Our Work Overview

“What does the human rights community want?”

That’s the question—asked by a U.S. Senate Office—that prompted EarthRights International founder, Katie Redford to reach out to Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Global Witness, and Human Rights First, with another question:

“What if we had an organization that coordinated our joint advocacy and campaigns?”

Ten years in, the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable, led by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the AFL-CIO, Global Witness, Earth Rights International and the 40+ ICAR member organizations, has an answer:

We want government to be responsible stewards of the public interest, with the independence and resources to hold corporations accountable for their actions.
We want democracies that thrive on the inputs of lots of voices rather than lots of money and make their decisions in service of a sustainable future rather than narrow personal gains.
We want fundamental human rights to be treated, protected, and remedied as such.

Together with our leadership and membership, the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable works to uphold these ideals through our work to ensure reasonable safeguards against corporate abuse, protect those who speak out against corporate abuse, and combat the rise of the corporate state. We’re proud to stand on the side of iconic organizations who have built their credibility on telling the truth, righting injustice, and crafting solutions to problems often considered either too big or too distant to matter.

They matter to us, and together we’re working to make sure they matter to decision-makers too.

Explore Our Work

Getting Corporations Out of Government

Corporate capture of our public institutions is one of the biggest threats to democracy and to the protection of human rights. When corporations have outsized influence over legislative and regulatory bodies, courts, and elections, they can successfully evade accountability and manipulate the State into putting corporate profits ahead of the public interest.

The rights to free speech, peaceable assembly, and petition are under attack by corporations and powerful individuals. We believe that protestors and those who speak out against these actors should not be silenced through judicial processes that stymie justice and stifle free speech. When corporate interests and wealthy people use the judicial system to silence their critics, we fight back.

Every company has a mandate to maximize returns and minimize risk. How we define the relevant stakeholders and responsibilities in each category will determine what kind of future we build.

Our Work

“What does the human rights community want?”

“What if we had an organization that coordinated our joint advocacy and campaigns?”

Explore Our Work

Getting Corporations Out of Government

Protecting the Protest

Preventing Corporate Human Rights Abuses

Every company has a mandate to maximize returns and minimize risk. How we define the relevant stakeholders and responsibilities in each category will determine what kind of future we build.