BANKS & FINANCE

Throughout the last three decades, it has become increasingly evident that many international, European and North American financial institutions have been, possibly unwittingly, profiting from illegal activities and fuelling the demand for illegal timber and illegally cleared forest land through investment in processing capacity such as pulp mills, agribusiness and related sectors, particularly in the tropics.

Private investors include lending banks, merchant banks, institutional investors and companies that provide services such as insurance. Public finance has also been made available to critical sectors by export credit agencies, aid agencies and development banks.

Efforts to improve due diligence procedures in these financial institutions have varied widely. Public institutions generally have more effective safeguards and levels of transparency; and a significant number of private lending banks have signed up to the Equator Principles, a set of standards that aim to exclude illegal wood from projects in which these banks invest. There is however, little transparency about the implementation of these standards and most current relevant investment appears to be outside the framework of the Principles.

Regulating the investment which fuels over-capacity in many critical sectors and regions is one of the fundamental ways that the international community can attempt to stem illegal logging; however there are many significant barriers to achieving this, not least the general lack of political will for increased regulation of the financial community.

DOCUMENTS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
29/01/2013	Does Credit Affect Deforestation? Evidence from a Rural Credit Policy in the Brazilian Amazon The deforestation rate in the Brazilian Amazon decreased sharply in the second half of the 2000s. A previous ...	Climate Policy Initiative (CPI)
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17/12/2012	ETFRN News 54: Good Business Making Private Investments Work for Tropical Forests Private finance is currently the most significant source of investment for forestry. Estimated to total ...	ETFRN (Editors: Alexander Asen, Herman Savenije and Fabian Schmidt)
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02/11/2012	In the Future, There Will Be No Forests Left The authors of this briefing say that HSBC has bankrolled logging companies causing widespread environmental ...	Global Witness
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16/10/2012	The Little Forest Finance Book: 14 Catalysts to Scale Up Forest-Friendly Finance The aim of this book is to catalyse an increase in the finance flowing towards forest-friendly development. It ...	Global Canopy Programme
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01/10/2012	Unlocking National Opportunities: New Insights on Financing Sustainable Forest and Land Management One of the main challenges countries face in enhancing sustainable forest and land management (SFM/SLM) ...	FAO / ITTO / Tropenbos International / Global Mechanism / NFP Facility
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30/06/2012	2012 Study on Forest Financing The Advisory Group on Finance (AGF) of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) has released a ...	CPF (Collaborative Partnership on Forests)
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25/06/2012	Timberland in Institutional Investment Portfolios: Can Significant Investment Reach Emerging Markets? This study examines current investment patterns in forestry. The context for the study is the emerging ...	FAO, Tropenbos International & Natural Resources Canada
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26/03/2012	APP: Default on Environmental Covenant The authors of this report claim that Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) has broken “legally binding” ...	Eyes on the Forest, Indonesia
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06/05/2011	REDDy - Set - Grow: Opportunities and Roles of Financial Institutions in Forest-Carbon Markets This report explains how private sector participation in REDD+ and deforestation activities can lead ...	UNEP Finance Initiative
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28/02/2011	Improving the Due Diligence of Financial Institutions to Combat Illegal Logging The effects of weak due diligence on the part of financial institutions have been clearly illustrated ...	Transparency International
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21/04/2009	WWF - GFTN Quarterly Newsletter April 2009 Major highlights: expanding the reach of responsible forestry in India, certified Chinese forest surpasses ...	WWF Global Trade & Forest Network (GFTN)
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01/12/2008	Timber Trade Action Plan News - Issue 8 Welcome to the eighth and last edition of the TTAP newsletter of this year. This issue highlights the ...	Timber Trade Action Plan (Switzerland)
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01/05/2008	Exporting destruction: Export credits, illegal logging and deforestation Exporting Destruction is the conclusion of research that included fieldwork in China, desk studies, and ...	FERN
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31/08/2007	Final Report of World Bank Inspection Panel Investigation of Forest Sector Operations in DRC The present Report presents the findings of the Inspection Panel in response to a Request for Inspection ...	World Bank
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09/06/2007	Lazy days at international banks: how Credit Suisse and HSBC support illegal logging and unsustainable timber harvesting by Samling/Barama in Guyana, and possible reforms Credit Suisse and HSBC are two of the three international banks which underwrote the Initial Public Offering ...	Janette Bulkan and John Palmer (emails to janette.bulkan@yale.edu)
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03/05/2007	Collated documents relating to campaign for Credit Suisse to repay the Malaysian Penan people Documents relating to the campaign organised by Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) and the Society for Threatened ...
