Within the framework of COP30 held in Belém do Pará (Brazil), members and allies of the Coalition for Human Rights in Development advanced a series of collective demands to Public Development Banks (PDBs) to support a community-led energy transition that respects rights and meets the needs of communities in the Global South.*
Within the framework of COP30 held in Belém do Pará (Brazil), members and allies of the Coalition for Human Rights in Development advanced a series of collective demands to Public Development Banks (PDBs) to support a community-led energy transition that respects rights and meets the needs of communities in the Global South.
Public development banks, through their climate commitments and financial support, are positioning themselves as key actors in the energy transition, especially in the Global South. Between January 2022 and June 2025, public development banks invested a total of 245.5 billion U.S. dollars in energy projects worldwide, mainly in the form of loans and through the private sector.
The largest share of investments went to the solar energy sector (30%), followed by transmission lines (24%) and wind energy (22%). However, research shows that PDBs continue to invest money in fossil fuels, often through financial intermediaries. In addition, PDBs have largely supported false solutions in the form of large-scale renewable energy projects, technological solutions, extractive activities, and market-based approaches.
In this context, in recent years, the Coalition for Human Rights in Development, of which Fundeps is a member, has involved its membership and allies in discussions on a just energy transition and the role of PDBs, with the aim of exposing false solutions and contradictions, while developing demands on what a truly just transition should look like—one centered on the voices and demands of affected communities.
Demands to Public Development Banks
As part of this process, a position paper was developed that contains a series of demands for PDBs to support a community-led energy transition that respects rights and meets the needs of communities in the Global South. The main demands identified were the following:
1. Recognize communities as central actors and protagonists of the energy transition
The rights of communities most affected by climate change—who are already struggling to secure water, food, housing, livelihoods, and cultural survival—must be at the heart of the transition. PDBs must shift their paradigm: moving from viewing communities as passive “beneficiaries,” obstacles, or victims of development, to recognizing them as stakeholders and protagonists of the energy transition. Incorporating this recognition into policies and practices means treating local communities and Indigenous Peoples not as victims to be compensated or hastily displaced, but as co-creators and co-monitors of just energy solutions that put people and the planet first.
2. Prioritize financing for decentralized, small-scale, community-led energy solutions
Across the Global South, local communities are advancing grassroots solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change and generate energy through small-scale projects. These projects, designed through participatory, inclusive, and feminist approaches, can effectively meet the needs of local communities and prevent harm.
3. Accountability in design, monitoring, and protection of rights, based on community needs and priorities
An energy transition can only be just if it considers and remedies its potential negative impacts, particularly on rural, local, and Indigenous communities. To achieve this, it is essential to enable community participation in the project design and assessment phases, apply robust safeguards, and ensure remedy and justice when rights are violated.
The position paper also highlights key elements of a community-driven just energy transition in the Global South: centered on human rights and community self-determination; on the protection of land, livelihoods, and food security; and driven by people and gender justice.
A call to action
These collective demands offer a roadmap toward an energy transition that leaves no one behind and is grounded in local realities, a feminist and intersectional perspective, global solidarity, and justice.
Technological change alone is not enough to make the energy transition just: a truly just transition requires centering communities in development financing decisions. We need a transformative paradigm shift that puts people and the planet first in both policy and practice.
To break away from the exploitative patterns of the fossil-fuel-based development model, all actors involved in shaping and financing the transition (states, international and multilateral organizations, public development banks, private actors, etc.) must prioritize bottom-up, community-led solutions that uphold human rights, protect ecosystems, and ensure equitable access to energy.
The full version of the Position Paper can be accessed through the following link.
Note prepared based on the publication of the Coalition for Human Rights in Development, available at: https://rightsindevelopment.org/es/news/documento-posicion-jet/
More information
Contact
Gonzalo Roza, gon.roza@fundeps.org
Regulatory tools to promote Healthy Environments in Municipalities
Fundeps, in partnership with UNICEF Argentina, developed this technical document that brings together regulatory tools and practical recommendations to help local governments promote sustainable public policies that improve the habits and nutrition of children and adolescents. It is a resource designed to support municipalities in creating healthier environments with access to safe water, adequate food options, recreational spaces, physical activity, and breastfeeding support, among other key measures.
