New resources: ETOs in the context of eco-destruction and climate change and International Financial Institutions

Publish Date: 
Tuesday, January 13, 2015

The ETO Consortium has released a new publication series which seeks to illustrate and provide guidance to practitioners on how to apply ETOs (extraterritorial obligations) and the Maastricht Principles to specific thematic areas. Authored by members of the Consortium’s topical focal groups, the first two editions explore States’ extraterritorial obligations in the context of eco-destruction and climate change and in relation to International Financial Institutions (IFIs).

The brochure “ETOs in the Context of Eco-destruction and Climate Change”, prepared by Greenpeace and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), describes the human rights impairments resulting from transboundary environmental destruction and climate change and outlines States’ extraterritorial obligations to prevent and mitigate these, including through international cooperation.

The second brochure “ETOs in the context of International Financial Institutions”, written by the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights with contributions from Amnesty International, explores the extraterritorial obligations of States when acting through International Financial Institutions. It moreover discusses the direct human rights obligations of IFIs under international law and provides suggestions for civil society action.

Download Extraterritorial Obligations in the Context of Eco-destruction and Climate Change, available in English and Spanish). Download Extraterritorial Obligations in the Context of International Financial Institutions available in English and Spanish.

The ETO Consortium is a network of some 80 human rights related CSOs and academics. Its purpose is to address the gaps in human rights protection that have opened up through the neglect of ETOs.

The Consortium mainstreams and applies ETOs. Major terms of reference are the Maastricht Principles on Extraterritorial Obligations in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, an international expert opinion issued in September 2011 by experts from universities and organizations located in all regions of the world including current and former members of international human rights treaty bodies, regional human rights bodies, and former and current Special Rapporteurs of the United Nations Human Rights Council. 

The ETO-Consortium was set up in 2007 and held its first meeting in Geneva. It held various international conferences and regional events, and advanced ETOs in various contexts.