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10/04/2007	Carving up the Congo (Executive Summary) Report arguing that international logging companies are causing social chaos and wreaking environmental ...	Greenpeace (UK)
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10/04/2007	Carving up the Congo (Full Report) Report arguing that international logging companies are causing social chaos and wreaking environmenatl ...	Greenpeace (UK)
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01/02/2007	ECA Brief: Pulp mills in Uruguay Looks at issues with the much-contested Orion pulp mill development in Uruguay and the role of the Finnish ...	ECA Watch
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24/01/2007	Outlook for the world economy A paper prepared for the Chatham House meeting 'Forest governance and trade: exploring options' ...	FCO (Catherine Barber)
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01/10/2006	Forestry Research Programme: Research supporting improved forest governance Outlines DFID Forestry Research Programme research projects supporting good governance, a number of which ...	Forestry Research Programme
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01/05/2006	The role of development partners in Africa: a forestry perspective on benefits, problems and trends This article seeks to demonstrate how the forest sector could capitalize on emerging trends in official ...	International Forestry Review (Giuseppe Topa)
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01/01/2006	CEO Perspectives: Viewpoints of CEOs in the forest, paper and packaging industry worldwide 17 CEOs of forest, paper and packaging companies worldwide were interviewed by PricewaterhouseCoopers ...	PricewaterhouseCoopers
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21/11/2005	Global Witness ENA FLEG Ministerial Declaration Comments Comments on the fourth draft Europe and North Asia FLEG Ministerial Declaration. ...	Jon Buckrell
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01/06/2005	Improving Due Diligence in Forestry Investments This paper presents an overview of global financing for forestry and related high-risk sectors. It sets ...	Chatham House (Jade Saunders)
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06/02/2005	HSBC Forest land and forest products sector guideline policy Guideline to ensure that HSBC's involvement in this potentially sensitive sector is consistent with ...	HSBC
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06/02/2005	ABN AMRO Forestry Policy The Forestry Policy applies to forestry and tree plantations and aims to prevent the bank from knowingly ...	ABN AMRO
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30/01/2004	To Buy or Not to Buy The NGO FERN, in a new report, examines the timber procurement policies of EU member states and the ...	FERN
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19/01/2004	Citigroup Anti-Illegal Logging Initiative Citigroup's commitment not to make loans to companies whom they know to be in violation of local ...	Citigroup Bank
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17/09/2003	Indonesian Money Laundering Bill Could Help to Save Forests The Center for International Forestry Research welcomes decision by the Indonesian Govt to include crimes ...	CIFOR
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05/09/2003	Sources of investment for forestry: preventing flows of finance to illegal activities This paper was prepared for the international workshop on 'Sources of investment for forestry: preventing ...	Chatham House/RIIA (Jan Willem van Gelder, Wolfgang Richert and Eric Wakker)
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04/06/2003	The "Equator Principles": an industry approach for financial institutions for determining, assessing and managing environmental and social risk in project financing Principles adopted by a number of large international financial instiutions. These are commitments to ...	Equator Principles
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01/02/2003	The Impact of Large Scale Forest Industry Investments on WB/WWF Alliance Targets Report by the World Bank/WWF Alliance based on Latvian case study. Includes detailed recommendations ...	World Bank and WWF
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01/04/2002	Export Credits: Fuelling Illegal Logging This briefing note details the relationship between ECAs and illegal logging and argues that in order ...	FERN (Chantal Marijnissen)
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NEWS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
14/05/2013	Bill Oddie evicted from HSBC HQ while protesting against bank’s role in Malaysian rainforest destruction Naturalist and comedian Bill Oddie has been filmed being ...	Global Witness
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13/05/2013	Deutsche Bank and IFC accused of bankrolling Vietnam firms' land grabs Two Vietnamese firms bankrolled by Deutsche Bank and the International Finance Corporation – the ...	The Guardian
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17/04/2013	Private sector emerges as key potential funder of sustainable forest management As countries around the world struggle to find the necessary funds to sustainably manage their forests, ...	UN News Centre
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04/04/2013	A question of shareholder responsibility Another blow to the palm oil industry came on March 11 when JP Morgan Asia Pacific Equity Research revealed ...	The Jakarta Post
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31/03/2013	New forestry battle in the Solomons Solomon Islands was on a downward spiral when an Australian-led intervention force landed in Honiara ...	Islands Business
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14/01/2013	Swiss lawmakers push for freeze of Taib family assets "The Taib family is acting like a criminal organization": Swiss MP Carlo Sommaruga Geneva/Bern, ...	Bruno Manser Fund, Switzerland
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16/12/2012	Large Indonesian forest protection project gets underway Indonesia recently approved a rainforest conservation project that has been years in the making. The ...	ICTSD
