Stories from our members during the COVID pandemic - Part 3: Both Ends

 

In September 2019, the streets of Jakarta filled with angry protesters. They protested against the "Omnibus Employment Act" that would ease mining rules, minimize corporate liability for crimes committed and reduce the power of the National Anti-Corruption Commission. Read more.

 

The La Plata Basin in South America connects Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The livelihoods of the millions of people who live there - city dwellers, small-scale farmers and fishermen, and indigenous peoples - are under pressure from industrial soy cultivation, mining and logging and the construction of dams and ports. The Covid-19 crisis is only making the situation worse. Read more.

 

'Cozy at home with the family': three women in villages in Latin America about the Covid-19 crisis"The Covid-19 crisis affects everyone, but in a different way. In one country it is less noticeable than in another, in the cities the problems are of a very different nature than in the countryside and men have a very suffer from all the restrictions differently than women. Read more.

 

In this time of crisis-driven reflection, we read accurate analyzes of the past and present from every nook and cranny, which are translated into action agendas. Many analyzes are substantive – they deal with inequality, climate, the financial sector, healthcare, education, and women's rights. They are about the 'what' and much less about 'who' or 'how'. But you build a different future together with everyone, young and old, man and woman. This future won't happen to us, we'll be there ourselves. Time for new faces at the table with a different voice. Time for a new future. Read more. 

 

After Wopke Hoekstra inflicted the ire of southern European countries on March 26 by blocking the European emergency fund, we too were suddenly 'close-minded and selfish' Dutch (Parool) and we had to 'take a holiday somewhere else' ( RTL News). The tone was set. The stiffness with which agreements have been made on support at European level contrasts sharply with the speed with which the welcome support measures for employees, entrepreneurs and the business community were announced two weeks earlier in our own country. We have learned nothing from our own past, while everyone benefits from raising solidarity more highly. Read more. 

 

The World Trade Organization (WTO) - especially after President Trump decided in 2019 to pull the plug on one of the main WTO bodies (the body where countries can appeal in trade disputes) - is often seen as an institution in crisis: paralyzed and not. more relevant. Yet more than 150 civil society organisations, networks and groups from around the world signed a fire letter to WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo, because they are deeply concerned about the current state of affairs within the WTO. Read more.

 

Since his last Cabinet, Prime Minister Rutte has wanted to leave behind two new financial organizations as a green legacy with Invest-NL and Invest International. With the advent of the COVID-19 crisis, these organizations are more important than ever. They are moving away from the government, so that they can act quickly and professionally, and they aim to stimulate investments in sustainable and social projects. Read more.

 

Simulation of corona crisis and oil price war impact on ABP and PFZW equity portfolios. Read more.

 

In many places in Latin America, access to clean water is under great pressure from overuse and pollution, often caused by large-scale farming or mining. The impact of this is huge, especially on women. In March, around International Women's Day on March 8 and World Water Day on March 22, they make themselves heard and demand their right to water. Read more.

 

In times of global lockdown, all attention is focused on healthcare, the sadness of people who lose loved ones, children who are homeschooled and the neighbor who can no longer go to the supermarket herself. Officials and politicians are working hard to defuse both the current COVID-19 crisis and the economic crisis associated with it. Read more.