The five-yearly Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is taking place from April 27 to May 22, 2015. In order to increase pressure for nuclear disarmament and to strengthen the non-proliferation regime, nuclear weapons need to be banned under international law, as other weapons of mass destruction already are. A ban treaty would complement and strengthen the NPT. Germany should therefore stand up for a ban on nuclear weapons at the Review Conference.

The concept of "gender backlash" encompasses too activities pursued by a multitude of different local initiatives all over Central and Eastern Europe, which strongly promote tradition over equality. In many cases these groups appear to be backed and inspired both by influential US-American “pro life” organisations as well as the Kremlin’s "Gay-rope" propaganda, which aims to discredit the European Union as a place of moral decline.

Water resource allocation is a long-ignored issue in Afghanistan. While the water potential of Afghanistan is estimated to be 75billion m3/ year on average, Afghanistan ranks lowest in water storage capacity.

After more than fifty years of socialist regime, Myanmar opened up their land market with the modifications to their Land Laws and Foreign Investment Law in 2011. Since then, large land concessions have increased dramatically.

In this 22nd issue of the G20/BRICS Update Newsletter we focus on different aspects of global policies related to financing development as defined by the G20, the UN and the World Bank. A critical analysis from the perspective of development coherence is key.

This paper is aimed at informing German civil society groups about the role of German financial institutions in supporting the acquisition of raw materials – primarily from overseas – and the social and environmental impacts of doing so.

This report reflects intensive forms of exploratory dialogue and cooperation among social movements. The movements are especially dedicated to cooperatives, a Degrowth economy, Social and Solidarity Economy, peer production, Transition Towns, ecological/sustainability, and the commons.

Why are all those means and measures for satisfying needs - which despite emancipation are provided for free by many more women than men in the so-called private sphere - customarily defined as pre- or non-economic? An Essay about the unjust consequences of this omission.

The first issue of Perspectives Southeastern Europe is about young adults in the Balkans. It is about young people with a specific kind of transition to adulthood who want to overcome the tradition of patriarchy and discrimination and who are striving for a more democratic culture.

To explore the possibilities of an Open Co-operativism, the Commons Strategies Group convened a workshop of a dozen notable activists, policy experts, academics and project leaders. This report summarizes the main results of the workshop.