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Land grabbing occurs when land that was previously used by local communities is leased or sold to outside investors, including corporations and governments. Friends of the Earth groups are responding to a wide range of land grabs and related threats around the world.
Find out more about land grabbing.
Bogus ‘Nature Based Solutions’ won’t solve the climate crisis. It’s just corporate greenwashing.
‘Nature-based solutions’ to the climate crisis were the talk of the town at COP26. The 2021 COP presidency made natu...
02 December, 2021Exposing corporate capture of the UN Food Systems Summit through multistakeholderism
This report exposes the rising threat of Multistakeholder Institutions (MSIs) and increasing corporate influence over th...
25 November, 2021Ahead of UN climate summit Friends of the Earth International spotlights how ‘Nature Based Solutions’ is being used to disguise climate-trashing business-as-usual
27 October 2021. Amsterdam, Netherlands and Glasgow, UK.
27 October, 2021Briefing notes for COP26: Carbon markets, Article 6 and Net Zero
Check out our new briefing notes: Carbon markets at the UNFCCC – COP26 and Article 6 and Net Zero and COP26 – d...
25 October, 2021The right to organise and cultural rights essential to community forest management
Essential rights to community-based forest management (CFM) are important in that they contribute to making this histori...
08 September, 2021Characteristics of false solutions to the biodiversity and related systemic crises
Although proposed solutions to the climate and biodiversity and other interrelated crises abound, sadly few are viable. ...
08 September, 2021No net loss of biodiversity: a false solution and more destruction.
Biodiversity is in crisis. The degradation and loss of nature and species’ extinction are immense and have serious imp...
28 May, 2021Business interests have hijacked the UN food systems summit
The United Nations agencies are warning that 270 million more people – over four times the UK population – are on th...
24 March, 2021Food Sovereignty for a Just Recovery from COVID-19
The COVID 19 pandemic has shown that the need for food sovereignty and agroecology is no longer up for debate. Local agr...
22 March, 2021Fruits of Resistance in Brazil
Just past Porto Alegre’s Redenção park, two blocks towards the river, sits the CaSanAT building. A colorful single...
19 March, 2021Community forest management: how it is supported in international agreements
This analysis of 17 international agreements provides us with very important information on how the various internationa...
03 March, 2021Chasing Carbon Unicorns: The deception of carbon markets and “net zero”
Powerful actors are using “net zero” pledges to hide their climate inaction. Stopping the climate crisis requires us...
22 February, 202113 years is too long for victims of Shell’s oil spills to wait for justice.
On Friday 29th January 2021, justice prevailed for the people of the oil-soaked Niger Delta. After a thirteen-year strug...
11 February, 2021“Nobody can tell us what to do”: Agroecology as resistance
“We can’t afford to plant only one crop - we have to do what is of more benefit to us,” says Nuie anak Sumok (belo...
21 December, 2020Defending territories and indigenous peoples’ rights in Malaysia
Among the tropical forests and mangroves of biodiversity-rich Borneo, the indigenous communities of Sarawak have lived i...
11 December, 2020Feminist frontlines: responses to COVID-19 and the care crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the systemic crisis we are experiencing at the global level: a social, environmental,...
24 November, 2020Condemnation of the assassination of Mama Fikile Ntshangase in South Africa
Friends of the Earth International condemns the killing of Mama Fikile Ntshangase, shot in her home in Mtubatuba, KwaZul...
06 November, 2020Oil company Total back in Court for human rights violations in Uganda
On Wednesday 28 October, 10:30 am, the appeal hearing against oil giant Total will start in Versailles Court of Appeal, ...
27 October, 2020Junk Agroecology
Agroecology has gained ground in recent years as the need to transform our agrifood system becomes increasingly clear. T...
12 October, 2020Burning Amazonia: A Global Corporate Crime
Transnational corporations have sought to expand their territorial control of the Amazon for decades. Year after year, t...
30 September, 2020Internationalist solidarity with the Garifuna community in Honduras
Friends of the Earth International condemns and voices deep concern and outrage over the kidnapping of four comrades fro...
16 August, 2020The military model destroying the Brazilian Amazon
“Scorched land is basically vacant land, it has nothing on it. This allows speculation to come in to play. Forested ...
06 July, 2020Friends of Earth International condemns Israel’s plan to annex the major part of the Palestinian West Bank
Friends of the Earth International condemns Israel’s move to forcefully annex significant parts of the occupied Palest...
03 July, 2020Gas in Mozambique: A windfall for the industry, a curse for the country
This new report by Friends of the Earth France, Mozambique and International denounces French interests in the gas mega-...
