Proyecto sobre Organización, Desarrollo, Educación e Investigación (PODER—in English, Project on Organization, Development, Education, and Research), is a longtime TCI partner advocating for corporate accountability within Mexico. In late 2023, PODER achieved important wins for communities impacted by extractivist activities thanks to legal action and community engagement. With the Project’s support, the Sonora River Basin Committees (Comités de Cuenca de Río Sonora/CCRS) presented a compelling argument for the Ministry of the Environment to bring a criminal case against the Buenavista del Cobre mine, a corporation that was responsible for a toxic spill in the State of Sonora 10 years ago. Previously, PODER had also collaborated with CCRS to organize a cultural and music festival, in the city of Hermosillo, to call attention to the then 9th anniversary of the spill, its impact, and how to move forward with prevention methods.
PODER’s advocacy doesn’t end there. The organization participated in a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) coalition that led to a groundbreaking new national mining law that was passed with important provisions for environmental accountability and community consultation. TCI celebrates PODER’s enduring advancement of critical environmental rights for vulnerable communities.
Under the leadership of Senior Research Fellow Emily Wilkinson and Director/Producer Sarah Howard, TCI’s Caribbean Environmental Justice grantee partner, ODI, recently finished Climate Blueprint: Dominica. The documentary, which chronicles the island’s goal to become the first climate resilient nation in the world, was awarded “Best Short Documentary” at this year’s Albany Film Festival and was previewed during the New York Climate Summit! To spread the word about the documentary and Dominica’s journey since Hurricane Maria, ODI hosted a screening to a full house in London in November 2023 and three screenings to large audiences in Dubai during COP28. The organization is also thinking big and aiming to find a streaming platform home for Climate Blueprint: Dominica.
TCI is appreciative of the opportunity to support this moving homage to the Dominican people’s resiliency and innovation in the face of adversity, which is indicative of the Caribbean’s movement away from the negative impact of extractivism and colonialism.
You can watch the trailer here.
Based in Amsterdam, the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) works in collaboration with partners around the world to challenge corporate power. They conduct action-oriented research and critical analysis of the structure and impact of multinational corporations and the socio-political and economic context in which they work “to support and strengthen civil society movements in defending human rights and promoting public interests.”
In September, SOMO launched The Counter, its pro bono global corporate research “helpdesk” for environmental and social justice activists challenging corporate power. The Counter’s corporate research team investigates companies–big, small, public, private, or letterbox–by “following the money” to reveal corporate and capital structures, shell companies in tax havens, hidden profits, secret owners, supply chains, and influential investors. The Counter is dedicated to corporate investigation and advocacy services to support civil society and journalists globally with bespoke advice, knowledge, and tools for their work on corporate accountability and justice. Research provided by The Counter can be used in public interest investigations, the media, public campaigns, or in court, so activists are better equipped with data, evidence, and analyses when standing up to company giants.
TCI is very proud to be one of the first funders of this important new resource! By providing access to technical data and information that is currently only available to large organizations, The Counter will help to level the playing field between big business and civil society and empower the global economic justice and corporate abuse movement.
More information about the Counter, including eligibility criteria, guidelines, and instructions for submitting a research summary can be found here.