Christian initiative Romero
The Christian Initiative Romero e. V. (CIR) is a registered association with headquarters in Münster and branches in Berlin and Nuremberg .
In line with its namesake Óscar Romero , the CIR campaigns against injustice and takes sides for the poor. The initiative campaigns for labor and human rights in Central American countries . Her work focuses on supporting grassroots movements and organizations there as well as campaigning and educational work in Germany. The CIR indicates an average annual donation volume of 500,000.00 euros. The goals and vision of the CIR are to create a just and solidary world in which a good life is possible for everyone. It should be a world free from discrimination and violence that is supported by a diverse society. In this world, humans are at the center of another economic system that offers everyone access to decent work and preserves the natural foundations of life.
activity
The association supports around 90 projects in Central America each year, with a focus on Nicaragua , El Salvador , Guatemala and Honduras . Central concerns of these projects are self-determination of women, respect for human rights and the cultural and social rights of the indigenous population, decent working conditions, respect for and organization of working children, ecology and sustainable agriculture as well as political strengthening of civil society.
Political information work is another field of activity. This intervenes in development policy debates and initiates campaigns, for example for decent working conditions in world market factories. A central addressee of the CIR's campaign work are global companies and branded companies.
In addition to campaign and project work, the association provides emergency aid for B. after natural disasters, organizes urgent actions in case of human and labor rights violations and plans tours with guests from Central America.
The association researches, among other things, in the areas of the clothing industry and human and children's rights in Central America as well as in the areas of orange juice and toy production. Numerous prepared results of this research are available, including didactically elaborated work folders. In addition, the CIR informs around 16,000 people interested in development policy every quarter with a free magazine, the “presente”, about current political and social issues.
The association is financed through membership fees and donations, grants from churches and private foundations, government grants, for example from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the EU, and through funds from the Romero Foundation . The association bears the donation seal of the German Central Institute for Social Issues .
Campaigns
- The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) calls on clothing companies to commit themselves to complying with minimum standards in the manufacture of their clothes and to have them checked independently. The aim of the campaign is for large textile retailers to sign a code of conduct with the most important standards of the International Labor Organization (ILO), which was drawn up together with partner organizations from the south and thus undertake to guarantee the labor rights stipulated therein in the production of their clothing.
- The “Supermarket Initiative” is an amalgamation of different organizations. It requires supermarket chains to ensure fair production and working conditions at their suppliers as one of their main concerns. In the current “SUPPLYCHA! NGE” campaign, civil society organizations across Europe and from the global south are calling for supermarkets to take responsibility for grievances and to work transparently for the improvement of working and environmental conditions along the supply chain.
- The “Stop Mad Mining” campaign provides information about the negative consequences of the extraction of raw materials and, together with its 13 international partners, advocates the protection of human rights and environmental protection during the extraction of raw materials on a political and corporate level.
- "Every municipality counts: Socially fair purchasing - now!" Is an international project of the cities of Dortmund, Wels and Trebíc in cooperation with the non-governmental organizations CIR, Südwind and NaZemi, which advocates sustainable public procurement by municipalities in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic .
- The campaign “Women's Voices against Violence” calls on the EU, and in particular the European External Action Service (EEAS), to implement the EU guidelines against violence against women.
- Pro los Niños y Adolescentes Trabajadores - ProNATs - is an initiative group of organizations and people who work against exploitation and for the strengthening of working initiatives to strengthen underage workers.
- Corporate Accountability - Network for Corporate Responsibility (CorA) is a network of several organizations in Germany that demand that companies comply with human rights and internationally recognized social and ecological standards. Above all, it requires instruments from politics with which companies can act responsibly.
- The “I shop fair” initiative, supported by the European Union, is a network for ethical consumption that aims to inform consumers and the general public about working conditions in factories around the world.