EarthRights
Urges Korean President to Heed Warnings of Harmful Impacts
Earlier
this week, EarthRights submitted a letter to South Korean President
Lee Myung-Bak urging him to reconsider Korea's involvment in two
development projects in Korea and Burma due to their potential
human rights and environmental impacts. ERI believes
the harmful social and environmental effects resulting from the
Great Korea Canal Project and the Shwe Gas Project disproportionately
outweigh their expected economic benefits. Read
the full text of the letter.
Learn
more about ERI's work monitoring Burma's Oil and Gas sector
ERI
Presents at Inaugural Yale Law School Symposium on Corporate Social
Responsibility
In
1854, Professor Silliman of the Chemistry Department of Yale University
was commissioned by a small group of American venture capitalists
to examine the properties of a curious black substance that was
bubbling out of the ground in western Pennsylvania. The substance,
of course, was oil, referred to at the time as “rock oil,”
and Professor Silliman’s final report on the usefulness
of oil is widely regarded as a foundation of the modern petroleum
industry, having encouraged investors toward the pursuit of large-scale
oil development. Earlier this month, over 150 years later, three
ERI staff traveled to Yale Law School to likewise examine today’s
“properties” of natural resources. Read
more about the event.
| ERI Program Coordinator
Naing Htoo, ERI Project Coordinator Matthew F. Smith, and
ERI Litigation Coordinator Rick Herz presented their findings
at the symposium which brought together scholars, businesspeople,
students, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss topics
related to Corporate Social Responsibility in the extractive
industries. Their papers will be published in the upcoming
Volume
XI of the Yale Human Rights and Development Law Journal. |
ERI's
Matthew Smith & Naing Htoo at Yale Law School |
ERI's
Third Solo Submission to the UN Addresses Access to Justice
In this submission, ERI addresses
the issue of access to justice, which was highlighted by Mr. Ruggie
in his report to the Human Rights Council last year. As he enters
the final year of his mandate, ERI seeks to remind Professor Ruggie
of the benefits that transnational litigation under the U.S. Alien
Tort Statute has afforded to victims by providing a forum for
access to justice especially when such access is lacking elsewhere.
Excerpts from ERI's submission
will also be published in an upcoming casebook by the University
of Oregon School of Law illustrating how cases in Europe, Africa,
Asia, and the Americas have begun to interpret treaties, national
constitutions, and human rights legislation to protect the environment
through the recognition of rights.
Read
more . . .
EarthRights
Burma School Students Share Their Stories
UK-based
human rights organization Article 19 will publish original photographs,
essays, and poems submitted by EarthRights Burma School students
in an anthology of contemporary Burmese writings due out this
May. In a lead-up to the release date,
each month we will feature our students' work in an on-going series.
This month we bring you Khon
Nasa's moving personal story, Renewing Roots.
Read last month's piece, Three
Seasons, by Naw Naw Soe.
Become
a Part of the EarthRights Family!
EarthRights has multiple
positions available in our Washington, DC and Thailand offices.
We are looking for talented individuals dedicated to social justice.
Click
here to find out if there is an opportunity for you or someone
you know to get involved in our work!
Upcoming
Event - Matthew Brookman's Photography Exhibit at 1435 Girard
Gallery
 |
A local supporter of EarthRights
International, Matthew Brookman, will be presenting Luminesce,
a show of photography which draws heavily on images Matthew
captured in Burma. A portion of the proceeds from
the sale of these photos in silent auction will benefit ERI’s
work in Burma. The rest of the proceeds from this
show will go towards furthering future exhibits of the grassroots
gallery 1435 Girard Street. So, come out on Saturday and support
a local artist, the work of EarthRights International AND
a grassroots gallery - win, win, win!!! Our staff members
will see you there… |
The show will begin at
8pm with the silent auction ending at 11pm at 1435 Girard Street,
Washington, D.C. 20009 this Saturday, March 29, 2008.
The gallery is requesting a donation of $10 or more at the door.
Food will be prepared by featured chef Warren Hutchinson, Sous
Chef at DC Coast. Please RSVP to info@1435girard.com.
A little more about the artist: Matthew and his
wife recently relocated to the District from Los Angeles where
he worked as a senior light technician in film for nearly twenty
years, and his mastery of natural and artificial light yield images
breathtaking to behold. Luminesce draws from all aspects of his
portfolio, exhibiting portraits, landscapes, still life and action
shots.
Did you know you can
show your support for ERI every time you do a search on the internet?
Please visit www.freelanthropy.com
and install ERI's toolbar on your browser window and every time
you search the internet using this toolbar, you'll be supporting
the earth rights movement - it's that simple!