15 June, 2020Gas Rush, Human Rights Abuses, Climate Devastation, Insurgent Attacks, Covid Hotspot
Cabo Delgado needs our support and solidarity. The gas industry is ravaging the northernmost region of Mozambique, as tr...
04 June, 2020Mozambique village adopts collective, organic farming after land rights win
In a quiet region in southern Mozambique, one community’s fight to reclaim their stolen land has led to a more communa...
07 May, 2020COVID-19 measures must ensure Human Rights and build the resilient, sustainable food system we desperately need
Statement to the Extraordinary Meeting of G20 Agriculture Ministers, 21 April 2020: As the COVID-19 health emergency un...
21 April, 2020COVID-19 crisis is a wake up call for system change
Friends of the Earth expresses its deep concern and solidarity as the world faces the COVID-19 crisis, which is already ...
15 April, 2020Tricks of the trade: corporations leading the deregulation of environmental protection
The environment is under threat. A global scientific assessment this year highlighted the urgent crisis in biodiversity ...
05 March, 2020Nature for Sale
Corporations, industries and international institutions have spent the last two decades pursuing market-based ‘solutio...
05 March, 2020How to achieve a successful Global Biodiversity Framework
2020 is a critical year for nature. From forests to oceans, fields to skies, science has shown that the interconnected e...
23 February, 2020Total abuses in Uganda: French High Court of Justice declares itself incompetent in favour of the Commercial Court
January 30, 2020 - The Nanterre High Court has handed down its decision on the summary proceedings brought by Friends of...
30 January, 2020Total in court for human rights violations in Uganda: Historic hearing in France under the duty of vigilance law.
The organizations are suing the oil giant on account of its activities in Uganda. Over two years of investigations have ...
16 December, 2019COP 25: Resurgence of carbon markets threatens people, politics and planet
2 December 2019, Madrid, Spain As the international climate talks open today in Madrid, Spain, the world faces the re-e...
29 November, 2019Carbon Markets at COP25, Madrid: A Threat to People, Politics, and Planet
In December 2019, the international community gathers for the 25th UN climate conference (COP25) in Madrid, Spain. Carbo...
26 November, 2019Regulated Destruction
In the context of intensifying climate and biodiversity crises, international institutions and states have the power to ...
21 November, 2019Agroecology recognized as the transformative solution for a food system in crisis by experts at UN
Civil society representatives from around the world successfully put agroecology on the agenda of the United Nations Com...
07 November, 2019Oil company Total faces historic legal action in France for human rights and environmental violations in Uganda.
Paris, 23 October 2019 Today Friends of the Earth France, Survie, AFIEGO, CRED, NAPE/Friends of the Earth Uganda and ...
23 October, 2019Robust week of UN negotiations ends with threats to civil society’s participation
18 October 2019, Geneva UN negotiations drew to a close for another year after a week of discussions on the text detail...
18 October, 2019Death by impunity: Berta Cáceres and Agua Zarca
“I cannot freely walk on my territory or swim in the sacred river and I am separated from my children because of the...
08 October, 2019Red Carpet Courts
Imagine an environmentally or socially destructive corporate project – say, a toxic mine, which could poison your loca...
24 June, 2019Power concentration in the global food system and the threat of Big Data
Mega-mergers and acquisitions have led to an unprecedented concentration of power throughout the industrial food chain. ...
29 April, 2019Condemnation of the assassination of Sergio Rojas in Costa Rica
Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean (ATALC) denounces and condemns the assassination of Sergio Rojas, a...
21 March, 2019RSPO: 14 years of failure to eliminate violence and destruction from the industrial palm oil sector
More than 100 organizations from five continents signed on to this open statement from Friends of the Earth Internationa...
12 November, 2018Israel’s attempt to demolish Palestinian village Khan al Ahmar contravenes international law
Israeli forces are forcibly displacing Palestinians as they attempt to demolish the Bedouin village of Khan al Ahmar in ...
06 July, 2018Free Territories declaration: a practice of autonomy
Communities, their organizations and Friends of the Earth International groups, use a variety of strategies in the defen...
23 April, 2018Community forest management
Community forest management is a proposal and solution that Friends of the Earth International has been promoting for ...
19 April, 2018We can feed the world and protect our forests – but it requires system change
Do we care more about people or forests? This seems to be the question implicit in much of the current debate that pits ...
03 April, 2018Community forest management and agroecology
The wellbeing of our communities, our natural world and our ability to feed ourselves in a just and sustainable way has ...
