Heinrich Böll Foundation

Heinrich Böll Stiftung North America

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Welcome to the Heinrich Böll Stiftung North America!

We are a political non-profit organization striving to promote democracy, civil society, equality and a healthy environment internationally. Headquarted in Berlin/Germany, the Heinrich Böll Stiftung has 28 offices worldwide and cooperates with more than 200 partners in more than 60 countries.

Publications

Analysis

After COP 19 in Warsaw – Checkmate for International Climate Politics

December 6, 2013 - New hopes for a legally binding global climate regime were dimmed when the recent UN climate conference in Warsaw, the COP with the lowest expectations ever, lived up to it in every respect. A post-Warsaw analysis Lili Fuhr, Liane Schalatek, Katarzyna Ugryn, and Wanun Permpibul more»

Article

10 Things to Know about Climate Finance in 2013

- December 3, 2013 - A series of graphs highlights the ten most noteworthy insights from monitoring dedicated public climate finance flows on the joint Böll-ODI website project Climate Funds Update (CFU). more»

Brief Series

Climate Finance Fundamentals - 2013 Update

- November 8, 2013 -

In time for COP 19 in Warsaw (Poland), this series of 11 short introductory briefings, written in co-operation with the Overseas Development Institute, has been updated to reflect the latest data available on www.climatefundsupdate.org, the tracking project of ODI/hbf of dedicated climate financing instruments from pledge to project.

Smita Nakhooda, Liane Schalatek, Alice Caravani, Sam Barnard, Charlene Watson, Aidy Halimanjaya, Will McFarland, Neil Bird, Nella Canales Trujillo more»

Report

Upping the Ante. The 5th Green Climate Fund Board Meeting speeds up progress on the Fund’s Business Model and sets a time-line for GCF resource mobilization

- November 8, 2013 -

By “upping the ante”, the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) at its recent 5th meeting in Paris accelerated its decision-making under the Fund’s Business Model Framework and set a time-line for the initial resource mobilization process of the Fund.

Liane Schalatek more»

Article

Germany’s PV Branch: The Once-Mighty Solar Industry in Germany is Straining to Reinvent Itself

- November 6, 2013 - The German PV industry finds itself faced by rock-bottom Chinese prices, a flooded market, and dwindling incentives across the EU that have cast much of the branch into an existential crisis. Paul Hockenos looks at how Germany’s remaining PV industry can reinvent itself. It did this once – to win its place in the sun – but can it do it again? Paul Hockenos more»

Video

Reform Under Rouhani: Assessing Potential Change in Iran

- November 4, 2013 - The Stimson Center and the Heinrich Boll Foundation North America held a discussion on positive social and political changes in Iran, the role of Iranian youth in changing the political culture and the implications of a Rouhani presidency on the future of US-Iran relations. Watch the recorded event here more»

Policy Paper

The Post-2015 Framework: Merging Care and Green Economy Approaches to Finance Gender-Equitable Sustainable Development

- October 29, 2013 - After Rio+20, the proposed post-2015 framework needs to learn from the shortcomings of the MDG-process and merge care economy and green economy approaches to advance and finance truly gender-equitable sustainable development Liane Schalatek more»

Article

U.S. Says Nuclear Security Work Remains

- October 29, 2013 - United States has decided to host a nuclear security summit in 2016, which would be the fourth such meeting to strengthen and deepen the "existing nuclear security architecture" before the summit process ends. Although a July 2013 ministerial-level conference on the topic played an important role in strengthening and institutionalizing nuclear security, the White House does not deem progress in this area to be sufficient for the summit process to end. Kelsey Davenport more»

Report

Promises and Perils of the TTIP: Negotiating a Transatlantic Agricultural Market

- October 25, 2013 - TTIP will affect a broad range of issues, from energy to the environment, and intellectual property rights to labor rights. The agreement could also have a significant impact on the evolution of agricultural markets and food systems in the U.S. and EU. Karen Hansen-Kuhn and Dr. Steve Suppan more»

Book Intro

Smart Growth: the Green Revolution

- June 3, 2013 - In his book Smart Growth: the Green Revolution, Ralf Fücks, President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation argues that while the calls for the end of growth are not realistic there is a possibility to follow a growth pathway that goes hand-in-hand with ecological sustainability. more»

Policy Paper

Responsible Investment in Infrastructure: Recommendations for the G20

- October 23, 2013 - Nancy Alexander and seven contributing authors present "Responsible Investment in Infrastructure: Recommendations for the G20," which responds to the G20's efforts to mobilize financial support for public-private partnership (PPPs) in large infrastructure projects in order to promote regional integration. Nancy Alexander et al. more»

Policy Paper

Making Progress toward a Gender-Sensitive Approach in the Green Climate Fund: Recommendations for the 5th Meeting of the GCF Board

- October 7, 2013 - As the Board of the Green Climate Fund meets in Paris from October 7-10 with a long agenda and the urgency to move ahead with far-reaching decisions, it is crucial that the mandate of the Governing Instrument's for the GCF to follow "a gender-sensitive approach" is considered in the context of the policies waiting for for the Board's approval. See a joint policy brief by the Heinrich Böll Foundation North America and the climate finance working group of the Global Gender and Climate Alliance. more»

