Strategic advice and coordination
services on international environmental
and social issues

Welcome to The Varda Group

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 45 years on ocean, 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).

Current projects

All projects
December 2024

"What Went Wrong in Busan? What Next?", an op-ed with proposals to bring the UN Plastics negotiations back on track, published by the International Institute on Sustainable Development (IISD)

December 2024

Keynote talk on strategic communications and campaigning at the Amsterdam School for International Business

November 2024

Participation in the Fifth Session of UN Plastics Treaty Negotiations in Busan, Republic of Korea

Read Rémi's oped "What can we Expect in Busan?", written in collaboration with Lucien Chabason and published by IDDRI

October 2024

Participation in Biodiversity COP16 in Cali, Colombia on behalf of Let’s Be Nice to the Ocean

October 2024

Publication of our new paper for next year’s Third UN Ocean Conference: Advancing the Protection Principle

October 2024

Facilitating the America's Cup Blue Economy Forum on behalf of the Port of Barcelona

September 2024

Facilitation of the Greenpeace Research Laboratory annual planning meeting

September 2024

Guest speaker at the opening of the Nice Climate Summit (WATCH Rémi between 17’50 and 37’40)

September 2024

Drafting on behalf of PR3, the Global Alliance to Advance Reuse, comments on the non-paper of the Chair of the UN Plastics Treaty negotiations

February 2025

In partnership with the Institute on Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), start of a research project commissioned by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

February 2025

Organization and facilitation of a webinar for the associated stakeholders network of Let's Be Nice to the Ocean

January 2025

UN Ocean Conference 2025 Information Meeting, jointly with the Ocean & Climate Platform and with the participation of the Governments of France and Costa Rica

Varda Group in action

Varda in the media