Great hope amidst the cloudy days
Great hope amidst the cloudy days
Freedom of speech?
The challenge in operationalising the GCF is formidable- one that has never been set up before. The GCF will have to navigate with its own compass, its own course charted by the wisdom and guidance of its 24board members. Two Civil Society Organisations (CSO’s) representatives are theoretically permitted to intervene in precious 5-minute slots, allowing us to express concerns during every agenda item. But in practice, the CSO’s do not get to intervene with each agenda point, since the Board Members are prioritised.
Where will the money come from?
The meeting in Songdo has interesting episodes of disagreements, leveling-off sessions or prolonged discussions. Many issues are being discussed: the business model framework like private sector facilities; access modalities in grants and loan concessions; the use of financial intermediaries; the organisational structure; performance indicators and independent evaluation; and country ownership and accreditation procedures. Meanwhile, the topic on resource mobilisation is set aside, giving a gnawing feeling of absence of financial resources rather than abundance. And calling the GCF a “fund”, like most global funding, already triggered high expectations, especially on the progress of realising its mandate.
Hope amidst the cloudy days
Running on a treadmill, the GCF Board works hard to finish its pioneering tasks while preparing to hand over the workload to Secretariat, now headed by the Board’s first executive director. Simultaneous with the period of waiting is the nagging reality of onslaught disasters, which are reaching catastrophic scale. Take for example the tsunamis coming in various forms: in the sea (that hit Aceh and India), in the highlands (the cloud burst creating great floods in the Himalayans and in the Philippines), and the air strikes (like the haze in Singapore from Indonesia). Still, there is great hope amidst the cloudy days.
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News / 3 July 2024
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Video / 3 July 2024
Jonila Castro of AKAP KA & Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment
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News / 3 July 2024
Illegal logging is devastating Suriname's forest: The Saamaka and their fight against deforestation
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Publication / 2 July 2024
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Blog / 21 June 2024
International coorperation - especially now!
This blog is written in Dutch
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News / 19 June 2024
Recognition for PROBIOMA from the Chamber of Deputies of the Plurinational State of Bolivia
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Publication / 18 June 2024
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News / 18 June 2024
Impact of oil extraction on women's health in Bayelsa
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News / 18 June 2024
Dutch government threatens to put human lives at risk again in infamous TotalEnergies gas project in Mozambique
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Event / 17 June 2024, 15:00 - 16:00
Environmental Litigation: An Underestimated risk for Investors
Extreme weather events, environmental degradation and stakeholder activism force companies to reconsider climate change as an aggravating risk with tangible impacts on global supply chains, business performance, brand reputation and ESG ratings. Business strategies that neglect adequate environmental action can lead to consumer boycotts, negative media attention, investor runs and even legal action.
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Dossier /
Transformative Talks
At Both ENDS we aim to connect people for change. Together with environmental justice groups from the Global South, we work towards a sustainable, fair and inclusive world.
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Pathway /
Promoting people-driven solutions
Our goal is a massive upscaling and mainstreaming of bottom-up, planet-friendly practices, supported by favourable governance systems and availability of financial resources. There are many examples of successful community-led livelihood models based on collective participation, healthy ecosystems, gender justice and a vision of wellbeing beyond individual wealth. Approaches such as Regreening focus on ecosystem restoration led by forest communities or local farmers in the Sahel. These initiatives recognise and respect the interdependence between human prosperity and healthy ecosystems. They help to empower women, youth and other groups that often lack access to decision-making processes and tend to be excluded from land, water and forest management to assert their agency and rights to self-determination.
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Pathway /
Supporting a powerful civil society
Our goal is that civil society can work openly and safely, make their voices heard and influence decision-making on ecosystem challenges and matters of environmental justice and human rights. A strong civil society is indispensable to a healthy society. It checks the power of both state and corporate actors, holds decision-makers accountable, and defends the rights of those marginalised from positions of influence. A strong and independent civil society can advocate for fair and ecologically responsible policies as well as challenge structural inequalities in decision-making. It can also use accountability mechanisms to seek redress for the negative consequences of such inequitable decision-making, and instead promote, implement and upscale transformative practices.
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Pathway /
Advocating for just governance worldwide
Our goal is to achieve systemic change at all levels of social, political and economic institutions, to ensure that these unconditionally respect human rights and planetary boundaries. This requires policy coherence and consistent decision-making across all sectors - from trade, finance and energy to food production, agriculture, climate action and water management - and across all sections of society - from individual to family, farm, neighbourhood, city, province and national levels.
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News / 11 June 2024
Stand in solidarity; sign the petition
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News / 5 June 2024
Appeal by 70 parties: The Netherlands’ strategy for global food security works!
A broad coalition of Dutch companies, knowledge institutes and civil society organizations wants to work together with the new government to make a real difference in improving global food security. The main focus will lie on supporting farmers and consumers in the Netherlands and beyond, and promoting climate-proof food systems in low- and middle-income countries. The coalition believes that, with our knowledge, expertise, experience and reputation for international cooperation and trade, the Netherlands must adopt an ambitious strategy for making our food systems more sustainable, and so contribute to achieving the targets in the Paris Climate Accord and the Sustainable Development Goals.
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News / 29 May 2024
Serious questions about possible Dutch export support for Mozambique's LNG gas project
Members of Parliament Daniëlle Hirsch (PVDA-GL) and Christine Teunissen (PVDD) ask serious questions about possible Dutch export support for the Mozambique LNG gas project. Both ENDS has been advocating for the file for years.
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Blog / 28 May 2024
Democratic Values Under Attack in Europe: The Need to Look Beyond the Dutch Dikes and the Role of Philanthropy
Mid May, I read about the expected – yet still shocking – implications of the radical shift to the far-right in the Netherlands. The current coalition agreement includes measures previously adopted by other European countries with similar election outcomes, leading to a curtailment of democratic freedoms, an inward focus, and attempts to limit the role of civil society. With the European elections on the horizon and another rightward shift anticipated, it is more important than ever for philanthropy to join forces in advancing a just climate transition, promoting democratic values, and ensuring all voices are heard.
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Video / 18 May 2024
Charity Migwi of Oil Change International
Oil Change International is mainly focused on research, communication, and advocacy. Charity Migwi helps with campaigning to get fossil fuel companies to face out their production of oil and gas. In Africa, for instance Nigeria and Senegal, she works together with communities, especially where the projects are happening to see how they can collaborate and strengthen each other. And they are under pressure of time. Where advocacy takes patience and time, climate change impacts are rising daily. A personal talk about the importance of things that are worth fighting for. At Both ENDS, our aim is to connect people for change.
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Video / 17 May 2024
Muhammad Al Amin of WAHLI-Sulawesi
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