The Bretton Woods Project of ActionAid has taken a leadership role in helping to develop coherent civil society positions in response to the financial crisis, ensuring that attention was paid to the role of international financial instructions and global economic governance. This grant increase will support ActionAid's efforts to develop a concerted international strategy for addressing the re-regulation of international finance and reform of the global economic architecture.

Multilateral development banks, and particularly the World Bank, play a central role in formulating development policy and are the dominant environmental and social standard setters in international finance and investment. The Bank Information Center supports developing country organizations in their efforts to influence the social and environmental impacts of multilateral development bank-financed projects and policies, with a particular focus on accountability and transparency at the World Bank Group. This grant increase will enable the Bank Information Center to convene a series of events at the World Bank annual meetings in Istanbul, Turkey at which nongovernmental organizations will press for improved transparency and environmental and social safeguards for World Bank lending.

The International Financial Flows and the Environment project of the World Resources Institute works to improve the social and environmental performance of public and private international financial institutions by holding them accountable to their investors and to the communities in which they invest. Through this grant increase, the International Financial Flows and the Environment project will map the climate financing and governance proposals that have been made at the United Nations climate negotiations in order to better assess where agreements already exist or may be possible. In addition, it will convene several strategy meetings to help provide a common nongovernmental organization platform to influence the final outcomes of the climate change negotiations and develop next steps after the Copenhagen negotiating meeting.

This renewal grant to Sobrevivencia, a Paraguayan nongovernmental organization, will support its efforts to increase the capacity of communities and government agencies to participate effectively in decision making related to large-scale investments in infrastructure and energy in Paraguay, as well as the neighboring countries of the Paraná-Paraguay River basin. Sobrevivencia will continue its program of technical assistance, training, and capacity building aimed at improving the design and implementation of local, national, and regional development plans, and at minimizing the negative environmental impacts of large infrastructure projects such as dams and waterways.

The international program of Friends of the Earth works to effectively respond to the environmental and social impacts of international development finance as well as monitor climate change and energy-related financing to ensure that they safeguard the environment and benefit the poor. With this grant increase, the grantee will provide more extensive information on the role, effectiveness, and regulation of a carbon trading scheme as a key component of climate change policy in the United States.

The Center for International Environmental Law was founded in 1989 to strengthen international environmental law, policy, and management. It is one of the leading nongovernmental organizations active at the intersection of economic integration and the protection of environment and human health nationally, regionally, and internationally. This grant will support activities in the following areas: promote and seek stronger implementation of sound environmental and social policies and practices at international financial institutions and other financial entities; and help to use new climate initiatives undertaken by the international financial institutions to leverage changes in existing energy lending portfolios. For this grant, project activities will include researching existing policies and developing policy reform proposals, sharing information and developing joint strategies with other nongovernmental organizations, conducting outreach to government officials and managers of international financial institutions, and preparing and disseminating publications on key issues.

The Third World Network Berhad was established in 1987 as an international network of organizations and individuals involved in research and policy analysis of global issues and their impact on developing countries. Through this grant, the Third World Network Berhad will contribute to the development of a financing mechanism as part of the final outcome of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will ensure the full implementation of such an agreement. Third World Network Berhad will also provide important capacity-building activities for developing country nongovernmental organizations as well as country negotiators working on the international climate agreement.

With this renewal grant, Both Ends Foundation, an international organization that builds the capacity of environmental groups, will continue working to improve the environmental and social policies and practices of international finance institutions. Through this project, Both Ends Foundation provides support to nongovernmental organizations in developing countries and Central and Eastern Europe, works on project and issue specific campaigns with other nongovernmental organizations, and promotes improvements to the overall policy structure of international finance institutions and Dutch private financial institutions, including the Dutch export credit agency. With prior support, Both Ends Foundation has assisted groups in the Andean region, Colombia, Bangladesh, the Mekong region, and elsewhere.

The Institute for Policy Studies works in collaboration with nongovernmental organizations, academics, parliamentarians, and other stakeholders to promote financing for sustainable energy and to develop alternative proposals for the future of the global economy based on environmental sustainability, democracy, and economic fairness. This grant will support policy research on global responses to the economic crisis and global climate change. This grant will also support coordination with other organizations in the U.S., Europe, and the developing world aimed at identifying policy alternatives and financing mechanisms that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote low-carbon, sustainable development.

Pacific Environment's Responsible Finance Campaign promotes environmental and social policies among public and private international finance institutions. The principal focus of its work is on the oil, gas, mining, and forestry investments made in the Pacific Rim region. Building on Pacific Environment's past successes in reforming international finance institutions, it will expand efforts to reform the policies and practices of key public and private international finance institutions over the next two years. Pacific Environment's work will have a global impact on social and environmental standards for large-scale extractive and energy projects while also creating precedent-setting policies to ensure that international financial institutions apply improved standards around the world.

