Press Releases
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UK government quashes new law that would shut off money pipeline to deforesting businesses The UK government has rejected a key amendment to the Financial Services and Markets Bill that would force financial institutions to carry out mandatory checks on whether their investments are financing global deforestation and human rights, in a move Global Witness described as “utter hypocrisy”26 June 2023
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Macron’s New Global Financing Pact Summit must address role of EU financial institutions in driving deforestation Tackling the ongoing role of European financial institutions must be a top priority of today’s France hosted summit, if it is to truly make progress in stopping the financing of deforestation, according to Global Witness22 June 2023
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Facebook, YouTube and TikTok approve for publication violent xenophobic hate in South Africa Extreme and violent hate-filled adverts were approved for posting on leading social media platforms Facebook, TikTok and YouTube in South Africa, according to a new test carried out by Global Witness and the South African public interest law firm Legal Resources Centre.20 June 2023
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"MPs must seize historic opportunity" as House of Lords votes through landmark amendment to cut off UK financing of illegal deforestation The UK House of Lords has voted to support an important amendment to the Financial Services and Markets Bill that would require UK financial institutions to carry out thorough checks on those they fund to prevent the financing of illegal deforestation13 June 2023
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Facebook accused of gender discrimination, new research finds bias in advertising algorithm A group of NGOs have today filed complaints against Meta to the human rights commissions in both the Netherlands and France, as new research indicates that gender discrimination is inherent to Facebook’s job adverts function.12 June 2023
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Lords back a new law to prevent the financing of illegal deforestation, ahead of key vote Peers across the political spectrum this week spoke in support of Amendment 91 to the Financial Services and Markets Bill07 June 2023
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Attacks against UDEFEGUA: Defenders in Guatemala are under siege to claim democracy back Global Witness is deeply concerned by the situation faced by human rights defenders in Guatemala.24 May 2023
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EU Member States finalise historic anti-deforestation law – now an end to deforestation finance must follow EU Member States today formally endorsed a landmark anti-deforestation law, which puts the European Union on a pathway to reduce its consumption of forest-risk commodities16 May 2023
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Patrick Alley and Simon Taylor, Global Witness founders, to step down as Executive Directors Patrick Alley and Simon Taylor, two of Global Witness’s founders, will be standing down from their roles as Executive Directors by the end of 2023, the organisation is announcing today09 May 2023
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“Time we cannot afford to lose” – MEPs back major delay for landmark corporate accountability law MEPs in the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee today backed plans for a moderate improvement of a new law on environment and human rights standards for companies doing business in the EU25 April 2023
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New tracking tool launched to monitor Amazon deforestation in meatpacker supply chain The new tool detected an average of 64 football pitches of deforested land every single week in 202224 April 2023