C4ADS

NEW: If you’ve been to your local pharmacy lately, there’s a chance that something you bought was produced with active ingredients that can be traced to #XUAR — and that it was manufactured using #Uyghur #forcedlabor. In Side Effects, we look at the human rights implications of those global pharmaceutical supply chain ties to the region. #China is the largest active pharmaceutical ingredient producer — and the second-largest pharmaceutical market — in the world. And many of the companies responsible for creating and maintaining that market rely on manufacturing bases in XUAR, a hotspot for human rights abuses and a key hub for several of China’s largest pharmaceutical companies (like Sinopharm, Xinjiang Dejuan Bioengineering, and Xinjiang Nuziline Bio-Pharmaceutical). In fact, 76 different pharmaceutical products exported from China are *only* produced in XUAR, including some over-the-counter pain relievers. For global supply chains, this means clear risk of exposure to forced labor. Still, several key global bodies continue to register and source from these XUAR-linked companies — including the FDA and USAID, as well as Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency. As the global community continues to coalesce around forced labor legislation, it’s our hope that policymakers and private-sector actors alike can use the insights found in this report to bolster sanctions, derisk supply chains, and improve due diligence systems. Read 👇 https://lnkd.in/e5PdZcDf

ICYMI: Thank you to our partner Bright Data for featuring our 2024 Buffered Extraction issue brief — analyzing the impact of Chinese-owned mines in the #DRC on local #biodiversity and regional stability — in their annual impact report! Check it out 👇

Today, 21 February 2025, the Wayamo Foundation is very excited to host experts from across the globe for a symposium on the subject of “Advancing accountability for international crimes in Africa” at the Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications in Nairobi. The event focuses on identifying appropriate and creative means and mechanisms to advance accountability for international crimes and takes place in front of an audience made up of Kenyan, Ugandan, Sudanese and South African civil society representatives, government representatives, international criminal law experts from the East African region and abroad, the diplomatic corps, as well as law students and academic experts. Discussions are focusing on justice efforts that can be applied even during armed conflict situations and experts are speaking on emerging tools and avenues which can be used to disrupt international crimes and the networks that make atrocities possible, including in the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan. The symposium also explores the different accountability mechanisms at their disposal, ranging from the International Criminal Court to UN Fact-Finding missions, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and domestic systems under universal jurisdiction. Experts include: - Mohamed Chande Othman, Chairperson of the Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, former Chief Justice of Tanzania - Isaac Lenaola, Judge of the Supreme Court of Kenya - Pubudu Sachithanandan, Head of Unified Team at the Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court - Mohamed Elnu ́man, legal adviser, Sudan - Sarah Kihika Kasande, Head of Office, International Centre for Transitional Justice, Kampala - Tina Alai, Transitional Justice Advisor, United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan  - Adejoké Babington-Ashaye, International Law Expert with a focus on accountability for sexual and gender-based violence  - Nick Leddy, Head of Litigation, Legal Action Worldwide (LAW)  - Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh, Director of the Africa Programme at the International Commission of Jurists, South Africa  - Christopher Kiyaseh, Analyst, from the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) Stay tuned for more updates, quotes and posts.

ICYMI: C4ADS Program Director Faith Hornor recently spoke with Spoorthy Raman about #wildlife trafficking and the exotic pet trade in Hispanic America — and its consequences for #biodiversity in the region. From Mongabay 👇

We're excited to see our newly published Refining Power commentary — which finds that #CCP-linked entities control more than 75% of #Indonesia's #nickel refining capacity — highlighted in this Reuters story from earlier this week. Read 👇 https://lnkd.in/gygNhN-M

At least 75% of Indonesia's nickel refining capacity is ultimately owned by Chinese companies or shareholders, according to a report published today (February 4) by US-based "global security non-profit" C4ADS. C4ADS's investigation looked in depth at the corporate structures of 19 #nickel refineries in Indonesia. "The ownership structures of these top companies are often complex, with Chinese involvement masked behind layers of corporate entities registered in different countries," the report found. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e8mxmF69

NEW: Indonesia is on track to become the world’s largest producer of refined nickel. But new C4ADS analysis reveals that over 75% of the country’s nickel refining capacity is controlled by a small group of Chinese companies and investors, many with financial or other ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). At first glance, 33 different companies appear to control the 19 nickel refineries responsible for more than 90 percent of Indonesia’s refining capacity — but when you trace ownership up through layers of holdings and shell companies, much of the industry is connected to two Chinese companies. This veiled ownership and notable foreign control has serious implications for global supply chains. It also hinders efforts to hold these companies accountable for their operations and their environmental and social impact on the region, which includes deforestation, pollution, and poor workplace safety standards. Read Refining Power 👇 https://lnkd.in/ewMA4GxN

ICYMI: Glad to see our 2020 Tweaking the Record analysis mentioned in this new investigation from Bellingcat and Postimees Grupp into how Chinese suppliers are running digital ads for deadly opiods — and promising global delivery. Read 👇

🚨 C4ADS is #hiring! 🚨 We're looking for an experienced and skilled Head of #Software to manage our software team, plan for new software products, and ensure the successful development & delivery of those products. Interested? Learn more and apply 👇

ICYMI: C4ADS provided analytical, data, and imagery support for this report, partnering with the Ayin Network and Darfur24 on this investigation into the gold mining operations fueling the Rapid Support Forces (#RSF) capabilities in #Sudan. Read 👇