Global Witness - Breaking the links between natural resources, conflict and corruption
UN Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen, 7-18 December
The 15th Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has concluded in Copenhagen without a deal being agreed on legally binding emissions reduction targets. The result was a bitter disappointment for campaigners who had been fighting hard for a deal to save the planet, its forests and people.
Global Witness went to Copenhagen because we believe climate change is one of the biggest threats facing humanity today, and that in responding to this threat the international community faces both massive challenges and significant opportunities. Nowhere are these challenges and opportunities more evident than in efforts to protect forests. The battle against climate change cannot be won unless global deforestation is halted.
Consequently, our key focus was the negotiations on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). No firm agreement was reached on REDD in Copenhagen - the negotiations were suspended on Saturday and the draft text was not finalised. On the upside, much of the language that Global Witness and our colleagues in the Ecosystems Climate Alliance had been lobbying for was still to be found in the final version of the draft text. This sets a good basis for more work in 2010. Read the closing blog from Director Patrick Alley.
LATEST NEWS - feed from Copenhagen, 7 - 18 December
- Press release - REDD deal in jeopardy as talks stall
- Blog by Global Witness Director Patrick Alley, giving his impressions of the talks and the chances of a decent deal
- Press release warning that REDD talks are on a knife edge - and calling on world leaders to act
- Guardian Online article on weakening of REDD draft by the removal of key clauses quotes Global Witness
- Le Monde article quotes GW on the dangers of a REDD mechanism without monitoring provisions
- ECA reaction to leaked REDD text with weakened safeguards and deleted targets
- Global Witness press conference on REDD negotiations so far, with Bianca Jagger
- Bloomberg article quotes ECA on the need to save forests in order to moderate carbon emissions
- SolveClimate.com on targets to limit deforestation being cut from draft REDD agreement.
- Global Witness holds side event on monitoring and governance in REDD - watch the video
- Global Witness was on the panel of an NGO press briefing on REDD
- ECA open letter reminds Heads of State of UNFCC obligation to work to prevent deforestation
- Press release from Ecosystems Climate Alliance: Forest Management Negotiations Threaten to Undermine Climate Agreement
- SolveClimate.com article on Global Witness' warnings over lack of monitoring provisions in REDD plans
- Watch the Ecosystems Climate Alliance press briefing on REDD and LULUCF loopholes
- John Vidal article on Guardian Online quotes Global Witness on the need for effective anti-corruption checks in proposed deal
- Opening press release from Global Witness and ECA warning of inadequate language in the REDD negotiating text
- Global Witness released two reports on REDD: Building Confidence in REDD warns of critical flaws in the current proposal, while A Decade of Experience looks at the lessons learned from Global Witness' experiences in Independent Forest Monitoring
- You can also follow us on twitter
News feed from Barcelona, 2 - 6 November
- Global Witness had a side event on REDD and Governance, download the presentations here:
- Time article: Is There any Hope for Agreement at Copenhagen?
- Irish Times article: Prospects for deal to address deforestation unclear, says alliance
- Reuters article: Forestry talks end in toothless pact in Barcelona
- Final Barcelona press release from Ecosystems Climate Alliance
- AlertNet: Forest protection efforts face crime, corruption perils
- Reuters article: Forest protection hinges on 10-word phrase
- Press release: Forest protection still missing in REDD negotiations
- Watch the Wetlands International and Rainforest Action Network's press briefings
- Press release from Ecosystems Climate Alliance
News feed from Bangkok, 28 September - 9 October
- Guardian update on EU position: British delegate's pro-logging stance prompts EU apology
- The EU blocks protection of natural forests
- Watch the Ecosystems Climate Alliance and Greenpeace press briefings
- Guardian article: UN's forest protection scheme at risk from organised crime, experts warn
- Ecosystems Climate Alliance press briefing
- Read about how the European Union is stalling on REDD and the latest on the negotiations
- We released a report, which shows how the term 'sustainable forest management' is threatening to derail the negotiations
- Read the press release and a blog on this report
- Margaret Swink's blog on the Bangkok negotiations
- Press release from Ecosystems Climate Alliance
- Read more about Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation here
News feed from Bonn, 1 - 12 June
- Press release from Ecosystems Climate Alliance
- We released a report, which shows how vested interests are threatening to derail the negotiations
- Read a blog on this report here
- We also released a joint statement with other organisations, which was covered by Biofuel Watch
- Margaret Swink wrote a good blog on the forest agenda at Bonn and how some groups are trying to hijack it
- We had a very successful side event, which you can watch here
- The Earth Negotiations Bulletin wrote a good report on our event
- We took part in a press conferenceas part of Youth Forest Day
Latest Publications
March 2010
New evidence confirms oil revenue transparency still eludes Sudan
Large discrepancies persist between the oil production data published by the government of Sudan and those published by the main Chinese oil company operating in the country, Global Witness said today, six months after the publication of its report which first exposed the gaps.
