Media

250 organisations from 60 countries are calling on Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein in an open letter to stop imposing strict plant variety protection laws on the countries of the global South; laws with which they themselves do not comply. This demand by the EFTA countries for strict plant variety protection – a kind of patent protection on seeds – drastically restricts the free use of seeds, to the detriment of farmers in the global South. The right to food, food sovereignty and agrobiological diversity are all under threat.

In a position paper, Alliance Sud presents the links between climate justice and development cooperation and calls for Switzerland to fulfil its financial responsibility and the Paris Agreement.

On 10 October, the Responsible Business Initiative has been presented to the authorities. The 80 NGOs supporting the initiative share one common goal: Swiss quality must incorporate the protection of human rights and the environment.

Following a turbulent debate, the Swiss lower chamber of parliament initially accepted a motion for increased corporate accountability only to repeat the vote and ultimately dismiss the motion.

If an enterprise infringes the OECD Guidelines for multinational enterprises, a complaint can be filed with the National Contact Point (NCP). These entities operate with varying degrees of seriousness and independence, however.