Fair Finance International

💥 The latest policy assessment from #FairFinanceGermany Facing Finance e.V. is now available! Having assessed a massive 20 banks, there are some clear front-runners: 👍 GLS Bank, Tomorrow, EthikBank Triodos Bank, Pax-Bank eG, Bank für Kirche und Diakonie - KD-Bank and some patent laggards.... 👎 ❗ Other key findings include the fact that while #transparency and #sustainability has improved in most sectors, the exception to this is with regard to #weapons, where several banks have in fact watered down their arms policies. 🌊 With regard to #DeepSeaMining, an increasing threat to the oceans and a risk for lenders, there is also a clear failure by certain banks to keep pace with global sustainability challenges. Find out more 👉: https://lnkd.in/exzQkvsE Luca Schiewe Mina Schmidt Ulrike Lohr Thomas Küchenmeister SÜDWIND e.V. , Profundo Misereor Deep Sea Mining Campaign Stiftung Umwelt und Entwicklung Nordrhein-Westfalen

💥 New Policy Assessment from #FairFinanceSouthernAfrica #FFCSA 🏦 Public Finance Institutions (PFIs) operating in Southern Africa serve as the providers of #finance for the major #energy infrastructure and industrial development projects. They do therefore have a crucial role to play in carrying out the #JustEnergyTransition in the region. In this third policy assessment looking at eight PFIs across the nine different themes this report focuses on whether the policies of these PFIs are geared towards facilitating an #energytransition in the region that is truly #just and #sustainable. 👎 The findings show, unfortunately that this is not the case. Of the nine themes assessed, the PFIs performed extremely poorly in #oilandgas, #climatechange and #powergeneration clearly indicating that the PFIs’ have zero or weak commitments to move away from #fossilfuels and to finance a #lowcarboneconomy. The policies of the PFIs are therefore clearly inadequate to address the Just Energy Transition in Southern Africa. Find the full assessment with details on scores of the PFIs across all the themes here ➡️:https://lnkd.in/gXmYwGJ7 #FinanceOurFuture #TheAfricaWeWant #responsibleinvesting #justenergytransition #sustainablefinance #esg #transparency #peopleandplanet #communities Zahra Omar Courtney Morgan Bertha Letsoko #ArmandoAyalaRobles  Centre for Applied Legal Studies 350Africa.org Justiça Ambiental EARTHLIFE AFRICA Centre for Environmental Rights Oxfam South Africa OZA African Climate Reality Project

📢 Out today! This new report by #FairFinanceAsia reveals critical gaps in the consideration of #genderequality and women’s empowerment in the early retirement of #Cirebon 1 coal-fired power plant (CFPP) in #Indonesia and calls on the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to strengthen its work in this regard. 👍 Endorsed by Climate Action Network Southeast Asia (CANSEA), GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives), Reclaim Finance - ONG, Recourse, #RealityofAidAsiaPacific (RoA-AP), and Fair Finance International, FFA’s assessment considers Cirebon 1 an important case study for how the ADB’s Energy Transition Mechanism #ETM model identifies and assesses gender issues, and whether the ETM promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment. 🎯 The report makes a number of recommendations, both specific to Indonesia and the Cirebon 1 and other countries’ ETMs, and more generally, proposing these be implemented alongside initiatives to strengthen #energydemocracy through small-scale, locally owned, and gender-representative energy systems. Read more and find the report here ➡️: https://lnkd.in/e-kpdCRM #responsibleinvesting #sustainablefinance #esg #transparency #accountability #civilsociety #communities Bernadette V. Kyle Cruz Srishty Anand Victoria C. Geraldine Grace Hoggang Saroeut Ven

Let’s talk about #transparency 🔎.   In 2023 the Environmental Assessment and Oversight Agency (OEFA) of #Peru carried out a thorough and robust scientific analysis of the Glencore-owned Antapaccay mine in Espinar, Peru. The results of the OEFA causality study confirmed what the population of Espinar has been observing, suffering and denouncing for many years: the mine contaminates.   🚧 Accessing this information was however a big challenge, with six highly technical reports being divided along “environmental components” (water, air, soil, flora and fauna), over more than 1,500 pages.   The reports are, furthermore, not freely available for download; and were only obtained through a public information request.   📖 At its core transparency means the openness and the willingness to share information, both positive and negative, with all relevant parties but these kinds of hurdles act as barriers to the affected #indigenouscommunities in Espinar hindering their access to information, that is clear and comprehensive and that can be used to advocate for solutions.   🎯 That it also why this report by CooperAcción, #FinanzasconDerechosPeru, DERECHOS HUMANOS SIN FRONTERAS DHSF and the IDL Instituto de Defensa Legal, which aims to highlight the most important findings in a simplified manner, is so important.   🤝 The publication of this report was carried out in collaboration with local experts and #environmentaldefenders in and the printed version was then presented at a workshop in Espinar, with representatives of different social organizations and communities of the province. This is what behaving transparently means.   Find out more and download the report here 👉: https://lnkd.in/eEws6AMe #sustainablefinance #responsibleinvesting #environmentaljustice #humanrights #esg #accountability #peopleandplanet Oxfam War on Want Misereor CAFOD Comundo Thomas Niederberger Miguel Lévano Muñoz

