who we are
Friends of the Earth International was founded in 1971 by four organizations from France, Sweden, England and the USA. Today's federation of 77 groups grew from annual meetings of environmentalists from different countries who agreed to campaign together on certain crucial issues, such as nuclear energy and whaling.
In 1981, a small International Secretariat was set up, and in 1983 an
Executive Committee was elected. In 1986, the annual meeting was hosted
for the first time by an organization from the South, Sahabat Alam
Malaysia/Friends of the Earth Malaysia. In 1985, a European
coordinating body was established with an office in Brussels, Friends
of the Earth Europe; in 2001, Latin American and Caribbean groups
formed their own regional coordinating body; and in 2006 Friends of the
Earth groups in Africa formally established a coordinating body.
Friends
of the Earth International is highly decentralized: it is made up of
autonomous organizations that comply with the guidelines established by
the federation. Friends of the Earth International is democratic: every
two years there is a general meeting where the policies and activities
of the federation are decided, and in which all members have an equal
say. This Bi-annual General Meeting (BGM) elects an Executive Committee
(ExCom), which meets several times per year. The ExCom employs and
oversees the work of an International Secretariat in Amsterdam composed
of some 25 staff and volunteers from all over the world.
There
are now 77 Friends of the Earth member groups and 13 affiliates
campaigning internationally, nationally and locally. They are united by
the common conviction that creating environmentally and socially
sustainable societies requires both strong grassroots activism and
effective national and global campaigning.