COP30: For a community-led energy transition
Within the framework of COP30 held in Belém do Pará (Brazil), members and allies of the Coalition for Human Rights in Development advanced a series of collective demands to Public Development Banks (PDBs) to support a community-led energy transition that respects rights and meets the needs of communities in the Global South.
Public development banks, through their climate commitments and financial support, are positioning themselves as key actors in the energy transition, especially in the Global South. Between January 2022 and June 2025, public development banks invested a total of 245.5 billion U.S. dollars in energy projects worldwide, mainly in the form of loans and through the private sector.
The largest share of investments went to the solar energy sector (30%), followed by transmission lines (24%) and wind energy (22%). However, research shows that PDBs continue to invest money in fossil fuels, often through financial intermediaries. In addition, PDBs have largely supported false solutions in the form of large-scale renewable energy projects, technological solutions, extractive activities, and market-based approaches.
In this context, in recent years, the Coalition for Human Rights in Development, of which Fundeps is a member, has involved its membership and allies in discussions on a just energy transition and the role of PDBs, with the aim of exposing false solutions and contradictions, while developing demands on what a truly just transition should look like—one centered on the voices and demands of affected communities.
Demands to Public Development Banks
As part of this process, a position paper was developed that contains a series of demands for PDBs to support a community-led energy transition that respects rights and meets the needs of communities in the Global South. The main demands identified were the following:
1. Recognize communities as central actors and protagonists of the energy transition
The rights of communities most affected by climate change—who are already struggling to secure water, food, housing, livelihoods, and cultural survival—must be at the heart of the transition. PDBs must shift their paradigm: moving from viewing communities as passive “beneficiaries,” obstacles, or victims of development, to recognizing them as stakeholders and protagonists of the energy transition. Incorporating this recognition into policies and practices means treating local communities and Indigenous Peoples not as victims to be compensated or hastily displaced, but as co-creators and co-monitors of just energy solutions that put people and the planet first.
2. Prioritize financing for decentralized, small-scale, community-led energy solutions
Across the Global South, local communities are advancing grassroots solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change and generate energy through small-scale projects. These projects, designed through participatory, inclusive, and feminist approaches, can effectively meet the needs of local communities and prevent harm.
3. Accountability in design, monitoring, and protection of rights, based on community needs and priorities
An energy transition can only be just if it considers and remedies its potential negative impacts, particularly on rural, local, and Indigenous communities. To achieve this, it is essential to enable community participation in the project design and assessment phases, apply robust safeguards, and ensure remedy and justice when rights are violated.
The position paper also highlights key elements of a community-driven just energy transition in the Global South: centered on human rights and community self-determination; on the protection of land, livelihoods, and food security; and driven by people and gender justice.
A call to action
These collective demands offer a roadmap toward an energy transition that leaves no one behind and is grounded in local realities, a feminist and intersectional perspective, global solidarity, and justice.
Technological change alone is not enough to make the energy transition just: a truly just transition requires centering communities in development financing decisions. We need a transformative paradigm shift that puts people and the planet first in both policy and practice.
To break away from the exploitative patterns of the fossil-fuel-based development model, all actors involved in shaping and financing the transition (states, international and multilateral organizations, public development banks, private actors, etc.) must prioritize bottom-up, community-led solutions that uphold human rights, protect ecosystems, and ensure equitable access to energy.
The full version of the Position Paper can be accessed through the following link.
Note prepared based on the publication of the Coalition for Human Rights in Development, available at: https://rightsindevelopment.org/es/news/documento-posicion-jet/
More information
Contact
Gonzalo Roza, gon.roza@fundeps.org
Córdoba moves forward in designing a new access-to-information law
Last Thursday, November 13, we participated in the working committee tasked with drafting a bill on access to public information for the province of Córdoba.
