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The briefing reveals that the US Federal Reserve, Bank of England, and European Central Bank have invested in bonds from agribusinesses like Cargill, ADM, and Bunge, which are linked to deforestation and land-grabbing in regions such as the Brazilian Cerrado and Indonesia. The document argues that such investments subsidize environmentally destructive companies and send a negative signal to private investors. It highlights a gap between central banks' public climate commitments and their actual portfolios, noting that deforestation is often missing from their risk assessments and 'stress tests'. Global Witness recommends that central banks divest from deforestation-linked bonds, implement zero-deforestation policies, and increase prudential supervision of the private financial sector's exposure to these risks.

The report details a period of institutional violence in Honduras following the 2009 coup, characterized by the criminalization of environmental and land defenders, systemic gender-based violence, and the expansion of transnational corporate control over natural resources. It documents specific cases of human rights abuses, including the murders of Berta Cáceres and Keyla Martínez and the forced disappearance of Garífuna leaders. The text argues that the state acted as a facilitator for extractivist projects—such as hydroelectric dams and 'model cities' (ZEDEs)—often ignoring the right to free, prior, and informed consent. It concludes by welcoming the election of Xiomara Castro as a step toward democratic recovery and calls for continued international solidarity to support a feminist and just transition.

The document details a 12-year period of state-sponsored violence and corporate exploitation in Honduras after the 2009 coup. It focuses on the criminalization of environmental defenders, the disproportionate impact of femicide and patriarchal violence, and the role of transnational corporations in seizing indigenous lands for tourism and energy projects. It concludes by supporting the transition to the government of Xiomara Castro and advocating for continued international solidarity.

Friends of the Earth International condemns the June 2022 murders of Bruno Araújo Pereira and Dom Phillips in the Vale do Javari indigenous territory. The organization links these killings to a broader pattern of systemic violence against indigenous peoples and land defenders under the government of Jair Bolsonaro, exacerbated by illegal logging, mining, and drug trafficking. It calls for transparent investigations into the perpetrators and the protection of indigenous land rights and self-determination.

The document examines the high socio-environmental costs of logistics infrastructure in the Legal Amazon, such as deforestation and carbon emissions. It proposes replacing inconsistent geographic-based delimitation of a project's 'area of influence' with a 'market access approach' based on international trade literature. Using the BR-319 highway as a case study, the report demonstrates how this method more accurately identifies affected populations and environmental risks, including impacts on 49 indigenous territories and 49 conservation units. It concludes with policy recommendations for the Brazilian Ministry of Infrastructure to mandate early risk assessments and transparent, public-domain methodologies for delimiting influence areas.

The document critiques the 'net zero' framework, asserting that it relies on the scientifically flawed assumption that ongoing fossil fuel emissions can be offset by carbon removals. It specifically analyzes how initiatives like ART-TREES and the Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets (TSVCM) attempt to standardize and merge different types of carbon credits—avoided emissions, reduced emissions, and removals—into single, fungible assets to increase market scale. The report warns that this 'house of cards' encourages continued fossil fuel use, risks creating a 'subprime carbon' financial crisis through derivatives and speculation, and threatens the rights of Indigenous peoples through land grabbing for nature-based solutions.

The document critiques the 'fossil bet on the future,' claiming that carbon offsets and net-zero goals serve as a 'house of cards' to maintain fossil fuel dependence. It specifically targets the amalgamation of carbon capture, emission reductions, and avoided emissions into single, fungible credit units, arguing that such mechanisms do not actually reduce atmospheric CO2 and may lead to increased warming. The report highlights the role of the Task Force on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets (TSVCM) and ART-TREES in standardizing these credits to facilitate financial speculation and the 're-floating' of stranded assets.

Global Witness analysis indicates that industrial rubber plantations in West and Central Africa caused nearly 520km2 of deforestation between 2000 and 2020. The report highlights that the EU imports over 30% of rubber from six key African producers, yet rubber was excluded from proposed EU anti-deforestation laws following tyre industry lobbying. The study links this deforestation to three multinational companies—Olam, Halcyon Agri, and Socfin—which are financed by major European banks. Additionally, the report documents severe impacts on local and indigenous communities, including land loss, lack of water, and violent repression in countries like Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.

The report identifies a critical lack of satisfactory federal legislation to resolve the overlap of Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) inscriptions on Indigenous Lands (TIs), noting that such overlaps are often used for land grabbing. It finds that most Brazilian states lack specific strategies for identifying and cancelling these irregular registrations, often relying on optional federal filters that only detect overlaps with fully homologated TIs, thereby leaving lands in the demarcation process vulnerable. The document analyzes state-level experiences—highlighting Pará as the only state with a specific cancellation strategy—and evaluates two pending bills (PL 4450/2021 and PL 486/2022) that aim to prohibit CAR inscriptions on public lands but still contain administrative gaps. It concludes with policy recommendations, including the need for the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA) to revise Portaria 121/2021 and for Funai to maintain updated georeferenced data for all TIs to support fair and effective cancellation processes.

