Santiago will become the center of the world economy next week. It will not only be the setting of ECOFIN, the informal meeting between the finance ministers of the European Union and Latin America, but will be held in the days leading up to it. On September 13 and 14, Platform for Responsible Enterprises (PER) Conferences on a Fair and Sustainable Global Economy.
The event was inaugurated this morning by the Deputy Mayor. Maria RojasTogether with the coordinator of the platform, Amaya Acero, and Jose Luis BarreiroMember of the Board of Directors of the Galician Coordinator of NGOs for Development.
Rojas said in his speech “It is an honor that the city of Santiago has been chosen for the Ministers of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition to facing major global economic challenges, one of the challenges for us is moving towards a fairer and more sustainable global economy.“.
The mayor also indicated that Sessions would focus on that idea want”Preemptive orders forcing large multinational corporations to respond and mitigate negative impacts They build on environmental and human rights“.Rosas praised the commitment of the more than 500 companies that are part of PER.”Because they allow us to move towards the beautiful world we want“.
The sessions will be held in various areas of the city of Santiago and are open to the public. Among them Civil society agencies, human rights and environmental activists participate, which calls for state governments to approve due diligence directives to push companies on sustainability grounds. They ask that it apply to the entire value chain and that high-risk sectors like financial institutions should be included in the list.
Programming
Programs begin on Wednesday, September 13 Screening of the documentary The illusion of abundance. The film will be followed by a panel discussion with human rights defenders from Guatemala, Ecuador and Colombia.
Sessions on Thursday, September 14 The debate continues in the Faculty of Philosophy with representatives of the United Nations, MEPs, representatives of civil society, companies, activists and trade unions.
Other discussion tables include reflections The role of European corporations in Latin AmericaAct on Progress in Human Rights and Environmental Sustainability and Sustainable Investments.
In the afternoon, the conference will conclude with a street protest by the “Statue of Injustice”. Around it, a space for concentration and reflection will be set up.
In his speech, Amaya AceroCoordinator of PER, “Corporate abuses continue to occur and have been proven Voluntary structures do not work. The Platform for Responsible Companies intends to inform the Spanish Government and European Ministers through these conferences. An ambitious and effective European directive to ensure that all companies respect human and environmental rights is urgently needed It provides access to justice for victims of corporate violations. Spain has a unique opportunity to promote the ratification of this directive. Now is the time to act.”