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06/12/2012	Indonesia approves landmark forest protection project Indonesia on Wednesday approved a rainforest conservation project that sets aside an area roughly the ...	Planet Ark (Reuters)
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12/11/2012	Bruno Manser Fund takes Malaysian money-laundering case to the Swiss Federal Criminal Court Swiss NGO, the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), and 255 citizens from the Malaysian state of Sabah are asking ...	Bruno Manser Fund, Switzerland
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06/11/2012	Warning to financiers - don't fund forest destruction Financial institutions have been warned today to avoid investments in pulp and paper mills associated ...	European Environmental Paper Network (EEPN)
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22/10/2012	Ecuador says companies join novel Amazon protection fund About a dozen companies are contributing to a novel conservation plan that pays Ecuador to protect part ...	Planet Ark (Reuters)
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21/10/2012	'Public Private Partnerships needed to conserve biodiversity' New approaches like Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are needed to mobilise funding for biodiversity ...	Business Standard, India
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10/10/2012	We must embrace technology if thev private sector is to embrace REDD The REDD financing mechanism aims to leverage private-sector funding for the conservation and sustainable ...	Ecosystem Marketplace
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25/09/2012	Liberia: Notorious Malaysian company surfaces in Liberia A comprehensive investigation by this paper has unearthed that a notorious Malaysian logging company ...	The Inquirer, Liberia (posted on allAfrica.com)
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11/09/2012	Kate and Wills fly into Borneo illegal logging controversy It was to be a highlight of their official Diamond Jubilee tour on behalf of the Queen, a trip deep into ...	Herald Sun, Australia
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31/08/2012	Swiss probe UBS over alleged Malaysia money-laundering Swiss prosecutors have opened a criminal money laundering probe into UBS after an environmental campaign ...	Reuters
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17/08/2012	Westpac denies role in illegal Solomons logging The Westpac Bank says claims by Australia’s Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon that it is financing illegal ...	Radio New Zealand News
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13/08/2012	Calls for Westpac to reassess Solomons logging loans The Australian Greens Party says it is looking for support for a parliamentary motion condemning Westpac ...	ABC Radio Australia
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28/07/2012	Westpac lends to firms tied to illegal logging The Australian bank that promotes itself as being among the world's greenest and most ethical is ...	Casey Weekly, Australia
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12/06/2012	Swiss public prosecutor asked to charge UBS over laundering of Borneo logging corruption proceeds Zurich, Switzerland - Swiss bank UBS is likely to face criminal proceedings over its business ties with ...	Bruno Manser Fund, Switzerland
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03/06/2012	Indonesia’s REDD reality Indonesia is on the brink of transformation. Committing to a bilateral deal with Norway, it has run ...	The Jakarta Post, Indonesia
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24/05/2012	U.N. risks investor stand-off on REDD by delaying work: green groups Countries risk delaying much-needed private sector investment in slowing deforestation by dodging tricky ...	Reuters
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08/05/2012	Jordanian company takes over 25% of Congo forest Sanabel International Holding, the first Islamic investment bank in Jordan, announced acquisition of ...	AmmonNews, Jordan
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04/05/2012	Illegal logging, contract cancellations fuel investor flight from APP The notorious company Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), linked to illegal logging and the clearance of Sumatran ...	Greenpeace International
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03/05/2012	Swiss MP questions UBS' role in Malaysian timber corruption scandal Berne, Switzerland - Carlo Sommaruga, social democrat MP for Geneva, has today filed a number of questions ...	Bruno Manser Fund, Switzerland
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23/04/2012	All in a day’s work: ending illegal deforestation in the Amazon Editor’s Note: Rane Cortez works for The Nature Conservancy and is based in Belem, Brazil. She ...	National Geographic
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21/04/2012	UBS faces money-laundering allegations in Malaysian timber scandal Zurich, Switzerland - Switzerland's largest bank, is facing serious money-laundering allegations ...	Bruno Manser Fund, Switzerland
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27/03/2012	Ongoing deforestation puts APP in breach of debt restructuring agreements, finds report Note: this article was amended shortly after posting to include APP's denial and demand for retraction ...	Mongabay.com
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14/12/2011	Durban talks both good and bad for REDD+, says expert Durban, South Africa - The U.N. climate change talks in Durban resulted in a mixed bag for REDD+: progress ...	CIFOR Forests Blog
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11/12/2011	Private sector finance eyed for U.N. forest projects Private investors may be allowed to earn carbon credits by paying poor countries to halt the destruction ...	Reuters
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06/12/2011	Jump-starting REDD finance: $3 billion Forest Finance Facility needed to halve deforestation within a decade Guest commentary by Donald P. Kanak and Andrew W. Mitchell How to finance a means to reduce deforestation, ...	Mongabay.com
