The Varda Group was established in 2003 by Kelly Rigg and Rémi Parmentier. We now have operations in the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK and we work with an extensive network of freelance collaborators. We’ve campaigned to protect the deep sea, sharks and tuna, the climate, health from smoking and on many other issues.
Welcome to The Varda Group
The Varda Group provides strategic advice and campaign expertise and coordination services across a wide range of international environmental and social issues. The Varda Group consists of Varda BV (The Netherlands), Varda Desarrollo Sostenible SL (Spain), and Varda Ltd (UK). In addition, The Varda Foundation (Stichting Varda) is a not-for-profit organisation that has the capacity to carry out charitable projects. The Varda Group was established in 2003 by Rémi Parmentier, Kelly Rigg, and Elaine Lawrence who have been leading campaigns for over 30 years on oceans, climate, disarmament, human health and many other issues. Our specialties include:
- Campaign coordination and leadership
- Political campaigning and advocacy
- Strategic planning
- Project design and management
- Campaign and organizational evaluation
- Meeting facilitation
- Communications strategy design
- Event organization
- Campaign training
Varda staff are fluent in English, French and Spanish (and to a lesser extent Dutch and Portuguese).
2019
The Varda Group mourns the loss of Steve Sawyer who passed away on 31 July. Steve was a Board member of the Varda Group since the beginning in 2003, and Varda Director and Business Manager Kelly Rigg’s husband. Click here to learn more about Steve, and leave a message if you wish to. You can also read here about his work at the Global Wind Energy Council. Steve was — and will always be — one of the giants of the environmental movement.
September 2019
- The IPCC Ocean Takeaways Before the Blue COP, on behalf of the Because the Ocean initiative
- Delegate at the 51st Session of the Intergovernmental Panel of Experts on Climate Change (IPCC) and launch of the Special Report on the Ocean and the Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SCROCC)
August 2019
- Policy support to the Friends of Ocean Action
July 2019
- Advocacy at the Aid for Trade Review Conference at WTO HQ
- Strategic advice to the Friends of Ocean Action
June 2019
- Guest Article on IISD SDG Knowledge Hub: WTO Fisheries Negotiations: Failure is not an Option.
- Panelist at the WTO-RSIS Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians workshop in Singapore.
- Presentation on behalf of the Because the Ocean initiative secretariat at the meeting of the Friends of the Ocean and Climate hosted by Sweden, Chile and Fiji at the Bonn Climate Conference.
- Drafting and publishing the reports of the Before the Blue COP workshops, on behalf of the Because the Ocean initiative.
