Both ENDS
The construction of a dam causing floods and displacing the local population; small farmers unable to compete with large-scale farms; workers forced to work under harsh conditions and for low wages. These are all examples of the impact activities by companies, governments and policy makers can have in the areas where the activities take place. How can companies, investors and governments be persuaded to change their policies? Based on 10 success factors, the Fair, Green & Global Alliance shares its experience in the booklet ‘The power of advocacy and influencing’.
The ADAPTS consortium - Both ENDS, ACACIA Water, IVM and our Southern partners - invite you to join our Political Cafe in Cafe Dudok in the Hague on Wednesday October 12th from 16.00-18.00 hr:
The debate centers around the question how to better integrate local actors in the development and implementation of adaptation policies. We see a gap between the many initiatives that support mainly central governments and their adaptation plans and what happens or should happen at the local or district level. These two arenas are insufficiently linked and the majority of funds is invested in the first option.
With panelists from the Dutch Parliament, the 'Water Resources Commission' in Ghana, the 'Center for Social Research and Development' in Vietnam, the United Nations Development Programme and the Global Water Partnership.
ADAPTS is a practical, bottom-up approach to integrate climate change and adaptation in the water sector. See also the adapts website
For more information on our Political Café, see our Invitation.
During the Political Café on the integration of the right to water and sanitation (RTWS) in European development policies, organised by Both ENDS on the 17th of December 2008, Southern NGO representatives from Umzabalaso We Jubilee (South Africa) and FANCA (Costa Rica) exposed the importance of a rights-based approach in the water and sanitation sector in the South.
With an overwhelming majority - 643 votes in favour, 20 against and 9 abstentions - a new law, which forces European export credit agencies (ECAs) to be more transparent about the environmental and social effects of transactions supported by ECAs, has just been approved of in the European Parliament. As of next year, all ECAs will have to deliver a report about this to the European Commission and the European Parliament on a yearly basis.
Both ENDS is a member of the ECA-Watch network, which monitors ECAs and stimulates more transparent, sustainable and socially just ECA-supported transactions. Clearly we are very pleased with the current developments and we hope that this will be a first step towards greener and fairer investment policies in the EU.
On Wednesday, November 14, Dutch Newspaper De Volkskrant published a joint op-ed by Both ENDS, Hivos, Greenpeace Netherlands and Witness about the deforestation in the Amazon region which is still going on rapidly, having disastrous consequences for the indigenous people who live in the area, for biodiversity and for the climate. The Netherlands is one of the largest buyers of Brazilian agricultural products such as soy and beef, and should ensure that deforestation, land grabbing and human rights violations do not occur in these production chains. Unfortunately, this is not at all the case yet.
After the second shocking murder of an indigenous rights activist in Honduras in less than two weeks the Dutch development bank, FMO, and the Finish development bank, FinnFund, announced a suspension of all their operations in Honduras. They declare that they will no longer engage in new projects or disbursements in the country, including in new disbursements in the Agua Zarca Project.