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05/12/2011	Africa's shrinking forests need urgent help, climate change talks hear Forests take up a huge amount of the continent, but are one of Africa's most misunderstood and undervalued ...	allAfrica.com
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15/11/2011	3 sticking points to tackle on REDD+ in Durban, says facilitator Manila, Philippines - Antonio La Viña, who facilitates REDD+ negotiations at the U.N. climate ...	CIFOR Forests Blog
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01/11/2011	Guidelines to ensure forests are well-managed A new set of standards on forest certification is in the works. Way back in 1999, Malaysia was just ...	The Star Online, Malaysia
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01/10/2011	Developing countries united under UN agency to counter deforestation According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), deforestation causes a fifth of global ...	The International
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19/09/2011	Green groups call for bonds to halt deforestation Financial products can mobilise the $30bn needed to fund forestry programmes that cut carbon and protect ...	Business Green
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05/09/2011	$40bn a year could halve deforestation worldwide Investing just 0.034 per cent of global GDP could transform the world's forestry sector, halving ...	The Citizen, Tanzania
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28/06/2011	Forests in danger as study warns UN funding is unlikely Funding relies on public sector and most governments unwilling to spend more on overseas development, ...	Guardian, UK
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05/06/2011	Spending more on forests could reap enormous benefits – UN report Investing a relatively small amount each year in the forestry sector could halve deforestation, create ...	UN News Centre
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19/05/2011	Bankers take centre stage in fight to save rainforests Given their obvious lack of qualifications, not to mention their recent track record, bankers don't ...	BBC News
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09/05/2011	REDD+ must attract private investment: UN study The enormous potential of forest carbon mechanisms must be harnessed with well-designed policy that will ...	Carbon Positive
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13/04/2011	Malagasy hardwood for western guitars Malagasy leader Andry Rajoelina recently accused environmental agencies Global Witness and EIA of issuing ...	Radio Netherlands Worldwide
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01/04/2011	Brazil banks sued for encouraging deforestation Brasilia - Federal prosecutors in Brazil said Friday they have filed suit against the state-run Banco ...	AFP
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25/03/2011	German bank dumps palm oil company stock DWS, a fund management company run by Deutsche Bank, has dropped all Wilmar International stock from ...	Mongabay.com
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10/01/2011	Business key to saving Indonesia’s forests, says Al Gore Jakarta - Former US vice president and environmental campaigner Al Gore kicked off the International ...	Eco-business.com
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03/01/2011	Top five forest stories of 2010 In the context of an overall bleak 2010 for the planet, forests offer a bright point for some celebration ...	Grist
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03/12/2010	Brazil's largest national bank signs zero deforestation pact for Amazon soy Banco do Brasil, Brazil's largest state-owned bank, announced it has joined a zero deforestation ...	Mongabay.com
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25/10/2010	Brazil's national development bank found guilty of driving Amazon deforestation BNDES, Brazil's national development bank, contributed to Amazon deforestation by lending billions ...	Mongabay.com
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18/10/2010	HSBC and Forest Sustainability Malaysia to collaborate HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad and Forest Sustainability (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd recently announced their partnership ...	Sun2Surf, Malaysia
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13/10/2010	HSBC provides financial support to help FSC develop standards Kuala Lumpur - HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd will provide RM150,000 in financial support in its partnership ...	Bernama, Malaysia
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17/09/2010	Toyota boosts forest project in Peñablanca Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will continue its advocacy to restore 2,500 hectares of forest affected ...	Manila Bulletin, Philippines
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08/07/2010	HSBC pulls investment from Sinar Mas after Greenpeace protest Bank notifies Greenpeace it has sold shares in Indonesian palm oil producer. ...	Guardian, UK
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21/05/2010	Greenpeace links HSBC climate change fund to deforestation Campaign group asks HSBC to close investment fund loophole in bank's forest ethics policy. ...	Guardian, UK
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13/05/2010	Investors wary of "green" forestry London - Forests have a growing value as a result of climate policies, but the complexity of carbon markets ...	Reuters
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17/03/2010	U.S. groups want to expand climate bill forestry aid U.S. environmental groups are trying to expand a climate change bill being written in the Senate to help ...	Reuters, featured on Planet Ark
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05/03/2010	PwC helps tackle deforestation PricewaterhouseCoopers and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development have released a risk ...	Energy Saving Trust, UK
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16/09/2009	Big business to measure ‘forest footprint’ “Investors are sleepwalking into a financial bear trap as businesses are increasingly called to ...	Developments
