“I feel that the Continental School, and maybe other schools that have been carried out across the continent, are going to empower women, especially peasant women, who do a lot.” This was a reflection by Susan Owiti about the initiatives conducted by peasant women who have, in 2024, held for the first time a coordinated series of Continental Schools of…
Dismantling and resisting patriarchy is essential to Food Sovereignty, forest management and democracy and in the struggle against oppressive economic systems and political institutions. Below are interviews with three people leading the charge toward a more just, equitable, and feminist world that centers gender justice. How do patriarchy and other oppressions stand in the struggle for democracy and forests and…
Energy transition is one of the key ways to tackle climate change. The current energy system, based on fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas, is a major emitter of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. These gases are responsible for global warming. But the problems of the current energy system lie not only in the type of energy and…
In the framework of March 8th, International Women's Day, Friends of the Earth International, in collaboration with Real World Radio and ERA – Friends of the Earth Nigeria, released a video that recounts the struggles of women throughout the world. Different spheres of daily and public life, as well as different times. In addition to the struggle and historical rebellion of…
The industrial food system, which dominates how we grow, distribute and consume food across the world, is under the control of global food and finance corporations. Their focus is to produce “agrocommodities”, such as palm oil, soy, corn and meat, for trade in global markets. Their central aim is to extract the highest profit possible. “Agrocommodity companies operate in a…
Togo is one of the smallest countries in Africa and home to 8.6 million people. Since the shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic, increasingly extreme weather and recent food price rises, the state of food security in Togo has greatly deteriorated. In 2022, 1 in 5 people in the country don’t have access to or can’t afford enough healthy, nutritious food. Yet…
"We need help around the world," said Patiente Etim from Mbarakum Community in a new Friends of the Earth Africa documentary on the impacts of industrial plantations on women. "The chemicals used by the plantation company affected my son-in-law's eyes. He was a sprayer with GOPDC/SIAT and through the exposure to the work hazard, the chemical affected his eyes. He…
The African Peoples Tribunal (APT) that took place this year, after its first edition in November 2020, was developed by Friends of the Earth Africa, Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands), Friends of the Earth International, and Rainforest Action Network. This time, the APT took 10 cases, from 10 countries where Friends of the Earth has member groups, grassroots or…
“What we see at the international level and often at the national level is an imbalance between the rights of peoples and the rights of corporations,” warned environmental activist Sam Cossar-Gilbert, speaking about the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism in a recent webinar. ISDS is “a biased justice system, organised by private lawyers, not by judges, and it's a tool…
Three-quarters of those without access to electricity now live in Africa, a share that has risen over recent years. The economic effects of Covid-19 have only increased the number of people unable to access electricity and who were forced into energy poverty. In this context, Friends of the Earth Africa has launched a report that analyses this situation and outlines…
