Both ENDS
Rich Forests promotes a sustainable and future-proof production system and supports, among other things, the transformation of degraded land into food forests. With this, people provide for their livelihood, increase their income and at the same time restore soil and biodiversity.
This week, from 12 until 16 February, fourteen indigenous leaders and human rights defenders from forest countries came to the Netherlands to call upon Dutch policy makers to take serious action against human rights abuses, land grabbing and further deforestation in relation to large scale agriculture, timber logging and mining. The Dutch harbours of Rotterdam and Amsterdam receive enormeous amounts of soy and palm oil, both for the Dutch market and for further transport into Europe and elswhere.
Almost a billion people worldwide have to survive without clean drinking water and millions of people don't have proper sanitary provisions. This causes a lot of health risks. Managing water is a source of conflict in many areas and ill water management is one the biggest problems in providing clean water. From 12 until 17 March, Both ENDS will be attending the sixth World Water Forum (WWF) in Marseille which is held every three years since 1997. The theme this year is 'Time for Solutions'. At the WWF, deputies from local communities, together with NGO's, policy makers and companies will be searching for solutions for worldwide water issues.
Both ENDS works with partners around the world to ensure that land is governed fairly and inclusively and managed sustainably with priority for the rights and interests of local communities.
In various countries in the Sahel, vast tracts of land have been restored by the local population by nurturing what spontaneously springs from the soil and protecting the sprouts from cattle and hazards.
Both ENDS has developed a method to integrate gender issues into managing natural resources like land and water. Partner organisations AMICHOCÓ in Colombia, ANCE in Togo and BARCIK in Bangladesh have been using this method in their areas since 2010. Although women in these and many other areas are doing the same work as men, equal control of the production and management of resources doesn't yet exist. The approach Both ENDS uses is aimed towards expanding awareness of gender relations and the importance of equality by defining the problem and applying practical exercises.
On World Water Day 2012 (22nd of March) the United Nations awarded two environmental organisations with a "Water for Life" award for their efforts to improve water management in their region. Both ENDS' partner Environment Support Group (ESG) received an award in category 1 for "Best water management practices", for a project on protecting the Bangalore lakes in India. A second award was handed out to Soluciones Simples Que Salvan Vidas (Sodis) for developing new communication strategies to improve water management in Bolivia.
We welcome Dickens Kamugisha (AFIEGO), Sena Alouka (JVE Togo), Christian Hounkannou (JVE Benin), Ken Kinney (The Development Institute), Robert Kugonza (NAPE), Serah Munguti (Nature Kenya), Halinishi Yusuf (ELCI) and Abby Onencan (Nile Basin Discourse). They have all been working on participatory watermanagement in the countries they come from, and we've invited them to come to the Netherlands to see how they can join forces.
