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This executive summary evaluates progress toward Objectives 3 and 4 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), focusing on reducing deforestation caused by infrastructure and extractive industries and supporting sustainable livelihoods. The report finds that progress is slow, with natural forest cover loss increasing since 2014 and significant gaps in transparency and policy implementation across governments, corporations, and financial institutions.

This executive summary from the NYDF Assessment Partners evaluates progress toward Goals 3 and 4 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), focusing on reducing deforestation from infrastructure and extractive industries while promoting sustainable livelihoods. The report finds that natural forest loss has increased since 2014, and progress toward these goals is slow due to systemic barriers, lack of transparency, and a continued global economic reliance on resource extraction.

This executive summary, published in November 2020 by the NYDF Assessment Partners and coordinated by Climate Focus, evaluates progress toward the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF). It specifically focuses on Objective 3 (reducing deforestation from economic sectors other than agriculture) and Objective 4 (promoting sustainable alternatives to basic-need driven deforestation). The report finds that natural forest loss has increased since 2014, failing the goal of a 50% reduction by 2020, and highlights systemic failures in transparency, policy enforcement, and the protection of indigenous rights across governments, corporations, and financial institutions.

A statement by Natural Justice on Youth Day 2020, acknowledging the legacy of the 16 June 1976 Uprising in South Africa and expressing support for youth-led struggles against inequality, planetary crisis, and big polluters.

A statement by Friends of the Earth International arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic is a symptom of systemic failures caused by neoliberalism, capitalism, and patriarchy. The document calls for a fundamental system change, prioritizing public services, environmental justice, and a transition away from fossil fuels over the rescue of large corporations.

This executive summary of the 2020 NYDF Progress Assessment report evaluates global efforts to end forest loss caused by infrastructure, mining, and extractive industries (Goal 3) and to support sustainable livelihoods for forest-dependent communities and smallholders (Goal 4). The document highlights a disconnect between high-level forest goals and the reality of increasing natural forest loss, noting that top-down development projects often threaten intact tropical forests without providing significant benefits to local populations.

Friends of the Earth International expresses deep disappointment with the July 16 revised version of the UN's legally binding treaty on transnational corporations and human rights, arguing that the text is too weak and fails to establish international jurisdiction to hold corporations accountable.

This briefing examines the inequitable resource interdependency between Europe and Africa in the extractive sector. It argues that a symbiotic relationship can be achieved by implementing 'extractive justice'—incorporating procedural, distributive, and recognitional justice—into legal and policy frameworks to address wealth imbalances and governance deficits.

This briefing argues that the European Union's (EU) reliance on 'formalisation'—increasing legalisation and transparency—in natural resource governance has failed to improve human wellbeing in producer countries. Using case studies from Sierra Leone's diamond sector and Liberia's forest sector, the author contends that these technocratic approaches often ignore local socio-political contexts and fail to deliver tangible benefits to affected populations. The document calls for the EU to adopt a 'human security' approach, shifting focus from state security to the security of individuals, specifically targeting freedom from want and fear.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) provides a series of recommendations to the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IDB Invest) to strengthen its draft Access to Information Policy. CIEL argues that the policy should align with international human rights standards and regional agreements, such as the Escazú Agreement, to ensure the safety and meaningful participation of affected communities, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

A joint statement delivered to the UN Human Rights Council on 9 March 2018 by a coalition of NGOs, including the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and the Center for International Environmental Law. The statement advocates for a legally binding international instrument to regulate transnational corporations, emphasizing the need to integrate a feminist perspective to address the specific human rights abuses women face from corporate activities.

This guide, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in 2018, provides a framework and a financial model developed by the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) to estimate the costs of tax incentives in the mining sector. It specifically focuses on calculating both the direct revenue losses and the indirect costs resulting from 'behavioral responses'—actions taken by investors to maximize financial benefits from incentives, which often lead to unforeseen revenue losses for governments.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted comments to the National Council of Provinces regarding the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Bill [B 15D-2013]. The CER argues that the legislative process has been procedurally irregular, potentially leading to a constitutional challenge, and expresses concern that new amendments dilute community participation and environmental protections.

This policy brief examines the conflict between coal mining and biodiversity conservation in the Yayu Coffee Forest Biosphere Reserve in south-west Ethiopia. It discusses the socio-ecological impacts of extractive industries on wild Coffea arabica and local communities, arguing for a harmonised approach to sustainable resource management.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the impact of civil society organisations (CSOs) on the governance of Zimbabwe's diamond sector following the 2006 discovery of alluvial diamonds in Marange. It details how CSOs lobbied international bodies to redefine 'conflict diamonds' and pressured the Zimbabwean government to implement policy reforms, demilitarise mining areas, and improve transparency.

This report by Natural Justice examines the use of community protocols as tools for indigenous peoples and local communities to manage their rights and engage with extractive industries. Based on action research in Argentina, India, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, the document analyzes how these protocols help communities articulate their values, secure free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), and address power imbalances with governments and corporations.

A statement from several environmental and human rights organizations to the owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline, alleging human rights abuses against peaceful occupiers in Standing Rock, North Dakota, and asserting the companies' legal responsibility to prevent such abuses.

This research paper investigates the impact of Chinese and Indian investment in Africa's extractive industries on local industrialisation, specifically focusing on the dynamics of Zambia's copper value chain and the role of mine ownership in the development of upstream linkages.

A statement by Friends of the Earth International issued on International Women's Day 2016, condemning the murder of indigenous Lenca leader Berta Cáceres in Honduras and calling for an end to state-level violence against environmental and human rights defenders.

A statement by Friends of the Earth International (ATI) issued on International Women's Day 2016, condemning the murder of Lenca indigenous leader Berta Cáceres in Honduras and calling for an end to state and corporate violence against women and environmental defenders.