The International Financial Flows and the Environment project of the World Resources Institute provides important research and data to nongovernmental organizations and key public and private institutions on international financial flows and public policy options. The overarching goal of the project is to improve the social and environmental performance of public and private international financial institutions by holding them accountable to their investors and to the communities in which they invest. Over the next grant period, the project will continue its research and analysis work, concentrated on decisionmakers who set the policies and design the investment portfolios that shape global markets and affect the lives of millions. The project also will sustain the programmatic focus on climate change as well as the aspirations and rights of communities affected by development projects. In addition, there will be a focus on new investments in energy infrastructure by public and private international financial institutions and policy reforms at these institutions.

Friends of the Earth International is a worldwide federation of 69 national environmental organizations, working collectively to address global environmental issues. This grant will provide continuing support for the Friends of the Earth International's work on international financial institutions. The focus of its work is the creation of a fair and equitable mechanism to provide financing for developing countries to address climate change-both mitigating impacts that can be avoided and adapting to impacts that cannot be avoided. Through this grant, Friends of the Earth International will ensure strong developing country coordination and participation by engaging the leaders of its member organizations in the development of policy change strategies; provide useful research and data; carry out training on climate finance issues; develop a targeted media program to complement international advocacy and research work; and provide support to its national groups through small grants.

This grant increase will support a coordinated effort to increase accountability and sustainability of public sector and international investments in energy and infrastructure in South America. The grant increase and extension will provide ongoing support for coordination of the Brazil Network on multilateral banks, as well as efforts to engage parliamentarians and other elected officials in promoting increased transparency and accountability for investments related to regional integration. The Institute for Socioeconomic Studies is a nongovernmental organization established in 1979 for the promotion and strengthening of representative and participative democracy in Brazil.

Ecoa - Ecology and Action works to protect the Pantanal and the Cerrado regions in the upper Paraná River basin, as well as the Amazon region in Brazil, and carries out projects that promote sustainable development. This grant renewal will allow Ecoa - Ecology and Action and its partners to continue to collaborate on research, advocacy, and information dissemination related to the environmental and social impacts of large-scale infrastructure projects (highways, dams, and waterways) in Brazil and Argentina and to participate in national and regional networks aimed at holding international financial institutions and private sector investors accountable to environmental norms. This grant renewal will also support continued research and analysis on standards and safeguards for biofuel development in Brazil, with a focus on protecting vulnerable wetlands in the Pantanal.

Friends of the Earth is the United States affiliate of an international network of environmental organizations in 70 countries. Through this project, Friends of the Earth works to effectively respond to the environmental and social impacts of international development finance and monitor climate change and energy-related financing to ensure that they safeguard the environment and benefit the poor. During this grant period, Friends of the Earth will monitor the policies and activities of key players in development finance, especially with respect to resource extraction projects around the world; advocate for responsible international climate-related financing and technology; and monitor the World Bank's climate change initiatives.

This grant increase to Tides Canada Initiatives (formerly the Sage Centre) will provide continued support for its Halifax Initiative project. The Halifax Initiative project brings together a coalition of Canadian nongovernmental organizations to work to promote reforms in international financial institutions. This grant increase will allow the Halifax Initiative project to actively engage on work related to the current global financial crisis and the multilateral responses through the Group of 20 and Group of Eight.

The main goal of this project is to ensure that global financial flows contribute to internationally adopted principles that support and promote sustainable development. This grant increase will allow Mani Tese to play a catalytic role amongst Italian, European, and international nongovernmental organizations in developing alternative policy options related to the financial and economic crises. As the Group of Eight meetings will be held in Italy in 2009, Mani Tese will coordinate detailed and innovative proposals to address the financial crisis as well as climate and energy policies.

Global Greengrants Fund is an international collaborative of environmental donors established in 1993 to strengthen grassroots, environmental, nongovernmental organizations by providing small grants to groups in developing countries. This renewal grant will continue support for a small grants fund for South American community organizations. These small grants support local communities' efforts to actively participate in public discussions on regional integration infrastructure projects (highways, waterways) in South America, that are being funded by multilateral and regional financial institutions. In addition, the small grants fund will address issues related to energy production, including biofuel production in South America; large dam expansion; and other resource extraction activities. Grants will support meetings, applied research, educational campaigns, and capacity building.

Multilateral development banks, and particularly the World Bank, play a central role in formulating development policy and are the dominant environmental and social standard setters in international finance and investment. The Bank Information Center supports developing country organizations in their efforts to influence the social and environmental impacts of multilateral development bank-financed projects and policies, with a particular focus on accountability and transparency at the World Bank Group. During the next two years, the Bank Information Center will provide information dissemination and capacity-building services, networking and coalition-building expertise, and advocacy support to partners around the world. This grant provides continued general purposes support to the Bank Information Center.