This initiative is one of the commitments undertaken by the Secretariat for Open Government of the Ministry of Government of the Province of Córdoba within the framework of the 2nd Open Government Plan of the province before the Open Government Partnership (OGP). This Plan was co-designed between May and September 2024 with the participation of the Universities and Civil Society Organizations Roundtable, which includes Fundeps.
We welcome the fact that the province of Córdoba is moving forward with the design of new regulations to update Law 8,803 of 1999 on Access to Knowledge of State Acts. The current regulation requires several modifications to raise standards and guarantee this right for all citizens. It is also essential to establish institutional mechanisms that allow for its effective exercise.
Drawing on our experience and expertise, we will continue contributing to the construction of a bill that meets current demands and standards regarding access to public information and government transparency.
More Information
Contact:
Nina Sibilla, ninasibilla@fundeps.org
Community Lawyering: Legal Education From and for the Territories
Since 2024, the Argentine Network of Community Lawyering has coordinated the Federal Interuniversity Chair on Community Lawyering, with the participation of universities from across the country. This year, in its second edition, Fundeps is once again part of its implementation.
The Argentine Network of Community Lawyering is a federal space made up of multiple civil society organizations and activists, focused on legal empowerment. Since its creation in 2021, Fundeps has been part of the Promoting Group, through which projects centered on community lawyering have been developed. Within this framework, and together with the Latin American School of Community Lawyering and Legal Activism (ELAC), the Federal Interuniversity Chair on Community Lawyering was established.
This initiative is now in its second edition, with the aim of training legal professionals from a human rights perspective, in favor of—and alongside—individuals, communities, and collectives affected by dynamics of systemic and structural inequality and exclusion.
During the first edition, held in 2024, more than 100 students from 12 universities participated. In this new edition, the Chair is supported by 15 universities from 11 provinces and includes the participation of Latin American lecturers with extensive experience in community lawyering and human rights.
As part of the practical experiences cycle on Community Lawyering, Fundeps contributed by teaching two classes. These sessions addressed the experience of environmental litigation alongside the Lake San Roque community for the remediation of the watershed, as well as the trajectory of Law No. 27,610—from social mobilization and legislative reform to defensive litigation.
Participating in the training of legal professionals through community-based experience allows us to continue strengthening a form of lawyering that serves communities and advances the protection of human rights.
Documentary Series on Community Lawyering
In November 2025, the Argentine Network of Community Lawyering premiered the documentary series Community Lawyering. Across three episodes—Knowing the Law, Using the Law, and Transforming the Law—the production explores experiences of lawyering in the territories and shows how different initiatives put the law into action as a tool for social change.
Contact:
Luz Baretta, luzbaretta@fundeps.org
Fundeps supports the 2nd National Congress on Trans Childhoods and Adolescences
Organized by the civil association La Casita Trans, the event will bring together leaders, activists, families, professionals, and social organizations from across the country to discuss inclusion, support, and the rights of trans, travesti, and non-binary children and youth. The congress is self-managed and aims to promote, defend, and guarantee the rights of trans children and adolescents as a priority population.
Fundeps is proud to support and officially endorse this space, and will participate in Panel 4: “Transfeminist Strategic Litigation”, which will address experiences of legal and social transformation in defense of trans identities’ rights.
The program includes discussion panels, workshops, and spaces for care and collective creation, with topics ranging from fundamentalism and hate speech to good practices in health, education, and justice, along with artistic activities and an organizations’ fair.
In the days leading up to the event, La Casita Trans publicly denounced acts of harassment and disinformation campaigns promoted by anti-rights groups that attempted to prevent the congress from taking place. Fundeps strongly condemns these actions, which constitute forms of violence and persecution against the trans population—especially children and adolescents—and reaffirms our commitment to defending human rights, equality, and diversity.
We invite everyone interested to participate and support this initiative, which celebrates the existence and voices of trans childhoods:
📅 November 17 – Aula Mayor, Provincial University of Córdoba
📝 Registration form: click here to register.
Because trans childhoods and adolescences exist, resist, and deserve to grow up free, respected, and loved.
