PRINCIPLES FOR A JUST RECOVERY

Friends of the Earth International argues that the COVID-19 pandemic is a symptom of a systemic crisis rooted in neoliberalism, capitalism, and patriarchy. The organization proposes a 'just recovery' based on four principles: abandoning austerity and neoliberalism, enhancing international solidarity, strengthening democracy and human rights, and pursuing a transformative system change. Key recommendations include the cancellation of Global South debt, the nationalization of key economic sectors, a transition to 100% renewable energy, and the implementation of food sovereignty through agroecology. The document emphasizes that recovery must not be a return to the pre-pandemic status quo but a shift toward an economy that prioritizes the sustainability of life and peoples' rights over corporate profit.

• The COVID-19 pandemic is viewed as a consequence of an economic system that prioritizes profits over human rights and the environment, sharing root causes with climate, biodiversity, food, water, and care crises.
• A just recovery requires the abandonment of neoliberalism and austerity, advocating for the state to redefine its role based on the common good and the nationalization of key economic sectors and public services to ensure universal access.
• Public finance for recovery should be redirected away from corporate bailoutsespecially for fossil fuel, mining, and agribusiness companiesand instead support marginalized groups, including indigenous peoples, black and afro-descendant communities, and the working class.
• International solidarity must include the total cancellation of Global South debt, treating the Global North as a debtor of 'historical ecological debt' and providing non-refundable grants instead of loans.
• The document calls for an immediate halt to all detrimental corporate projects, including those involving fossil fuels, mining, dams, and agro-commodities, and rejects the use of environmental offsetting.
• A transformative agenda for food and nature includes shifting from industrial agriculture to food sovereignty and agroecology, ending the privatization of seeds, and supporting Community Forest Management by indigenous peoples.
• Energy transition must involve moving to a 100% renewable energy future under state or community control, requiring the Global North to pay its climate debt to fund the Global South's transformation.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2020). PRINCIPLES FOR A JUST RECOVERY. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/FoEI_just_recovery_principles_english.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. PRINCIPLES FOR A JUST RECOVERY. 2020. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/FoEI_just_recovery_principles_english.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=PRINCIPLES FOR A JUST RECOVERY |date=August 2020 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/FoEI_just_recovery_principles_english.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2020principles, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{PRINCIPLES FOR A JUST RECOVERY}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2020}, month = aug, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/FoEI_just_recovery_principles_english.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }