The AgriFood Collective of the Geneva Graduate Institute warmly invites you to an eye-opening panel discussion on the export of hazardous pesticides from Switzerland to the Global South. This event will shed light on topics of pesticides and corporate accountability through a real-life case involving the Swiss agrochemical company Syngenta - and dive into what legal and democratic tools are being used to hold corporations accountable.
In 2017, a pesticide of the Swiss company Syngenta was implicated in a wave of poisoning affecting farmers and agricultural workers in rural India. The pesticide had been legally exported from Switzerland, although its use has long been banned in Switzerland and the EU due to its harmful effects on health and the environment. In 2020, more than 50 farmers filed a complaint at the Swiss National Contact Point (NCP) for the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises. The complaint demanded that Syngenta provide financial compensation for the harm caused and that it adopts meaningful measures to prevent future cases of poisoning. In parallel, a survivor and the families of two people who died from the poisoning filed a civil lawsuit against Syngenta in Basel. During this event, the panelists, who have supported the survivors in their quest for justice, will present the legal actions and discuss the need to address double standards applying to highly hazardous pesticides, including through corporate accountability.
Join us for the panel discussion and Q&A session, followed by a relaxed networking Apéro!
Speakers:
- Dileep Kumar, CEO, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) India
- Anina Dalbert, Legal Advisor Corporate Accountability, Public Eye
- Theresa Mockel, Legal Advisor Business and Human Rights, European Center for Constitutional and Human rights (ECCHR)
- Laurent Gaberell, Food and agriculture expert, Public Eye
Moderator:
- Devayani Aravindan, Vice President of the AgriFood Collective
Welcome remarks:
- Gustave Mondron, Co-president of the AgriFood Collective