Contact:
Mayca Balaguer: maycabalaguer@fundeps.org
Dialogue and alliances to build more inclusive and equitable universities
The “Building Feminist Universities” conference, organized on November 6 and 7 by the National University of Córdoba through the Central Unit for Gender Policies and the Interuniversity Network for Gender Equality and Against Violence (RUGE-CIN), brought together representatives from universities across the country to reflect on the present and future of gender policies in higher education. Under the slogan “Weave, Resist, Persist: Gender Policies Built Through Networks,” the event reaffirmed its federal and interuniversity character, calling for collective efforts to sustain progress made and to envision more inclusive universities committed to human rights.
Within this framework, Fundeps participated in the presentation “Feminist Litigation as a Pedagogical Strategy: A Training Proposal in the Law Degree Program at UNC,” sharing the experience of the elective course Feminist Litigation: Legal Strategies for Gender Equality. The course, which has been offered for three years, is taught by an interdisciplinary team composed of professors and researchers from the Faculty of Law and the Institute for Studies on Law, Justice, and Society (IDEJUS), Catholics for the Right to Decide, Fundeps, and other practicing lawyers and members of the judiciary.
This initiative seeks to rethink legal education from a feminist and intersectional perspective, promoting critical analysis of legislation and jurisprudence, the design of legal strategies with a gender equality approach, and the articulation between academia, civil society, and the judiciary.
Likewise, as part of the UNC’s Social Advisory Council, Fundeps participated in the meeting of the Forum of Rectors and Vice-Rectors of the National Interuniversity Council (FoReVi-CIN), held on November 6 at the Evita Museum – Ferreyra Palace, under the theme “Education and Employment with a Gender Perspective.” This space brought together university authorities, business leaders, and social organization representatives with the goal of strengthening ties between academic institutions and social actors to promote inclusive and violence-free educational and work environments.
These spaces are key to deepening dialogue between civil society and public universities and to continuing to build feminist perspectives within the educational system—recognizing the transformative role of education in promoting gender equality and human rights.
Harm is harm: the impact of electronic cigarettes on health.
In response to this situation, the InterAmerican Heart Foundation (FIC Argentina), together with AsAT, ETESA IECS, GRANTAHI from the Italian Hospital, UATA, FEIM, Fundeps, Fundación Sales, Fundación Pacientes Cáncer de Pulmón, and CEDES, developed the document “Emerging products and health damage: Situation in Argentina and recommendations.” Its aim is to systematize the available scientific evidence and propose concrete measures to protect public health.
Current scientific evidence shows that emerging products are not harmless. A recent meta-analysis found that the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and metabolic dysfunction is similar between users of electronic cigarettes and those who smoke conventional cigarettes. In addition, other reviews have reported links to pneumonia, bronchitis, decreased sperm count, dizziness, headaches, migraines, and oral cavity damage. The document also highlights that dual use (electronic and conventional cigarettes) increases disease risk, and that studies suggesting otherwise often come from authors with conflicts of interest.
A gateway to tobacco use:
Available data in Argentina are clear:
These results confirm that emerging products can serve as a gateway to tobacco use, even among adolescents who had never smoked before.
No more, no less—just another form of harm:
The most accurate way to understand the impact of vaping is as a different risk, not necessarily a lower one.
A true harm reduction strategy should be implemented by health authorities, aim to protect public health, and focus on specific groups—not rely on the free commercialization of harmful products.
The signatory organizations recommend:
Electronic cigarettes are not a safe alternative. They pose a different kind of risk, with growing evidence of their impact on health and their role in initiating tobacco use. Protecting the health of the population—especially children and adolescents—requires decisions based on independent evidence, free from industry influence.
Read the full document at LINK.
Every drop counts: from a historic failure to the cleanup of the San Roque.
Lake San Roque is more than just a landscape: it’s a source of water, life, and work for millions of people in Córdoba. Today, it needs us. For decades, it has been polluted to the point where its water is no longer safe. But in April 2025, the courts acknowledged the environmental damage and ordered the State to carry out a comprehensive cleanup plan. This was the result of years of technical and legal work by Fundeps, together with the support of neighbors, communities, and organizations who live by and defend the lake.
It’s a historic achievement. What once seemed impossible begins with a single drop. And what comes next depends on you.
A ruling that changed everything
The court ruling for the comprehensive cleanup of Lake San Roque recognizes the right to a healthy environment and demands that provincial and municipal authorities implement concrete measures to restore the basin. It was the result of years of joint effort: collecting scientific evidence and historical documentation, preparing technical reports, attending hearings, conducting expert evaluations, and continuous monitoring.
But rulings don’t enforce themselves. They require oversight, citizen participation, and constant presence to turn words on paper into real action.
What is Fundeps doing now?
Our legal and technical team continues to follow every step of the process closely:
We request regular reports and submit observations.
We monitor compliance with the ruling and the cleanup plan.
We demand transparency and citizen participation.
We support the communities around the basin.
We work to empower communities so they can demand the ruling’s enforcement.
Your contribution is the drop that changes the lake
The Drop That Changes the Lake is a campaign of individual donors that helps sustain this work, ensure that the ruling is enforced, and make the cleanup of San Roque a reality. Every contribution —big or small— helps fund legal and technical monitoring and strengthens citizen oversight to protect Córdoba’s water and environment.
Without follow-up, the ruling could remain just words on paper. Your donation helps turn this historic decision into safe water. Today, you can be the drop that changes the future of the lake.
Drop by drop, change grows. When drops come together, they form a current strong enough to achieve the impossible: bringing life back to Lake San Roque. When a community unites, even the smallest action becomes powerful.
Your contribution is the drop that changes the lake. And every drop counts.
Regional Dialogue for Abortion Rights
Between October 30 and November 1, Fundeps took part in the 8th Regional Conference of the Latin American Consortium against Unsafe Abortion (CLACAI), held in Bogotá, Colombia, under the theme “The Horizons of the Right to Abortion.”
The event brought together nearly 400 participants from Latin America and the Caribbean, including activists, health professionals, lawyers, researchers, and representatives of social organizations working to promote access to safe abortion and sexual, reproductive, and non-reproductive rights across the region.
Throughout the conference, key institutional and social challenges were addressed in the context of setbacks in sexual and reproductive rights. Participants shared strategies for regional litigation and advocacy, experiences of innovation in service provision, and feminist accompaniment practices. The importance of coordination among Global South movements to sustain and expand hard-won rights was also emphasized.
As part of the program, Fundeps participated in the meeting of CLACAI’s Legal Network. It also took part in parallel sessions on Research for Action, aimed at strengthening evidence generation and monitoring to improve service quality, and on Abortion after 20 Weeks, where regional experiences and guidelines for humane and comprehensive care in cases of advanced pregnancies were shared.
CLACAI highlighted that the conference made it possible to bring together diverse voices from across the region around a common goal: guaranteeing universal access to legal, safe, and high-quality abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Fundeps’ participation in this space reaffirms its commitment to the defense of sexual and reproductive rights, the exchange of knowledge across territories, and the construction of collective strategies to improve regional and global access to these rights.
Contact:
Mayca Balaguer, maycabalaguer@fundeps.org
New threat to the Labeling Law in Argentina
In April of this year, the Common Market Group (GMC) instructed Working Subgroup No. 3 to resume negotiations for a Technical Regulation on Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling, with the goal of harmonizing regulations among member countries of the bloc. If approved, this regulation would include, among other elements, the unification of a graphic warning system and a nutrient profile model (NPM).
If such a regulation is adopted, MERCOSUR countries would be required to adapt their national front-of-package labeling standards to align with the bloc’s decision. It is important to highlight that Argentina currently has the most robust front-of-package labeling system in the region. If, during the harmonization process, elements from other countries’ systems were incorporated, the local regulation would be seriously weakened. Adopting lower standards would represent a step backward in the protection of the right to health, adequate nutrition, and access to information in our country.
Why is this a threat?
Argentina’s front-of-package labeling system warns about a greater number of excessive critical nutrients than those used in other countries.
It is the only one that includes precautionary statements for caffeine and sweeteners, warning against their consumption by children and adolescents.
The Argentine system is based on the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Nutrient Profile Model, which covers many more unhealthy products than those addressed by other national models.
For these reasons, we call for any future harmonization within MERCOSUR to fully adopt the Argentine system, to prevent the weakening of the Labeling Law and the resulting setback in public health protection. We urge Argentine representatives to defend the rights that have been achieved.
Within this context, together with other civil society organizations, we are relaunching the campaign “Don’t Cover Our Eyes”, first developed in 2021, now with the goal of raising awareness about the need to defend the law against these threats.
Furthermore, as part of collaborative work with various academic and civil society organizations across the region, regional institutions from Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay have recently issued a joint statement, recognizing the Argentine system as the model to follow for a potential common technical regulation on front-of-package labeling.
Organizations committed to the right to food from different MERCOSUR countries will participate as observers in the upcoming Working Subgroup No. 3 meeting, to be held in October, to closely monitor the progress of these discussions.
More information:
Recommendations for addressing the discussion on Front-of-Package Labeling within MERCOSUR
Infographic
Website of the campaign “Don’t Cover Our Eyes Again”
Contact:
Maga Merlo — magamerlov@fundeps.org
Litigation and research in response to rollbacks in gender policies
From September 25 to 26, the 3rd Conference on Law, Justice and Society, “Thinking about the Present to Dispute the Future: Science, Democracy and Rights under Tension,” was held. The event was organized by the Institute for Studies on Law, Justice and Society (IDEJUS) of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and the National University of Córdoba. Fundeps supported the conference as one of the endorsing institutions. This forum regularly brings together researchers, academics, activists, and legal professionals to discuss key challenges related to justice, public policies, and human rights in Argentina.
At this edition, Fundeps participated in Panel 9: “Advances and Challenges of Gender and Sexuality Agendas in Argentina.” During this session, María Luz Baretta and Mayca Balaguer, members of the Fundeps team, presented the paper “Civil Society Resistance to the Dismantling of Gender Policies in Argentina.”
The presentation examined the process of budget cuts and the dismantling of public policies related to gender equality, sexual and reproductive health, and the prevention of violence since December 2023. It also addressed the strategies promoted by civil society to confront these setbacks. Among the experiences shared, particular emphasis was placed on strategic litigation, preventive actions, and advocacy measures developed in collaboration with other organizations. These efforts aim to ensure the continuity of essential programs, the provision of critical supplies, and the fulfillment of the State’s human rights obligations.
The paper invited reflection on the response capacity and resilience of civil society in contexts of rights regression, as well as on the importance of strengthening alliances, evidence production, and State accountability mechanisms.
Fundeps’ participation in these conferences reaffirms its commitment to the defense of the rights of women, girls, adolescents, and gender-diverse communities, and to the collective construction of legal and social knowledge for a more just and equal society.
Contact:
Mayca Balaguer, maycabalaguer@fundeps.org
We join the UNC Social Advisory Council
The Executive Director of Fundeps, Mayca Balaguer, has been appointed as a member of the Social Consultative Council (CSC) of the National University of Córdoba (UNC) in its newly established composition, approved on August 18. This body, recognized in the statutes of the UNC, is tasked with advising the Rector and the Honorable Superior Council on non-academic matters and fostering exchanges between the community and the university.
Its objectives include contributing to the fulfillment of the mission of the National University of Córdoba through strategies of cooperation, consultation, and participation, thereby incorporating the perspectives of the community it represents.
The Council constitutes a space for dialogue, participation, and cooperation, bringing together representatives from various civil society organizations and institutions, human rights bodies, trade unions, and productive entities.
At the first meeting of its renewed composition, held on September 17 at Pabellón Argentina and chaired by Rector Jhon Boretto and Vice-Rector Mariela Marchisio, the key work areas guiding this new stage were presented.
At Fundeps, we welcome our incorporation into the CSC with the firm conviction that knowledge production, scientific development, and the training of professionals with a human rights perspective are fundamental pillars for building a more just, equitable, and sustainable society. This participation also commits us to defending science, education, and public health, particularly in a context of State underfunding.
Contact
Mayca Balaguer, maycabalaguer@fundeps.org