Friends of the Earth International is a global network of environmental groups spanning 74 countries. Friends of the Earth began in 1969 as a group against nuclear energy, founded by Robert O Andersen, David Brower, Jerry Mander, and Donald Aitken. Anderson had contributed $200,000 of his own money to launch the organization, which began working with other groups in an international scale in 1971 when representatives from the UK, France, Sweden, and the US met. A small secretariat supports the network's work, overseen by an executive committee elected from representatives from the national groups. The executive committee is also in charge of setting policies for the network.

Friends of the Earth International treats environmental issues within various contexts so campaigns usually go beyond the usual conservation movement. Current campaign priorities include: economic justice, resisting neoliberalism, forests and biodiversity, food sovereignty, and climate justice and energy. All campaigns follow three core themes: protect human and environmental rights, protect the disappearing biodiversity of the planet, and the repayment of ecological debt incurred by rich countries for exploiting others.