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01/07/2009	Brazil's development bank to require beef-tracking system to avoid illegal Amazon deforestation Responding to allegations that major Brazilian cattle producers are responsible for illegal forest clearing ...	Mongabay.com
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13/06/2009	World Bank revokes loan to Brazilian cattle giant accused of Amazon deforestation The Work Bank's private lending arm has withdrawn a $90 million loan to Brazilian cattle giant Bertin, ...	Mongabay.com
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16/03/2009	UN: Economic meltdown means less demand for wood Rome, Italy - The economic crisis and collapse of the housing sector will result in reduced demand for ...	International Herald Tribune (France)
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16/03/2009	Economic crisis hurts forestry sector, sustainability initiatives The global economic crisis has slowed demand for timber products and may undermine efforts to improve ...	Mongabay.com (USA)
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02/12/2008	HSBC to curb palm oil lending, review oil sands Poznan, Poland - Environmental concerns have caused HSBC to scale back lending to forestry schemes in ...	Guardian (UK)
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10/09/2008	Samling shares fall to dramatic all-time low Hong Kong Stock Exchange requests Samling to give an explanation ' Malaysian timber group state ...	Bruno Manser Fonds (Switzerland)
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13/07/2008	IFC Helps Major Hardwood Floor Company in China Source Sustainable Wood Beijing, China - IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today announced that it has invested in Nature, ...	IFC News (USA)
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30/05/2008	Economic slowdown likely to impact appeal of environmental initiatives UK - The economic slowdown is likely to have broader repercussions for the forest sector than just a ...	ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report (Japan)
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26/02/2008	World Bank develops practical guidance for sustaining forests in development cooperation Washington, USA ' To begin to tackle the complexity of issues surrounding forests role in poverty ...	World Bank (USA)
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21/01/2008	TVNZ Criticised Over Link to Rainforest Destruction in PNG New Zealand - TVNZ is facing severe criticism over its decision to allow the National Bank to sponsor ...	Epoch Times (USA)
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15/01/2008	World Bank Board Discusses Inspection Panel Investigation of Forest Sector Operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Press Release) Washington, USA The World Bank independent Inspection Panel said that it appreciates ...	World Bank (USA)
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14/01/2008	W.Bank to Increase Involvement With DRC Forestry Washington, USA - The World Bank said on Thursday it would increase its involvement in the Democratic ...	Planet Ark (Australia)
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10/01/2008	World Bank aims to scale up in Congo forest sector Washington, USA - The World Bank said on Thursday it would scale up its involvement in reorganizing Congo's ...	Guardian Unlimited (UK)
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18/12/2007	World Bank to work with China in Africa The World Bank has agreed to work with Chinese development bodies on aid programmes in Africa and elsewhere ...	Financial Times (UK)
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12/12/2007	C’mon ANZ, don’t finance forest destruction in Tas (New Zealand Green Party Press Release) Green Party Co-Leader Russel Norman today called on ANZ customers ...	Scoop.co.nz (New Zealand)
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10/12/2007	World Bank ditches shares in Congo-trashing company (Greenpeace Blog) UK - There have been some great developments around our Congo rainforest campaign, ...	Greenpeace (UK)
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31/10/2007	HSBC to provide finance based on Equator Principles The Business Times reported that HSBC Malaysia intends to loan money to timber companies that can demonstrate ...	ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report (Japan)
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19/10/2007	Illuminating Resource Revenue Transparency - A New Guide from the IMF The revised IMF Guide on Resource Revenue Transparency is a comprehensive handbook on good transparency ...	International Monetary Fund (USA)
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15/10/2007	China to promote its overseas forest products industry To further promote the development of China's economy and trade, the Chinese government has announced ...	ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report (Japan)
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30/09/2007	Welcome to ANZ Mr Smith, here's the thing New Zealand - The Green Party is calling on Michael Smith, who starts tomorrow as CEO of the ANZ Banking ...	Scoop.co.nz (New Zealand)
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17/09/2007	Guyana: The forestry commission and the geology and mines commission should sign up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Letter from the Stabroek News in Guyana. ...	Stabroek News (Guyana)
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15/09/2007	Given the waivers granted to Asian timber companies in 2006, what investments did they make and what taxes did they pay? Letter to editor of the Stabroek News. ...	Stabroek News (Guyana)
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30/08/2007	How the World Bank and HSBC are investing in deforestation DRC Back in April, at the World Bank's spring meeting, there was much talk about the plight of ...	Greenpeace
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29/08/2007	World Bank Group's role in illegal African rainforest destruction is exposed: company implicated in Congo forest plunder posts rising profits Washington, USA - The World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) is financing a Singapore-based ...	Common Dreams (USA)
