A new augmented reality art installation will be unveiled today during the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights at the UN Headquarters in Geneva. The groundbreaking piece, entitled ICARUS, is the work of award-winning artist Peter Wu+, and was commissioned by ICAR as the latest installation of the Capitol, Inc. project.

As a part of our fight to get corporations out of the government, The International Corporate Accountability Roundtable hosted its first ever Invisible DC Block Party on June 8th at the National Mall in Washington D.C.

The recent leak of more than 120,000 confidential files from Uber—which exposed the tech giant’s secret lobbying and powerful government alliances—has drawn significant public attention to the power, and problem, of corporate influence over governments and public officials around the globe.

As part of ICAR’s Capitol, Inc. Campaign, four new augmented reality art pieces will be unveiled today on iconic Washington landmarks including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, highlighting corporate and government abuse of people and the planet.

Big money and corporate power dictate how agricultural workers are treated, how our food is grown, whether family farmers are able to earn a living, and whether rural communities thrive or decline. Read our fact sheet to learn more about how agricultural powerhouses manipulate policy in their favor and sabotage progress on a host of social justice issues.

The climate crisis we are currently facing is largely a product of the notoriously profit-hungry fossil fuel industry. They knew about the climate risks 60 years ago and spent billions to cover up the truth, all to protect their profits. Read our fact sheet to learn more unchecked political influence within the oil & gas the industry that is being used manipulate the government into prioritizing industry profits above public interest.

For-profit corporations are involved in nearly every aspect of the criminal justice and immigration systems in the United States. Private prison have a powerful financial incentive both to cut corners when it comes to the services they provide, and to push for policies that fuel mass incarceration. Read our fact sheet to learn more.

This policy memo provides an overview of some of the core ways corporations exert influence over government in the United States and discusses legislation and policy solutions that would help start to rein in corporate influence and combat corporate capture.

New Administration’s Crack-down on Shadow Lobbying and Golden Parachutes Reflects ICAR’s Recent Recommendations

During the 4th session of the open-ended intergovernmental working group (OEIGWG) on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights, ICAR and SOMO issued a statement to support article 15.3 of the zero draft which addresses the issue of corporate capture.

After what seems like months of alleged corruption and pompous disregard for the rules of decorum for public servants, Scott Pruitt has finally landed in hot water. The Environmental Protection Agency Chief’s slick real estate deal with a (former) energy lobbyist’s wife, and other ethically questionable actions, have caught the attention of lawmakers, watchdogs, and the general public.

Corporate influence over the global trade and investment regime has resulted in trade and investment policy, agreements, and enforcement structures that favor corporate interests at the expense of human rights and environmental protections. Recently, new political challenges to global trade and investment have emerged, and States have started re-thinking alternatives to the existing framework.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Professor Philip Alston, will conduct a country visit to the United States in December, and has asked interested parties to provide information on the interlinkages between poverty and realization of human rights in the context of the United States. ICAR prepared a submission on this topic to highlight how corporate influence of U.S. trade policies has become a key driver to poverty in the United States.