Public Statements

We write as concerned members of the civil society organisations, academia and trade unions to call upon the World Bank's board of executive directors to end the publication of the World Bank's Doing Business Report.

Almost 56 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. said these words at the conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery March. This January 18th — MLK Day — we stare into the face of this brutality again. America reels from violent insurrection led by a mostly white mob at the behest of a president, while readying itself for more in the comings days. Core values and basic principles of equity, democracy, decency, and freedom came under attack. Donald Trump is responsible for this.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that this week a series of invitation-only ‘U.S. National Food System Dialogue’ events will be launched ahead of the United Nations Food System Summit (UNFSS), slated for later in 2021.

Dear President-Elect Biden and Vice-President-Elect Harris, Congratulations on securing the people’s vote. As you know, your election is a testament to the tireless work of many people who believe a better world is possible and necessary. This is why we are calling upon you and your administration to walk the walk of real climate leadership. We, the undersigned public-interest organizations, represent millions of people across the United States who demand a climate just future, including youth, women, low-income communities, racially diverse communities, faith communities, and others.

From 9-12 November 2020, 450 finance institutions from around the world will gather for the first international meeting of public development banks, dubbed the “Finance in Common” summit, hosted by the French government. The institutions, which range from the World Bank to the China Development Bank, collectively spend $2 trillion a year on so-called development projects — roads, power plants, agribusiness plantations and more. Much of this spending is financed by the public — us — which is why they called themselves "public development banks".

The Oakland Institute’s May 2020 report, Nicaragua’s Failed Revolution, documented the incessant violence faced by the Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (RACCN), resulting from land invasions to expand ranching, mining, and forestry activities. These findings were echoed by an October 2020 PBS program highlighting cattle ranching as a driving force behind the violence.

Farmers are the backbone of the production of one of our most basic needs--food. They are particularly vital in agricultural economies, yet they are among the most vulnerable victims of both deprivation and state persecution. In the Philippines, there have been 274 documented killings of peasants, farmworkers, and fisherfolk related to land dispute cases and agrarian reform advocacy since President Duterte took power in July 2016.

Billions of American taxpayer dollars are being used to dispossess communities of their ancestral land and threaten millions of livelihoods globally! The US is driving efforts to privatize land around the world through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

We are proud to join the SixNineteen mobilization and the demand to defund the police, invest in Black communities, and call for the resignation of Donald Trump. We urge you to join us. Demonstrate with SixNineteen this weekend, donate to the Movement for Black Lives, and stay informed by texting DEFEND to 90975.

Enviro. Groups Stand in Solidarity with Movement for Black Lives Demands / Week of Action As organizations striving for climate justice and environmental protection, we cannot be silent in the face of the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and countless others. This moment has laid bare the long and shameful history of institutional and systemic racism against Black and Brown people in this country. We demand action. We stand in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) and endorse the following demands and the M4BL week of action.