about friends of the earth
international
Friends of the Earth International
was founded in 1971 by four organizations
from France , Sweden , England and the USA .
Today's federation of 71 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, and in 2001,
Latin American and Caribbean groups formed
their own regional 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 71 Friends of the Earth member
groups and 16 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.
|