💥 Fair Finance Brazil’s #GuiaDosBancosResponsaveis newest bank policy assessment is out now. In this 10th edition of the Guide to Responsible Banks the ratings of the country's eight largest banks on 18 topics, such as #climatechange and #consumerprotection are revealed. Key findings: ❗ With the exception of Banco do Brasil, all banks' ratings decreased from previous years. This can be somewhat explained by a slight change in the methodological approach, and it is expected that banks will respond to this by incorporating stricter criteria in #socioenvironmental and #climate matters in their policies (and practices!) in the future. ❗ Another area of concern relates to banks' investment portfolios where there is a severe lack of policies for reinforcing the commitments of #financialinstitutions to socio-environmental and climate safeguards. See the list of scores and download the full report here ➡:https://lnkd.in/eCNPsxg5 #sustainablefinance #reponsibleinvesting #humanrights #esg #transparency #accountability Idec - Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor Conectas Direitos Humanos Oxfam Brasil Instituto Sou da Paz World Animal Protection Profundo Karina Pereira Feliciano Julia Catão Dias

⚖ Access to effective remedy for vulnerable groups negatively impacted by activities of multinational enterprises (MNes) remains a real challenge. Speaking at the 6th Annual Symposium on Business and Human Rights in Uganda #BHRUganda2024, Fair Finance International’s Bram Joanknecht highlighted the role #financialinstitutions can and should play in enhancing access to remedy by leveraging their influence over multinational enterprises to ensure #accountability and adherence to human rights and environmental standards. Find out more about the Symposium ➡: https://lnkd.in/emKFdt4N #sustainablefinance #responsibleinvesting #transparency #communities Oxfam in Uganda Resource Rights Africa (RRA) Global Rights Alert SEATINI UGANDA DanChurchAid Uganda Witness Radio

🆕 New research by #FairFinanceTheNetherlands - Eerlijke Geldwijzer - reveals that Dutch banks, insurers and pension funds are still heavily investing in #fossilfuel companies. Only 16% of investments in the energy sector go to #renewableenergy while as much as 84% goes to fossil fuels. 💶 The International Energy Agency (IEA) clearly states that if we want to limit global warming to 1.5°C, for every euro that goes to fossil fuels, 6 euros should go to renewable energy. At the moment, only 20 cents of every euro goes to renewables. Find out more and read the report ➡: https://lnkd.in/d5haAXvS #sustainablefinance #responsibleinvesting #peopleandplanet #climatejustice Milieudefensie Oxfam Novib World Animal Protection Nederland PAX Amnesty International The Netherlands Profundo Groen Pensioen Fossielvrij NL 

💻 Last week Fair Finance International together with Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR) and the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations SOMO, hosted a webinar for institutional investors to learn more about Investor–State Dispute Settlement - ISDS. ❓ But what is ISDS? Investor–state dispute settlement is a set of rules through which states can be sued by foreign investors for certain state actions affecting the foreign direct investments of that investor. 💲 In the past companies have used ISDS to seek exorbitant compensation, with the #fossilfuel and #mining industries already winning over $100 billion in awards. Companies have already used ISDS claims or the threat of ISDS claims to challenge government actions to limit or phase out fossil fuel exploration, production or use in Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Italy, Germany, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States. 🚧 This is why ISDS has been described as “a major obstacle to the urgent actions needed to address the planetary #environmental and #humanrights crises.” 🌎 While there is growing awareness that the use of ISDS by fossil fuel companies can have a powerful chilling effect on climate policy, undermining the goals of the #ParisAgreement, it has not thus far been on the radar of many institutional investors, meaning companies are often wielding a powerful legal mechanism without adequate oversight. With this in mind the webinar sought to speak to investors about this claims mechanism and the risks and implications posed by it to institutional investors. Find out more and watch the webinar here ⬇. Sarah Brewin Bart-Jaap Verbeek Kees Kodde Adam Gillett Kyla Tienhaara Simon Batifort

🌟 World Gold Day takes place on Sunday 20th October and is promoted as a day to celebrate gold’s social, economic and cultural contribution to the world. However, beneath its shiny surface there is much complexity to the business of #gold and not all aspects are to be celebrated. On this World Gold Day Fair Finance International highlights the recent work of #FairFinanceBolivia - Finanzas Justas y Responsables Bolivia – on the topic of gold mining in Bolivia where there is much concern around the expansion of gold mining in the country. 📽 Watch this video to learn more about the impacts of alluvial gold mining on local #communities, #workers, #health, and livelihoods and hear testimonies of people affected by gold mining in the Bolivian #Amazon region. #sustainablefinance #responsibleinvesting #worldgoldday #MineríaAurífera #AmazoníaEnLaMira Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) CEDLA

📢 New research from #FairFinanceCoalitionSouthernAfrica #FFCSA 💰 As climate finance begins to flow into South Africa, it is important that there is #transparency around both the process and outcomes of these financial flows. We need to ensure that the money is used wisely - in projects that support #climatejustice - and fairly - in projects that benefit the people worst impacted by #climatechange. 📃 In this project, FFCSA and the Life After Coal Campaign have commissioned analysis of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (#JETP) grant register, investment and implementation plans. 📍 Find the full report and a spreadsheet of data and summary tables derived from the grant register here ➡: https://lnkd.in/eQTQCzZ9 📍 The information is also presented in the form of an interactive map showing the sources of funding, and a searchable table of the grants grouped by priority area. #FinanceOurFuture #TheAfricaWeWant #responsibleinvesting #justenergytransition #sustainablefinance #esg #transparency #peopleandplanet #communities Centre for Applied Legal Studies 350Africa.org Justiça Ambiental EARTHLIFE AFRICA Centre for Environmental Rights Oxfam South Africa OZA African Climate Reality Project