Archive for the ‘Forests’ Category

Bonn/Bogota, 12 June 2013

A new report [1] by the Global Forest Coalition [2] was launched at a side event on equity in climate mitigation policies organized by GenderCC at the climate talks in Bonn, Germany [3]. The report highlights the serious negative impacts that the proposed new ‘bioeconomy’ and existing markets in ‘environmental services’ could have on women around the world.

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Press release: Friends of the Earth International, Global Forest Coalition, Urgewald, Rights Action, Rettet den Regenwald/Rainforest Rescue, Global Justice Ecology Project, Biofuelwatch

19^th March 2013 – International NGOs have condemned a statement by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) [1] which defends the record of a Honduran palm oil company, Grupo Dinant, which is implicated in dozens of murders as well as other human rights abuses.  The IFC statement explicitly admits to supporting training for the company’s armed security guards.  A World Bank Ombudsman [2] is currently investigating an IFC loan of $30 million for Grupo Dinant which was approved in 2009, at least half of which has already been disbursed. This month, an Open Letter by 17 NGOs [3] and an international petition signed by over 63,000 people [4] have protested the loan and called on the World Bank to immediately cease their support for Grupo Dinant. Read more »

We present the 42nd version of the Global Forest Coalition’s newsletter in intergovernmental forest-related policy processes: Forest Cover no.42. In the editorial you can read about REDD+ developments and other fairy tales in Doha during COP18, followed by an analysis of the COP18 main happenings written by our Latin American Indigenous Focal Point; you will also find an article on the dangerous Bieconomy’s synthetic biology proposal which depicts some of its potential social and environmental impacts which were not fully addressed during the last Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP11) in Hyderabad, India. Also a representative from a local Indian grassroots NGO makes an analysis of what COP11 meant for the host country. Finally, an article depicting the importance of recognizing Indigenous Peoples and Local Community Conserved Areas and Territories (ICCAs) and its important outcomes during COP11. Enjoy your reading!