The statement argues that Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (APACs) are essential for biodiversity preservation but lack legal recognition in Senegal. It highlights the role of traditional knowledge and customary governance in maintaining ecosystems and calls for legal reforms based on free, prior, and informed consent to protect the rights of guardian communities.

The document examines the intersection of corruption, land tenure, and Community Forest Management (CFM) in the Peruvian Amazon. It argues that systemic corruption in regional governments—manifesting as the prioritization of individual land titles over communal ones and the 'active inaction' of monitoring bodies—facilitates land grabbing and illegal logging. These factors undermine the sustainability of CFM initiatives, expose Indigenous leaders to violence, and leave communities vulnerable to economic scams and legal penalties. The authors recommend prioritizing community land titling, updating land registries with georeferenced maps, and strengthening the autonomy and funding of environmental enforcement agencies.

The report details systemic abuses by VALE Moçambique, including forced displacements of thousands of families, police violence against protesters, and severe environmental pollution. It highlights the lack of fair compensation for local brickmakers and farmers, the contamination of water and air exceeding international limits, and the company's refusal to disclose environmental monitoring reports despite court orders. The text argues that these extractive activities exacerbate the climate crisis in a region already vulnerable to extreme weather events.

The report documents a pattern of violence, land-grabbing, and pollution associated with VALE Moçambique's Moatize coal mine and Nacala Logistics Corridor. It details the forced resettlement of thousands of families, the use of state police to repress protesters, and severe health crises resulting from air and water pollution. The document also highlights VALE's legal battles to avoid disclosing environmental monitoring reports and its planned sale of assets to Vulcan Minerals.

Friends of the Earth International highlights a global rise in authoritarianism and neoliberal economic expansion that has increased violence against environmental defenders, citing 227 deadly attacks in 2020 alone. The organization details its support for specific struggles, including the Garifuna people in Honduras facing land grabbing, social movements in Colombia resisting neoliberalism, Palestinians fighting for food sovereignty under Israeli occupation, and fishing communities in Mozambique affected by Total's LNG project. The document advocates for national protections for defenders and a binding UN treaty to hold multinational corporations accountable for human rights and environmental violations.

The study finds that while forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon are not systematically used as a direct first step to clear vegetation—with only 11% of fire-affected areas being deforested within three years—they often serve as a leading indicator of imminent deforestation in the surrounding vicinity. This association is significantly stronger in rural settlements and occupied public lands, suggesting fires may facilitate land grabbing. Regionally, the link between fire and nearby deforestation has strengthened in states such as Acre, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, and Roraima, peaking in 2017.

The statement critiques 'Nature-based Solutions' (NbS) as a deceptive framework used by governments and corporations to justify 'net zero' targets without implementing deep emission reductions. It asserts that NbS rely on flawed assumptions about carbon sequestration and risk triggering massive land grabs in the Global South, citing the example of ENI in Mozambique. The author calls for structural changes, immediate emission cuts by developed nations, and the protection of Indigenous rights over market-based environmental schemes.

Between 2013 and 2020, approximately 42% of fire hotspots in the Brazilian Amazon occurred in previously undisturbed forests, affecting an estimated 18,000 square kilometers annually. While only 11% of fire-affected forest areas transitioned to clear-cut deforestation within three years, fire serves as a strong regional indicator of risk, with high rates of subsequent deforestation occurring in the surrounding areas. This association is particularly strong in rural settlements and public land holdings, where fire may facilitate land grabbing. Regional analysis shows an intensification of this fire-deforestation link in states such as Acre, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, and Roraima, especially around 2017.

The document examines Senator Carlos Fávaro's legislative report which favors PL 510/2021 over PL 2633/2020. The authors argue that the proposed changes primarily benefit medium and large land occupants by extending the time frame for land occupation, simplifying titling procedures through self-declaration for larger areas, and weakening environmental safeguards. These changes are seen as incentives for illegal deforestation and land grabbing, particularly in the Amazon, while offering no benefits to small-scale farmers.

The document examines the intersection of gender justice and food sovereignty, arguing that the industrial food system relies on the patriarchal exploitation of women's labor. It advocates for a transition to agroecology and feminist economics to ensure equitable access to land, seeds, and resources, while calling for the recognition and redistribution of unpaid care work.

Friends of the Earth International and other civil society organizations condemn the Israeli government's October 2021 decision to classify six Palestinian human rights organizations as 'terrorist organizations' and 'unauthorized'. The statement argues that this move is part of a broader trend of criminalizing defenders of land, water, and human rights. It specifically highlights the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) for its work in sustainable agriculture and seed preservation in the West Bank's 'Zone C'. The signatories call on the international community, including the UN Human Rights Council and European governments, to pressure Israel to reverse these designations and end the occupation of Palestinian lands.