Whether in the realm of environmental oversight, subsidies and tax abatements, consumer labeling and protection, or financial regulation, the human rights impacts of corporate lobbying are extensive.  In the United States, much has been made of the impact of campaign financing on elections following the Citizens United ruling by the US Supreme Court in 2010.  The ruling ostensibly paved the way for vastly increased financial contributions to political action committees, commonly known as ‘Super-PACs’.  But while Citizens Unitedsensitized the public once again to the role of money in elections, this issue has been around for a long time and plays a very big role in the realization of human rights.

The International Movement ATD Fourth World cordially invites you to the panel discussion titled Knowledge from experience: Building the Post-2015 Agenda with People living in Extreme Poverty.

This event is the conclusion to a two-day seminar giving people living in poverty and international development actors in the UN arena the opportunity to exchange ideas on an equal footing. The seminar forms part of ATD Fourth World’s participatory research conducted along-side its grassroots members.

The panel will consist of three sessions chaired by four ambassadors and will include keynote speeches from development stakeholders, academics and people living in poverty. ATD Fourth World will release the results of the participatory research and, participants will then discuss recommendations on the most effective means to deliver a sustainable development framework “that leaves no one behind”.

Protest in Venezuela. (Photo: PROVEA.)

The achievements in the fight against poverty that income statistics attribute to the government of Venezuela since 1999 are overshadowed by violence and insecurity that impede the full exercise of the rights to education, health, recreation and enjoyment of public spaces. Constitutional and legal reforms since 2008 represent another setback following the progress of basic rights in the first presidency of Hugo Chavez, by centralizing political power, restricting participation and democratic freedoms and pluralism, and increasing militarization of society. At the same time, the authorities insist on the criminalization of social protest and human rights.

The significant decline in poverty began during the administrations of President Chavez but stagnated in his second term (2007-2013). The reduction, which had been 16.4% between 2004 and 2006, was only 1.8% in the next four years.

Photo: UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

The World Health Organization's head, Dr Margaret Chan, has heavily criticized how big business influences public health by way of a combination of lobbying, litigation and misleading representations of research. Dr Chan's remarks were part of her address to the 8th Global Conference on Health Promotion, held in Helsinki, Finland. Comments such as those made by Dr Chan are rather unusual for UN officials, raising the level of concern with regard to the relationship between public health and big business.

From People's Rights to Corporate Privilege: A South Feminist Critique of the HLP Report on Post 2015 Development Agenda

The High Level Panel of Eminent Persons Report on the Post 2015 Development Agenda conveys a questionable sense of optimism for women. The report at first appears to have positively responded to the world-wide call from women to have a stand-alone and expanded gender equality goal. There are targets for gender, children and young people across several of the goals, as well as possibilities for indicators on gender, children and young people to be later developed at country level. Sexual and reproductive health and rights is also explicit.