Over 100 environmental and human rights campaigners from around the world are expected to join the International Bank Campaigners Gathering in Maastricht this week, an event aimed at strengthening the global movement of civil society organisations holding the commercial banking sector to account. The event is organised by BankTrack, the Netherlands-based civil society watchdog monitoring the global banking sector, to mark its 20th anniversary this year.

The gathering takes place from Tuesday 17th to Saturday 21st October, bringing together representatives of over 60 organisations from 25 countries, all involved in campaign efforts towards commercial banks. The gathering will provide an opportunity for campaigners to learn from each other, reflect on joint efforts to hold banks accountable, strategise on themes including climate, nature, biodiversity, human rights, accountability, plastics, biomass and animal farming, and strengthen collaboration around new campaigns.

The programme also includes space for dialogue with representatives of several banks on the details of their climate and sustainability policies, offering an opportunity for campaigners and bank staff working in sustainability-related areas to learn from each other.

Johan Frijns, Executive Director of BankTrack, commented: “This is our third Bank Campaigners Gathering, and the first one since before COVID. As a result of the pandemic, too many campaigners now know each other only from Zoom and Teams. But building a strong civil society movement, capable of moving the global banking sector from being part of the problem to being part of the solution, also requires strong personal ties and deep commitments amongst the campaigners that will need to do the hard work together over the coming years. With this gathering, combining strategizing and training with going for long walks in nature and celebrating our victories together, we seek to achieve just that."

BankTrack turns 20

BankTrack was founded in October 2003 when campaigners met in the village of Bakkum, the Netherlands, forming a network of civil society organisations focused on commercial banks and the social and environmental impacts of the projects and companies they finance.

Today BankTrack is known for its library of profiles of over 300 “Dodgy Deals” that have received or are seeking finance from commercial banks, including coal, oil & gas, mining and agriculture projects; its campaigns to stop bank finance for these projects; its critical scrutiny of global bank sustainability initiatives such as the Equator Principles, the Net Zero Banking Alliance and the Principles for Responsible Banking; and its campaigns for better policies and practice and more accountability from banks on climate and human rights.

In 2015, BankTrack evolved from a network into an independent organisation, and in 2022 it launched a new mission, ‘to challenge commercial banks globally to act urgently and decisively on the accelerating climate crisis, the ongoing destruction of nature, the risk of ever more pandemics, and the widespread violation of human rights’.

Michelle Chan, Chair of the board of BankTrack, commented: “Twenty years after the founding of BankTrack, it is heartening to see how far the global movement for bank accountability has grown. Today, there is a broad recognition that banks’ financing activities have helped drive us towards climate chaos and biodiversity collapse – and that they have a critical role and responsibility in reversing these crises. BankTrack played a germinal role in growing this global movement, and has been at the forefront of instigating change in the banking sector ever since.”

Find out more information about BankTrack’s history and successes on its website.