19 March, 2018Friends of the Earth International denounces massacre of peasant farmers in Peru
Friends of the Earth International denounces the killing of six peasant farmers in the Peruvian Amazon on 1 September.
13 September, 2017UN Treaty on transnational corporations and human rights progressing
Last week in Geneva at the UN Human Rights Council, a treaty for transnational corporations and human rights was once mo...
13 March, 2017Friends of the Earth International calls for legally binding UN treaty on Transnational corporations and human rights
From 24 to 28 October, UN negotiations that could provide a historic opportunity for justice and an end to corporate imp...
19 October, 2016We need an agroecological revolution – so why are Governments investing in agribusiness?
Agriculture is under pressure to perform on World Food Day. As Governments pay lip service to combatting climate change ...
17 October, 2016Trade and investments agreements block progress on agroecology and food sovereignty
On World Food Day, a new report from Friends of the Earth International finds that current strategies to raise investmen...
16 October, 2016Trade and investments agreements block progress on agroecology and food sovereignty
On World Food Day, a new report from Friends of the Earth International finds that current strategies to raise investmen...
16 October, 2016Agreements block agroecology and food sovereignty
On World Food Day, a new report from Friends of the Earth International finds that current strategies to raise investmen...
11 October, 2016A letter from Gustavo to the people of Honduras
To the Honduran people: I don't know if you'll ever receive these lines I'm writing to you.
18 March, 2016Development financiers suspend Honduras operations after latest murder
Amsterdam, 17th march 2016. Two major development finance companies involved in the construction of the controversial Ag...
17 March, 2016Development financiers suspend Honduras operations after latest murder
Two major development finance companies involved in the construction of the controversial Agua Zarca dam announced they ...
16 March, 2016Support defenders of human rights and nature in Honduras
In the space of two weeks, four activists working with local communities opposing development projects have been shot. T...
16 March, 2016Friends of the Earth International calls for the end of impunity of transnational corporations and financiers for their Human Rights violations
GENEVA (SWITZERLAND) March 11th 2016 – Activists from Friends of the Earth International, along with human rights and ...
11 March, 2016The Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure at a Crossroads
The Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (Tenure Guidelines, also referred ...
10 December, 2015Civil society actions escalate as Paris climate talks enter final phase
With another round of climate talks closing soon and a fair and just deal as far away as ever, civil society organizatio...
09 December, 2015’Stop the haze’ : Friends of the Earth Indonesia protest at Paris climate talks
Activists from Friends of the Earth Indonesia/WALHI held an action at the international climate talks in Paris today, ab...
04 December, 2015Financialization of Nature: Creating a new definition of nature
Nature and communities all over the world are facing multiple crises. Capitalism is also experiencing grave problems. Na...
02 November, 2015Why we need a treaty regulating transnational corporations
After decades of struggle by communities around the world, the idea of corporations being held legally responsible for t...
09 July, 2015Nigeria palm oil land grab exposes need for human rights treaty
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, July 8, 2015 – A new report on palm oil land grabs in Nigeria by Asia’s leading agribusiness g...
08 July, 2015Action: Harvard’s investments are wrecking lands and livelihoods in Argentina
Harvard University has one of the world’s largest endowments, which manages roughly US$30 billion. Some of this money ...
01 July, 2015Join the Treaty Alliance: sign the statement calling for regulation for Transnational Corporations
Sign the statement calling for regulation for Transnational Corporations In June 2014, the Human Rights Council heard ...
19 June, 2015Friends of the Earth Africa groups push back on extractive activities, land grabs in Africa
Friends of the Earth Africa (FoEA) groups have decried the impact of extractive companies’ operations across the Afric...
26 May, 2015Solidarity Statement with victims of Rana Plaza and to the women workers marching on this Global Day of Feminist Action
RANA PLAZA is everywhere, as so are our movements fighting for justice! Versão em português
24 April, 2015On the International Day of Peasant Struggle – Peasants’ Rights Over Private Profits!
Today, April 17, is the International Day of Peasant Struggle – a day to highlight the persecution and violence suffer...
17 April, 2015Violence in Uganda and Indonesia: Why plantation companies can’t be trusted to police themselves
On February 27, Indra Pelani, a 22 year-old farmer and environmental defender from Jambi, Indonesia, was traveling to a ...
17 March, 2015Retaining Community Sovereignty Over Land – Strategies and Learning from FOEI campaigns
This is a learning and knowledge sharing material intended for INTERNAL use within FoEI member groups. It documents the ...
11 March, 2015Environmental activist killed in Indonesia
Indra Pelani, a 22-year-old environmental activist and farmer was murdered in Indonesia at the end of February.
