INTERNATIONAL

Friends of the Earth International statement on Ukraine

16 Mar, 2022 https://www.foei.org/friends-of-the-earth-international-statement-on-ukraine/ Friends of the Earth International strongly condemns the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. Our member groups around the world are horrified to witness the growing impact on civilians and the environment.

Friends of the Earth International calls for demilitarisation and disarmament on both sides of this conflict, as well as globally.

Wars and conflicts are fuelled worldwide by the dependence on fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources and are often caused by competition for them. We must urgently get out of this dependence and ensure a just

Friends of the Earth International’s vision is of a peaceful and sustainable world based on societies living in harmony with nature. Our solidarity goes out to all those who suffer from and oppose this unjust war. We demand an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian invasion forces.

It is important to remember that this attack did not come from the Russian people, but from Russian leaders. We call for peaceful and respectful communications and condemn hate speech that targets entire nations.

04 Apr, 2022 https://www.foei.org/ipcc-wgiii-reporton-climate-mitigation/

The IPCC’s findings have become a political battleground. Climate justice campaigners fear that climate scientists’ core message – that we must make an urgent just transition away from fossil fuels to limit the risk of runaway warming – is being undermined by the legitimisation of a 1.5 degree overshoot in modelled scenarios, and pathways that include unproven and speculative technologies to supposedly cool the planet later down the line.

Internationalist Solidarity with Wadas

March 14, 2022 https://foeasiapacific.org/2022/03/14/ internationalist-solidarity-with-wadas/ In February 2022, 250 police officers and military personnel infiltrated the village of Wadas, in the southern part of Central Java, Indonesia, armed with shields, weapons and police dogs. They claimed they were there to oversee the operations of Purworejo Land Agency, a company conducting land measurement for a mining project.

However, their presence soon turned violent, with police attacking, intimidating and arbitrarily arresting local residents, both within their houses and at local mosques. At least 63 people, including 13 children, were arrested. This attack is the latest in a series of repressive actions against the Wadas community, who, for the last four years, have been protesting against a proposed andesite mine in their village, which would support the construction of the Bener dam nearby. The planned mining site is located on productive agricultural land: hills which are the main source of livelihood for the Wadas community. The hills also assist in preventing the threat of landslides and serve as a water catchment area for 23 water springs in their village. These attacks are part of a worldwide pattern of criminalisation and repression of those who seek to defend their territories, environment and peoples’ rights.

KTNC Watch condemns Korean NCP for failing indigenous peoples who lost their forests to palm oil plantations

February 4, 2022 https://foeasiapacific.org/2022/02/04/ ktnc-watch-condemns-korean-ncp-forfailing-indigenous-peoples-who-losttheir-forests-to-palm-oil-plantations/ In January, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced their final statement regarding the environmental and human rights violations on POSCO International’s palm oil plantation in Indonesia.

The complainants, (Korea Transnational Corporations Watch (KTNC Watch) and Yayasan Pusaka Bentala Rakyat, SKPKAMe, WALHI Papua, Indonesia NGOs,) expressed regret that the case was closed without providing effective remedies to the victims of environmental and human rights violations.

Capacity development training for Nepalese farmers

April 1, 2022 https://foeasiapacific.org/2022/04/01/ capacity-development-training-fornepalese-farmers/

Agriculture is the main source of income for Dang, Kapilvastu and Bardia farmers. However, farmers have been producing less due to disease, irrigation and manure, causing a local food crisis. This is attributed to a reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides to increase production, which have resulted in adverse health impacts. This agricultural crisis has also been exacerbated by increasing climatic stressors.

The nearby Tharu community has been implementing different traditional farming techniques, which have increased their agricultural production and provided an opportunity to build capacity for the next generation of farmers, incorporating traditional methods of farming practices.

It is hoped that the skills and knowledge shared between farming communities during workshops will strengthen their collective capacity and sustain their livelihoods long into the future.

Under OECD Guidelines the nonjudicial grievance mechanism helps to provide remedies through mediation to parties whose rights have been violated. However, even after going through the complaint process for more than two years, the indigenous peoples affected by the development and operation of POSCO International’s palm oil plantation were unable to access the remedies.

Throughout the mediation process, the Korea National Contact Point (NCP) was not ready to listen to the Indonesian complainants or provide interpretation services during mediation. The first evaluation and the final statement were published only in Korean, making it impossible for local Indonesian complainants to fully understand the progress.

South Cotabato local council upholds ban on open-pit mining

March 25, 2022 https://foeasiapacific.org/2022/03/25/ south-cotabato-local-council-upholdsban-on-open-pit-mining/

The Provincial Development Council of South Cotabato has issued a resolution upholding the ban on open-pit mining in the province. The ban stands in the way of the Tampakan Gold-Copper Project (TGCP), one of the largest open-pit projects in Asia that residents fear will destroy the environment.

The PDC said “the environmental and social impacts of the open-pit mining method outweigh economic gains.” TGCP, which covers an area the size of the city of Manila, straddles four provinces and threatens watershed systems that supply water to South Cotabato and contiguous areas.

It is an area of high ecological value including UNESCO World Heritage Sites, high groundwater vulnerability and high seismic risk.