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07/08/2007	If a tree falls, does the World Bank hear it? Bangkok, Thailand - For all its talk of good governance, the World Bank continues to choose its words ...	Asia Times Online (Hong Kong)
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30/05/2007	Banking on green gesture? On the sixth floor of an office block in London's Canary Wharf, a crowd ate a breakfast of scrambled ...	BBC (UK)
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23/05/2007	Solomons warned about unsustainable logging Honiara, Solomon Islands The International Monetary Fund is urging the Solomon Islands Government to ...	Pacific Islands Report (Hawaii)
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10/05/2007	HSBC reviews green due diligence HSBC Holdings is reviewing its environmental due diligence after being accused of breaking its own heavily ...	South China Morning Post (China)
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06/05/2007	Indonesia agrees to form joint economic committee with Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - The Indonesian government has agreed to a proposal by Malaysia to set up a bilateral ...	Antara (Indonesia)
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03/05/2007	Credit Suisse asked to pay back profits of Samling listing Malaysian Samling group accused of illegal logging in Guyana. ...	Bruno Manser Fonds (Switzerland)
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14/04/2007	Greenpeace: Germans involved in illegal logging in DR Congo Greenpeace has called for urgent action to prevent illegal logging in DR Congo. The environmental group ...	Deutsche Welle (Germany)
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12/04/2007	ANZ linked to illegal logging Banking group ANZ has been targeted in an advertising campaign for doing business with a company that ...	ABC (Australia)
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09/04/2007	Peru adopts new economic model for Amazonian timber industry A future economic model handling the logging industry in Peru's Amazon rainforest will unite exporting ...	Journal Peru (Peru)
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04/04/2007	HSBC irks fund managers over Samling support Money guardians question the banking giant's standards on social responsibility. ...	South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
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22/03/2007	Are Hong Kong bankers clearing a path for forest destruction? Environmental protesters are charging that HSBC and Credit Suisse have violated their own forest sector ...	Asia Sentinel (Hong Kong)
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19/03/2007	A rainforest in danger In 2004, more than 100 environment, development, and human rights groups in the Democratic Republic of ...	Guardian Unlimited (UK)
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15/03/2007	Penan re-erect road block against Samling corporation Malaysia - Controversial Samling Group enjoys support from international banks. ...	Bruno Manser Fonds (Switzerland)
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07/03/2007	Allen & Overy advises on Samling Global IPO Allen & Overy advised the issuer, Malaysia-based timber resources and products provider Samling Global ...	Allen & Overy
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05/03/2007	HSBC: world's local bank raises money for global forest destruction (Press Release) UK - HSBC appears to be violating its own forest sector guidelines by arranging the stock ...	Global Witness (UK)
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23/02/2007	Environmental groups attack Indonesian government, World Bank Environmental groups have criticized the World Bank for a forest management plan in Indonesia that they ...	Voice of America (USA)
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15/02/2007	Swiss bank involved in Malaysian logging giant's stock exchange listing (Bruno Manser Fonds Press Release) Malaysian Samling group responsible for destroying large areas of ...	Bruno Manser Fonds (Switzerland)
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18/12/2006	The hidden cost of your hardwood floor The demand for Chinese goods is driving destructive logging around the globe. ...	Chicago Tribune (USA)
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14/12/2006	Mozambique: taking ownership or just changing owners? 'Cahora Bassa is ours' are the first words Mozambique's president, Armando Guebuza, said ...	AllAfrica.com
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07/12/2006	EU ratifies support for Botnia pulp mill in Uruguay The European Union praised the World Bank decision to extend a 170 million US dollars loan for the completion ...	MercoPress (Uruguay)
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22/11/2006	Finland's Botnia gets World Bank financing for paper mill in Uruguay Oy Metsa-Botnia said the World Bank has approved 520 mln usd in financing for its pulp mill project in ...	Forbes (USA)
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14/11/2006	Donors in dinner jackets go local Smarting from being dubbed donors in dinner jackets, the World Bank is turning its attention to small-scale ...	TVNZ (New Zealand)
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02/11/2006	World Bank still pursuing questionable forestry agenda Papua New Guinea - About three years ago, executives flew into Port Moresby from various provincial cities ...	The National (Papua New Guinea)
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31/10/2006	Forest Authority holds regional seminar on FLEG The PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA) recently held a South Pacific Regional Seminar on Forest Law Enforcement ...	ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report (Japan)
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17/10/2006	World Bank units to recommend pulp mills project Washington, USA - The World Bank's private-sector lender and guarantee agency said on Tuesday they ...	Reuters (UK)
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01/10/2006	Community groups lodge formal complaint against ANZ Bank for illegal logging ties in PNG Community groups from Australia and PNG have filed a formal complaint against the ANZ Bank over its financial ...	Toksave - WWF Newsletter (Papua New Guinea)