Environmental groups call on French shipping company Delmas to cancel shipment of precious wood from Madagascar
Global Witness and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) today called on French shipping company Delmas to cancel a shipment to China of hundreds of tons of rosewood from the port of Vohémar, in northeastern Madagascar. The campaign groups accuse the company of facilitating the destruction of Madagascar’s last remaining forests caused by vast illegal logging of rosewood.
Open letter to Delmas shipping company raises concerns over rosewood shipments from Madagascar
An open letter from Global Witness and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) to Delmas shipping company expressing grave concerns at its involvement in the transport of timber from Madagascar which has been declared illicit by the Malagasy authorities. The groups accuse Delmas of facilitaitng the destruction Madagascar's remaining rosewood forests through illegal logging.
Link between Angolan president's son-in-law and state oil company raises questions about transparency
The son-in-law of the Angolan president has been nominated to the board of a holding company that owns a third of the Portuguese oil firm Galp Energia, which has investments in Angola. The nomination was made by the State oil company, Sonangol, which is responsible for managing Angola's oil on behalf of its citizens. This arrangement raises concerns about conflicts of interest to which Sonangol has not responded.
DR Congo: ex-rebels take over mineral trade extortion racket
Former rebels from the Congrès national pour la défense du peuple (CNDP) have established mafia-style extortion rackets covering some of the most lucrative tin and tantalum mining areas in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Global Witness reported today following four weeks of research in the region.
Global Witness concerned at choice of new Ukraine energy minister
Global Witness is concerned that Yuri Boyko, a controversial figure from the murky past of Ukraine’s gas industry, has been put back in effective charge of a key gas supply route from Russia to the European Union.
Landmark oil and mining transparency initiative faces credibility test as key deadline passes
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a pioneering initiative to bring more openness to the world's oil and mining industries, faces a major credibility test after 20 out of 22 countries failed to meet a key deadline today.
Global Witness urges Cambodia’s donors to condemn sponsorship of military units by private businesses
Aid donors to Cambodia, including the US, EU, Japan, China and the World Bank, should send a strong message to the government that they will not countenance the bankrolling of Cambodia’s military by private businesses. This call follows the announcement last week by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen of the formation of 42 official partnerships between private businesses and Cambodian military units.
February 2010
A near miss? Lessons learnt from the allocation of mining licences in the Gola Forest Reserve in Sierra Leone
Between 2005 and 2007, two mining licences were issued in the Gola Forest Reserve in Sierra Leone, even though the area was a proposed national park. This new report identifies weaknesses in Sierra Leone's natural resource governance and attempts to draw lessons for the future.
Parliamentary committee report on libel, privacy and press freedom not strong enough to defend public interest reporting
A report on press standards, privacy and libel makes broadly sensible recommendations but does not go far enough to allay fears that England's laws are a barrier to public-interest campaigning.
Campaigners criticise proposals to define palm oil plantations as forests
The Ecosystems Climate Alliance today criticised the EU and Indonesia for attempting to reclassify palm oil plantations as forests, saying this would be a step backwards in efforts to halt climate change though preventing deforestation.
