This guest post was contributed by Emily Ponder, a legal intern in our US office. Emily is a first-year law student at the University of Virginia School of Law.
Everyone knows that oil is a dirty business, but tar sands oil may be the dirtiest. That is why environmentalists, indigenous groups, and small-town Nebraska famers alike are celebrating President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline Jan. 18.
The tar sand oil extraction process and its transport poses serious health and environmental hazards, and the Keystone XL pipeline would have made 2,000 miles of land—and communities—vulnerable to its destructive risks. Read more »
It’s times like these that I wish I had a crystal ball. Not only because it seems like hundreds of people have called, emailed, and walked into our offices to ask us the question that’s on all of our minds: “What is going to happen in Burma? What does Secretary Clinton’s visit mean?”
EarthRights has been working on human rights and environmental issues in Burma for over 15 years. Our staff from Burma have been living Burma’s difficult history for their entire lives. We’ve seen hopes raised and then dashed too many times to not feel a little bit gun shy this time around. Yet in spite of the many different opinions of our staff, colleagues, friends and family members inside Burma and out, we all agree that something is happening, and change is in the air. Read more »
You can't imagine how thrilled I am to announce that, after 15 years, EarthRights International has a video that tells the story of our work — who we are, what we do, and why and how we do it — all in just over 4 minutes.
I could say more about our work, to set the stage, but I think the video stands on its own, so here it is:
That's it! The whole point of this video was to SHOW what we do without having to describe it—and we hope that it does just that for you. But we also hope that it does more. Read more »
Humans, by our very nature, seek community. Historically this has meant living within the community of those who share our day-to-day lives and perspectives. These communities have often been sustained and nurtured by women. In the 21st century, technology has allowed our communities to expand, even to the global level, which means the potential impact a single woman can have has grown exponentially.
At EarthRights International, we have worked alongside some of the most amazing women, all over the globe, in the struggle to protect human rights and the environment. While our programs provide support to such women, who have often been very marginalized, they have given back to us a thousand-fold, both through incredible collaborative partnerships and through the inspiration their work gives to us. Read more »
Today is International Human Rights Day, and the 62nd anniversary of the U.N.’s endorsement of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For those of us who work on human rights issues every day, December 10th can be a bit jarring, as the world’s attention focuses on our work for 24 hours and then swivels away again. We’d all love to see the energy and messages of this day persist around the year, so today I walked through our U.S. office and gathered tips from our staff on how you can do just that: Read more »
In the wake of Burma’s first elections in over 20 years, thousands of refugees are fleeing to Thailand from Burma. The Burmese military that has ruled my country since 1962 has increased its army to more than 400,000 troops, and have been fighting ethnic armies in the border areas, causing an urgent humanitarian situation. The news that I have received from friends and colleagues in the Myawaddy and the Three Pagodas Pass areas, where the fighting is happening now, is that women, men, children and elderly people are running across the border into Thailand. I have seen this scene over and over again in the 22 years since I myself fled from Burma, and my heart is breaking for my people for the suffering they are facing still today. As I write this, I know that they are terrified. I know that they do not want to be refugees and they would not leave their home if they felt they had any other choice. The repor Read more »
The international community expressed condemnation today over the conviction and sentence in the trial of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Ms. Suu Kyi was sentenced to 18 months of house arrest, after a Burmese court found her guilty of violating security laws on Tuesday August 11, 2008. Suu Kyi was charged under the draconian State Emergency Act (also known as the Law to Safeguard the State against the Dangers of Those Desiring to Cause Subversive Acts). Read more »
EarthRights International (ERI) is delighted that ERI’s Co-Founder and Executive Director, Ka Hsaw Wa, has been selected to receive the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership in 2009. Ka Hsaw Wa will receive the award, also known as Asia’s Nobel Prize, at the Magsaysay Award Presentation Ceremonies on Monday August 31, in Manila, Philippines. Ka Hsaw Wa, an ethnic Karen from Burma is being recognized for "his dauntlessly pursuing non violent yet effective channels of redress, exposure, and education for the defense of human rights, the environment, and democracy in Burma."
Read the official announcement (PDF)
Visit the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation website Read more »
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) launched a new coalition bringing together scientific associations/societies/academies, individual scientists, human rights organizations, and activists with a goal of furthering scientific support for human rights issues. Opening the launch were three distinguished speakers, including Mary Robinson, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and former President of Ireland. EarthRights International Burma Project Coordinator Matthew Smith spoke on a panel on the role of science in ERI’s acitivities. ERI Campaigns Coordinator Paul Donowitz welcomed the coalition, remarking that “the scientific community has tools and methodologies that can assist in the promotion and protection of human rights. We can learn much from scientists, and their stringent process which will help increase corporate accountability for human rights and environmental abuses, especially in the extractive industries. We look forward to building strong relationships with the scientific community.”
Read The Nation's coverage of the meeting > > Read more »
The power of law and the power of people
in defense of human rights and the environment.
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ERI staff, February 2010
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