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Business and development

Political article

Mobilising private finance: many open questions

Since the UN Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa in 2015, the international community has been almost at one in repeating the mantra: only by mobilising private finance will it be possible to fund the Sustainable Development Goals.

Article as analysis

Aligning investments with climate targets

In signing the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, the international community pledged, among other things, to orient financial flows towards a low-carbon economy. Switzerland is moving along that path – but in very small steps.

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Is the greenwashing fog about to clear?

In late May, public prosecutors in Frankfurt searched the offices of Deutsche Bank and its asset management subsidiary DWS. The reason was presumed greenwashing practices. Time to ensure greater clarity in also Switzerland.

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The energy transition and its minerals

The invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops has thrown energy markets and geopolitics into chaos and forced many countries to rethink their energy supply arrangements. Over time, the race for “green minerals” will create new dependencies.

Political article

SDG Impact Finance Initiative: impact for whom?

There is a new SECO initiative designed to mobilise private capital for developing countries. It raises several questions about governance and development impacts.

Political article

Glencore sues Colombia over Cerrejón Mine

No sooner had the announcement on giving up fossil fuels been made, than Switzerland's Glencore International became the sole owner of Latin America's biggest open pit coal mine. It is even taking the Colombian State to court.

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Environmental sustainability: a new human right

The right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment has been enshrined as a fundamental right in a resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council. Enterprises too fall within its scope.

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Civil society, the new historical subject

Jean Ziegler, author of the book titled «Was ist so schlimm am Kapitalismus – Antworten auf die Fragen meiner Enkelin», urges NGOs and social movements to create a new social world order based on rights, solidarity, reciprocity and complementarity.

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«Inequalities are rooted in the system»

Stefano Zamagni, Italian economist and President of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, explains in an interview why a new beginning with the civil economy can no longer be postponed.