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23/08/2006	NGOs lodge complaint against ANZ Bank for PNG illegal logging ties (Press Release) Five community groups from Australia and Papua New Guinea today filed a formal complaint ...	ACF (Australia)
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01/07/2006	World Bank to improve Cambodian forest plan The World Bank has vowed to improve its much-criticized forestry program in Cambodia, after an internal ...	ABC Asia Pacific (Australia)
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05/06/2006	Region: Pacific Losing Biodiversity The European Commission (EC) has submitted a proposal to the European Council and the European Parliament ...	Pacific Magazine (Hawaii)
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11/05/2006	Global pulp mill industry on verge of collapse: report The rapidly expanding world pulp mill industry could be poised for collapse due to a failure by financial ...	Agence France-Presse (France)
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11/05/2006	China paper demand consuming forests - study Hong Kong/Jakarta - China's huge appetite for paper is fueling pulp mill expansions and accelerating ...	Reuters (UK)
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28/02/2006	Some local banks finance illegal logging Indonesia: Some banks in regencies have been involved in financing illegal logging, though the forestry ...	Antara (Indonesia)
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23/02/2006	Merrill turns down UFS over Kiani funding Merrill Lynch has decided against funding a $600m bid by United Fiber Systems for Kiani Kertas, a Borneo ...	Financial Times (UK)
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21/02/2006	IFC Adopts New Environmental and Social Standards Washington D.C., USA - The Board of Directors of the International Finance Corporation adopted today ...	IFC (USA)
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08/11/2005	US Greens Worried About Forest Investments An article in The Wall Street Journal (see U.S. timberland gets pricey 04/11) notes how financial institutions ...	New Zealand Forestry
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04/11/2005	U.S. timberland gets pricey as big money seeks shelter As money managers seek homes for today's profusion of investment capital, some are straying far ...	Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (USA)
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09/09/2005	Activists to Banks: Behave Better in the Boreal SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 9, 2005 - ForestEthics and Rainforest Action Network have sent letters to ...	Green Biz (USA)
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28/05/2005	Global Witness dubious over anti-deforestation plan in Cambodia International environmental group Global Witness has said that it remains dubious about the ability of ...	Deutsche Presse-Agentur
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25/05/2005	Alliance to stop illegal logging and deforestation NEW YORK WWF and the World Bank (WB) today announced an ambitious global program aimed at reducing global ...	Globe.net
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25/05/2005	WWF/World Bank forest alliance launches ambitious program to reduce deforestation and curb illegal logging New York - WWF and the World Bank (WB) today announced an ambitious global program aimed at reducing ...	World Bank Group
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22/05/2005	Banks Go for Green ...	Time (USA)
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12/05/2005	JP Morgan's green lending promise: a point of no return for financial institutions? JP Morgan Chase has agreed to adopt new lending policies designed to protect the environment. But conservatives ...	Ethical Corporation (UK)
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12/05/2005	JP Morgan's Green-Lending Policy: Point of No Return? JP Morgan Chase has agreed to adopt new lending policies designed to protect the environment. But conservatives ...	Ethical Corporation
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10/04/2005	Bank facilitates illegal logging in Cambodia Bank officials have recently brokered the lifting of Cambodia's three year ban on log transportation, ...	Bretton Woods Project (UK)
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01/03/2005	Report into illegal logging attacks JP Morgan A report by a group of US environmental groups has named JP Morgan Chase and BlueLinx as major backers ...	Ethical Corporation (UK)
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24/02/2005	JP Morgan Chase and BlueLinx Linked to Illegal Logging of Endangered Forests and Resulting Humanitarian Crisis Investigations by Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network have confirmed that JP Morgan Chase client ...	Ascribe (USA)
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03/02/2005	APP Faces Illegal Logging Allegations In China, Cambodia JAKARTA, Indonesia -Singapore-based Asia Pulp & Paper (PAP.YY) faces fresh allegations of illegal ...	Yahoo Finance
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26/10/2004	Ta Ann a top pick among timber stocks Malaysia - Ta Ann Holdings Bhd is riding high on strong plywood prices. It announced pre-tax profits ...	The Star (Malaysia)
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29/06/2004	Greenpeace reveals bribery at Danzer Group Today Greenpeace published an investigation into Swiss/German logging company The Danzer Group, which ...	Greenpeace
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17/05/2004	Bank of America Stiffens Environmental Loan Rules Bank of America Corp. on Monday joined Citigroup Inc. in tightening lending standards for project financing ...	Reuters
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29/04/2004	Banks making progress on environment, group says Many U.S. banks are making progress toward tightening their lending standards for project financing to ...	Reuters
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28/01/2004	RAN Targets Further Deals The Rainforest Action Network hopes its environmental pact with Citigroup, announced Thursday, is only ...
