwide Investments in Cluster Munitions
(Berlin/ Cologne, 29/05/2012) The civic coalition ‘Andere Banken braucht das Land’ (We need alternative banks!) criticized the irresponsible businesses of the Deutsche Bank. By financing… Read More »NGOs assess the era Ackermann
Polish news website NaTemat.pl conducted an extensive interview with Daniel Ribeiro. Daniel explains in an interview how the multinational corporations use weakness of the developing countries.… Read More »Interview with Daniel Ribeiro on NaTemat.pl
CDU/CSU and FDP do not want to agree in the German Bundestag to a law banning investment in arms breaching international law. (Berlin 21/03/2012) –… Read More »Deutsche Bank still invests in producers of cluster munitions
In light of investments worth several billion in leading greenhouse gas polluters FACING FINANCE urges banks and investors to effectively engage environmental and climate protection.… Read More »Good business with bad climate
US fails to internationally legalise cluster munition
Following 14 days of intensive negotiations in Geneva, the US, India, China and other proponents of cluster munitions have not succeded in their attempt to legitimise their weapon arsenals. „The prevention of the legalisation of cluster munitions is a milestone in the development of international law which can partially be attributed to the achievements of civil society“, claims Thomas Küchenmeister from ‘FACING FINANCE’. He points out that this prevention has considerably strengthened the status of the Oslo-Convention and its absolute ban on cluster munitions as an internationally binding norm. Küchenmeister expects that it helps to pressure the proponents of cluster munitions to justify their arsenals and exert a stigmatising effect on them. Furthermore, it could foster national measures prohibiting investments and financing internationally condemned arms.
Together with the governments of Switzerland, Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands, the German government generally accepted the US draft proposal and thus a legalisation of cluster munitions, but also encouraged improvements. „Germany needs to refocus on humanitarian aid, the removal of duds and the implementation of an absolute ban on cluster munition as enshrined in the Oslo-Convention“, stated Klaus Seitz, Director of the politics and campaign department of ‘Brot für die Welt‘ (Bread for the World). According to Seitz, this also entails a complete prohibition of investments in the production of cluster munition.
A group of 50 countries including Norway, Austria, Switzerland and South Africa have rejected the proposed draft version with regards to a low humanitarian value-added and a potential legalisation of cluster munition. The group was supported by the ICRC and the Cluster Munition Coalition, among others.
In an open letter (only availabe in German) 13 NGOs have urged the German governmental coalition of Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and Liberals (FDP) to do everything in their power to prevent the softening of the proscription of cluster munitions. The prohibition had just entered into force in Germany one year ago. On November 10, two requests for a ban on cluster munition by the opposition parties were rejected. In a joint motion (17/7637), the Social Democrats and the Greens had called for a veto of the German government against the draft proposal of the UN Convention on Cluster Munition.
Contact:
Thomas Küchenmeister, Coordinator FACING FINANCE
(Cluster Munition Coalition in Germany), +49 (0)175-4964082
Rainer Lang, Bread for the World: +49 (0) 174-3135651.Read More »Comeback of cluster munition prevented
FACING FINANCE begrüßt die Ankündigung der Deutschen Bank, Geschäftsbeziehungen zu Streumunitionsherstellern einstellen zu wollen. Dies sei ein erster, wichtiger Schritt in Richtung auf einen vollständigen Verzicht.
Report-Mainz (ARD) stellt anlässlich der Entscheidung der Deutschen Bank noch einmal einen längeren Beitrag zum Thema “Banken und Bomben” ins Netz.
Nongovernmental organisations warn of renunciation of humanitarian arms control (Berlin 8.11.11) Representatives of 13 nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) have urged the German governmental coalition consisting of… Read More »Proscription of cluster munition in danger