11 March, 2015Declaration of the International Forum for Agroecology
The International Forum for Agroecology was held in Nyéléni Mali 24 – 27th February. The forum was a landmark moment...
27 February, 2015Ugandan oil palm conglomerate taken to court over land-grab claims
KAMPALA/BRUSSELS/LONDON , 19 February 2015– Farmers in Uganda evicted by oil palm plantations are today filing a lawsu...
19 February, 2015Who benefits from GM crops?
The expansion of agribusiness interests in Africa through biosafety policy
03 February, 2015Company profile of Ecoener and Hidralia Energía
This report presents an overview of the Spanish companies Ecoener and Hidralia Energía, both involved in the company Hi...
22 January, 2015Retaining community sovereignty over land – a guide for communities
Around the world, community land is being targeted by governments and big business. This ‘land grabbing’ may be to g...
01 December, 2014Take action: stop land grabs in Uganda
In the Kalangala islands on Lake Victoria, Uganda, communities are being forced off their lands by a powerful alliance o...
17 November, 2014Financialization and biodiversity
Today we are witnessing a new wave of privatization through the implementation of financial mechanisms. The financializa...
21 October, 2014Small Scale Food Producers are the Solution to the Global Food Crisis
Opinion piece by Friends of the Earth International food sovereignty coordinators Kirtana Chandrasekaran and Martin Drag...
16 October, 2014The great REDD gamble
Governments around the world are recklessly betting that a risky method called REDD, or ‘Reducing Emissions from Defor...
09 October, 2014Endless injustice: The environmental and social impact of Israel’s occupation
Friends of the Earth International's 2013 mission to the Occupied Palestinian Territory saw evidence of land grabbing an...
22 July, 2014VIDEO: The environmental and social impact of Israel’s occupation
As casualties mount in Gaza, FoEI remembers its 2013 solidarity mission to the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the hu...
22 July, 2014Ten years since ICJ declared the “Apartheid Wall” in Palestine illegal – Real World Radio
Ten years ago, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared the “Apartheid Wall” built in the Occupied Palesti...
16 July, 2014FoE Malaysia calls on Malaysian Government to address negative impacts of its overseas foreign direct investment
Although the outflow of Malaysian investments abroad has been more than the inflow of investments into the country, seri...
23 June, 2014Liberian politician speaks out against landgrabbing
Friends of the Earth Liberia: Byron Browne, Member of Parliament from Grand Bassa County, Liberia, has lambasted the gov...
11 June, 2014Our Land, Our Future
Communities in Liberia stand up to palm oil and demand recognition as land owners. Sign the petition 'Tell Equatorial Pa...
06 June, 2014We defend the environment, we defend human rights
This report presents a snapshot of FoEI’s efforts over a two-year period to respond to and disseminate testimonies and...
05 June, 2014Deutsche Bank divests from Bumitama
Deutsche Bank has told Friends of the Earth Europe and Rettet den Regenwald that it has sold its shares in the Indonesia...
27 May, 2014When our land is free, we’re all free
Corporations’ interest in agriculture in Africa has certainly accelerated corporate control of land and seeds but done...
14 May, 2014Landgrabbing in Liberia: Tell Equatorial Palm Oil NO means NO!
A community in Liberia is fighting to keep their home. A British palm oil company wants to clear their land without thei...
14 May, 2014Resistance to Liberia landgrabs a warning to Africa investment conference
ABUJA (NIGERIA) / MONROVIA (LIBERIA), 6 May 2014 – On the opening day of a 6-8 May conference in Abuja aimed at attrac...
06 May, 2014Who benefits from GM crops? 2014
Read the report Read an executive summary of the report The latest 'Who benefits from GM crops' report suggests that a...
30 April, 2014New Report: More States Suspend Genetically Modified Crops
LONDON (UK) / BRUSSELS (BELGIUM), April 30, 2014 – The number of countries cultivating genetically modified (GM) crops...
30 April, 2014Forests need proper definition, NGOs tell FAO
MEDIA ADVISORY, 27 March, 2014 -- La Via Campesina, Friends of the Earth International, Focus on the Global South, World...
27 March, 2014Surprising Sri Lanka protest grabs government attention
Destructive land grabs in Sri Lanka's ancient Nilgala forest have ceased - at least for now. Friends of the Earth Sri La...
18 March, 2014Sri Lanka: Demand stronger environmental protection for ancient Nilgala forest
Sri Lanka's ancient Nilgala forest is being ripped up to make room for cash crops. Put pressure on Sri Lankan authoritie...
04 February, 2014