Friends of the Earth International Årsrapport

Around the globe we have seen deepening crises and an increase in natural disasters as a result of the neo-liberal model. We have also seen the rise of the right-wing resulting in a shrinking of civic space. The impunity of transnational corporations across the territories, human rights violations and criminalisation of activism are all growing concerns for frontline communities. The defenders of the commons and the territories are facing attacks every day.

As we all know the Covid pandemic has continued devastating the world and many lives. Yet corporations had no mercy even for those needing vaccinations. More than 2 million people, including Friends of the Earth International, have been

demanding a Peoples’ Vaccine to tackle the unequal global access to Covid-19 vaccines, treatment and medical supplies.

 

Friends of the Earth International celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021. Friends of the Earth International has been playing a crucial role bringing the voices of the peoples of the South to global platforms since its beginnings. With membership in 73 countries, we have continued to promote environmental justice. Victory against Shell in the landmark lawsuit filed by Milieudefensie was a moment for celebration. But we also saw how oil companies captured space at the COP 26 held in Glasgow. During 2021 Friends of the Earth International has spoken out against false solutions including the rise of the dangerous concept of nature-based solutions (NBS). We have observed the promotion of this false solution in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and other spaces. The Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) in 2021 came under fire from hundreds of small-scale food producers, NGOs and other civil society and Indigenous Peoples’ organisations, including Friends of the Earth International, because it ignored human rights and sidelined the small-scale producers who produce 70-80% of the world’s food.

 

During 2021, together with several like-minded environmental organisations, we continued our work on Internationalist Solidarity to defend the front-line defenders across the world, with our main focus on Honduras, Colombia, Palestine and Mozambique. We have been working on establishing and advocating for Friends of the Earth International’s vision of a feminist Just Transition and energy transformation in national and international policy forums, to challenge the false logic of a dirty energy system. The progress we have made in these areas in 2021 is part of our system change agenda to deal with the crises we face.

 

The specific programmes of the federation and the incalculable and incredible work of the member groups across the globe cannot be covered in detail in this report. This report highlights some key moments, from the grassroots to international advocacy work. Friends of the Earth International’s communications team and Real World Radio keep sharing our stories to reach more people.

 

Our mother Earth needs urgent action. Protecting its beauty, rich diversity, ecosystems, millions of living creatures, and our fellow humans require unconditional actions. As a grassroots environmental justice organisation, together with our allies, Friends of the Earth International is seeking to tackle the most burning issues in the coming years, transforming the system to build the world we want.

 

We strongly value the support given by our donor community, partners and the individuals around the

globe that make this work possible.

Hemantha Withanage

Friends of the Earth International Chair