Report

The Federal Budget and Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2014: Democracy, Governance, and Human Rights in the Middle East and North Africa

- October 4, 2013 - This report, authored by POMED's Executive Director Stephen McInerey and Advocacy Director Cole Bockenfeld, offers a detailed look at U.S. funding and assistance for democracy and governance in the Middle East, the congressional appropriations process, and implications for U.S. policy in the Middle East during a turbulent time. Stephen McInerney and Cole Bockenfeld, POMED more»

G20 Update

- October 4, 2013 - In the October 2013 G20 Update, experts describe the outcomes of the Russian G20 Summit (particularly as they relate to currency crises, tax reform and international development) and anticipate the transition from the Russian to the Australian G20 Presidency. "Must Reads" include new publications on the BRICS. more»

Article

Local, Decentralized, Innovative: Why Germany’s Municipal Utilities are Right for the Energiewende

- September 27, 2013 -

The Stadtwerke Schwaebisch Hall, a community-owned utility has been showered with prizes and distinctions for its progressive energy policies. Most recently, the old mark town of Schweabisch Hall, which has a population of 37,000, was named Germany's "energy municipality of the year."

Paul Hockenos more»

Article

Nature, Inc.?

- September 18, 2013 - Governments and international institutions are increasingly adopting a new approach to ecological preservation, based on the view that nature is a service provider. In doing so, they have shifted the onus of mitigating environmental risk onto the private sector and market-based mechanisms – with potentially devastating consequences.
Barbara Unmüßig, President, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung more»

Audio Interview

G20 Panel Discussion – CRI English Radio

- September 12, 2013 - The G20 concluded in St Petersburg last week. Although much of the talks were about Syria, other important topics on the agenda included tax evasion and the economic stability of the BRICS nations and emerging markets. HBF’s Economic Governance Director, Nancy Alexander, took part in the discussion on CRI radio. Listen to the interview here.
more»

Article

Capacity Energy Markets: a view from Germany and the United States

- September 9, 2013 - The German Energiewende shows that the current German electricity system can easily cope with 25 percent renewables. But exceeding these 25 percent will be a crossroad, as now event the strongest proponents of the Energiewende agree that Germany needs to reform its energy system to accommodate for the next influx of renewables. Rebecca Bertram more»

Article

Advancing Gender Balance and Gender Responsiveness in Climate Finance Bodies under the UNFCCC

- September 9, 2013 - At COP18 in Doha, a decision was made urging Parties to promote gender balance in bodies established under the international climate regime. This HBF submission details actions to make UNFCCC climate finance bodies not only gender-balanced, but more gender-responsive… Liane Schalatek more»

Dossier

High-Tech Wars: Challenges to peace and security in times of drones, robots and digital warfare

- August 28, 2013 - Unmanned weapons systems are already changing the nature of warfare. At its 14th Annual Foreign Policy Conference, the Heinrich Böll Foundation sought to address the challenges posed to peace-oriented security policy by these new technologies.Read the Conference Report and related publications here. more»

Article

Bundestagswahl 2013: A Look at the Themes of the September Federal Elections

- September 5, 2013 - Germany is in the midst of a unique campaign season, gearing up for the September 22 elections. Despite this wide gap between the two frontrunners, Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and current chancellor and Peer Steinbrück of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the final results are far from certain. Mattis Hennings reviews main campaign issues and the politics behind the elections. Mattis Hennings more»

Article

Winning the Power of Information: How Assad Defines the Facts

- August 22, 2013 - Bashar al-Assad’s regime depends on an extensive propaganda machine for its political survival. This has had a tremendous impact on the Syrian conflict, dividing the international community and helping to discredit the opposition. Despite there being hardly a place in Syria in which the regime rules unchallenged, Damascus has largely won the power of information: the ability to define facts in this war.

Bente Scheller more»

Policy Paper

Difficult Decisions - Deferred? The 4th Green Climate Fund Board Meeting wrestles with the Fund's Business Model and selects its new Executive Director

- August 7, 2013 - At its recent meeting in Songdo, South Korea, the GCF Board was faced with a number of ambitious decisions on the Business Model Framework for the Fund, with disagreements about the involvement of the private sector, access of countries to the Fund and what financial instruments to employ. Board members were able to agree on Heda Cheikhrouhou from the African Development Bank as the new Executive Director for the Fund's Secretariat. Liane Schalatek more»

Policy Paper

Current Immigration and Integration Debates in Germany and the United States: What We Can Learn from Each Other

- July 30, 2013 - Over the past few years there has been an evolving discourse over the intersection of immigration, integration, and culture in both Europe and the United States. In this new report, Spencer Boyer and Victoria Pardini offer several ideas the United States and Germany can learn from each other’s political and policy approaches Spencer P. Boyer and Victoria Pardini more»

Report

The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2013

- July 11, 2013 - The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2013, launched on July 10th in Brussels, debunks the myth that the world is seeing a nuclear renaissance.Two years after Fukushima, global nuclear power generation continues to decline. Mycle Schneider and Antony Froggatt more»