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26/01/2004	Citigroup And RAN Reach Agreement San Francisco - After four years of grassroots mobilization, Rainforest Action Network today declared ...	ENN.Com
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PRESENTATIONS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
08/02/2013	Catalysing finance for forest friendly development	Nick Oakes, Global Canopy Programme
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08/02/2013	Engaging the finance sector on forests	Chris Knight, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
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10/02/2012	Nexus between natural capital and financial capital: is there a role for private sector leadership?	Andrew Hedges, Norton Rose
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10/06/2008	HSBC and the forest lands and forest products sector	John Laidlow, HSBC Holdings plc
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18/01/2008	Finance for verified and certified operators	John White, UK Timber Trade Federation, TTF
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25/01/2007	FLEG initiatives supported by the World Bank	World Bank (Tapani Oksanen)
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24/01/2007	Outlook for the world economy	FCO (Catherine Barber)
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20/09/2006	Policy research priorities for China's production forestry	World Bank (William B. Magrath)
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21/07/2006	Citigroup support for legal and sustainable forestry policies and foundation initiatives	Citigroup (Bruce Schlein)
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21/07/2006	The World Bank Inspection Panel in Cambodia and the Forest Concession Management and Control pilot project	Global Witness (Eleanor Nichol)
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24/03/2006	Stopping illegal logging with a financial approach: Indonesian working group on forest finance	IWGFF (Willem Pattinasarany)
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19/01/2006	An overview of policy options to regulate financial institutions servicing deforestation	AidEnvironment (Wolfgang Richert)
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EVENTS

DATE	TITLE
Thursday 3rd May 2007	Media conference: Credit Suisse requested to pay 10 million US dollars compensation for Samling IPO Bruno Manser Fonds and the Society for Threatened Peoples are calling upon Credit Suisse, in anticipation ...
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Wednesday 24th January 2007	Forest governance and trade: exploring options Looking forward to the year 2020, the meeting aimed to consider the likely evolution of global economics, ...
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Wednesday 26th April 2006	International Tropical Forest Investment Forum Entitiled 'Issues and Opportunities for Investment in Natural Tropical Forests' this ITTO forum ...
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Thursday 19th January 2006	Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation Number 7 The seventh in a regular series of meetings coordinated by Chatham House and funded by DFID. The meeting ...
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Wednesday 27th July 2005	Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation Number 6 The sixth in a regular series of meetings coordinated by Chatham House and funded by DFID. The meeting ...
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Thursday 2nd December 2004	Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation Number 5 The fifth in a series of policy update meetings hosted by Chatham House and funded by DFID. The meeting ...
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Thursday 29th July 2004	Discussion meeting: Money laundering and illegal logging Following the discussion meeting 'Capturing the Profits of Illegal Logging' in March 2004 on ...
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Thursday 17th June 2004	Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation Number 4 The fourth in a regular series of meetings hosted by Chatham House and funded by DFID. The meeting covered ...
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Friday 5th September 2003	Sources of Investment for Forestry: preventing flows of finance to illegal activities An meeting held as a scoping exercise for work that the Royal Institute of International Affairs is planning ...
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LINKS

TITLE	DESCRIPTION	REPORT
Bank Track	BankTrack is a network of civil society organisations and individuals tracking the operations of the private financial sector (commercial banks, investors, insurance companies, pension funds) and its effect on people and the environment, including financing companies involved in illegal logging.	Broken link
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Equator Principles	Principles adopted by a number of large international financial instiutions. They commit the institution to ensuring that the projects they finance are developed in a manner that is socially responsible and reflects sound environmental management practices, including a commitment to not funding illegal forestry.	Broken link
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Forest People's Programme	Forest Peoples Programme supports forest peoples to secure and sustainably manage their forests, lands and livelihoods. Their strategies to achieve this include: * promoting the rights and interests of forest peoples at local, national and international levels * creating space for forest peoples to have an effective voice in decision-making processes * challenging top-down policies and projects that deprive local peoples of resources * coordinating support among environmental organisations for forest peoples' visions * supporting community-led sustainable forest management * publicising forest peoples' plight through research, analysis and documentation. Click here for the Forest Peoples Programme webpage with ongoing dialogue with HSBC over funded activities by companies in Sarawak and Guyana.	Broken link
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World Bank	The World Bank Group is one of the world's largest sources of development assistance; it works in more than 100 developing economies with the primary focus of helping the poorest people and the poorest countries. This link takes you to the 'Forests and Forestry' section.	Broken link
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World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility	The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) is designed to build the capacity of developing countries in tropical and subtropical regions to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) and to tap into any future system of positive incentives for REDD. In some of these countries, the FCPF will also help reduce the rate of deforestation and forest degradation by providing an incentive per ton of carbon dioxide of emissions reduced through specific Emission Reductions Programs targeting the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation.	Broken link
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