Global governance

A global alliance of civil society organizations are demanding a binding treaty to regulate the activities of transnational corporations with respect to human rights. The Treaty process presents a unique opportunity for governments to prove that it is in their hands to put human rights above the interests of big business. Because profits can be shared—human rights cannot, write Jens Martens and Karolin Seitz.

The expansion of corporate control in agriculture is reflected in three international treaties that establish the global rights of various stakeholders to seeds, germplasm, and plant varieties. But the balance of power needs to tilt back the other way, with farmers’ rights taking precedence over agribusiness profits, whether in these treaties or in trade deals, explains Karen Hansen-Kuhn.

Civil society groups have organised a people’s assembly to hold Monsanto accountable for their crimes against humanity and the environment, and to spell out an alternative vision for the future of food and farming based on reclaiming the commons, earth democracy and agroecology.

A rapidly growing global web of tax havens is one of the key drivers of global inequality, allowing some of the world’s super rich to pay no taxes or far less than they should. Now is the time for a historic ethical pact to finally deliver tax justice to the world, and to end the existence of tax havens altogether, writes Rafael Correa.

We need a deep rethinking of how we prioritize and respond to security threats. If we want a healthy Earth, justice, peace, and democracy, we need a 21st-century security agenda that addresses the causes of contemporary conflicts, encourages cooperation and diplomacy, and supports every person in their quest for a healthy and dignified life, writes David Korten.

Read a selected archive of STWR editorials that highlight the growing debate on sharing, with a round-up of sharing-related news, articles, reports and other activities from our monthly newsletters over the years.