Both ENDS and partners inspire during World Water Week in Stockholm
'Water for development' was the topic of the annual World Water Week (WWW), which was held last week in Stockholm for the 25th time. Thirza Bronner, Sanderijn van Beek and Cindy Coltman of Both ENDS were present, together with partners Serah Munguti of ‘Nature Kenya’ in Kenya, and Suu Lam from the ‘Centre for Social Research and Development (CSRD)’ in Vietnam. In light of this year’s theme, Both ENDS decided to invite these two outspoken women leaders to this conference to bring strong civil society voices to the table. They took part in a roundtable session that was marked by enthusiastic participation of policy makers, donors and NGOs. During the session, Munguti and Lam told us about their organisational objectives, their experiences and how ‘water for development’ translates into their practice.
The daily struggle for water
“Water is life in the Tana Delta; it determines whether there is peace or war, or whether one is rich or poor.” With this short and clear opening phrase, Munguti kicked off the roundtable session organised by Both ENDS. Around 12 persons attended the session, mostly policy makers and NGO-representatives. Munguti and Lam work closely with communities and therefore know all about their daily struggles for access to water. They both shared their stories that demonstrate how poor planning, water use and sharing of water resources can lead to chaos and are a major source of conflict and poverty. At the same time, they emphasized that the only way forward in finding a solution is by involving communities in water management and in the planning of this resource. "Only when community needs are included and discussed, and trade-offs for all stakeholders are debated, development is possible."
Tana Delta in Kenya
Over the last seven years, Nature Kenya has been working on involving local communities in the land use planning process for the Tana Delta. Down-stream pastoralists and farmers in this Delta – which, besides from being home to 100.000 people, is also one of Kenya’s most important wetlands for various bird species - have been facing an alarming water scarcity. Upstream urban water users in Nairobi and and large scale biofuel plantations - meant to compensate Europe’s carbon emissions! - put a huge strain on the Delta. This struggle over water has even led to fatal conflicts. In response to this water crisis, Nature Kenya supported and facilitated the local government in developing a bottom up water-use planning. Because of this effort, the local inhabitants of over 100 villages were invited to participate. “You have to go door by door, knocking on their doors,” says Munguti, “but in this case it resulted in the first bottom-up land use plan ever in Kenya, so it truly represents the needs of the local people. The plan has now been adopted and launched by both the county governments as well as the national governments. For the first time, we have a mutually agreed plan: pastoralists know where to graze, investors know where to plan their business, and conservationists can protect the areas important to save species.”
Huong River in Vietnam
Suu Lam tells us about the work she and her organisation ‘Centre for Social Research and Development’ do in the Huong River area in Vietnam. “Here, people directly suffer from the effects of climate change, such as salinization of agricultural land due to a rising sea level. Moreover, upstream large-scale interventions, such as dams, plantations and mining cause severe damage to the environment that local people depend upon for their survival.” Lam tells us about the successful integration of the voices, knowledge and practices of the local population in provincial policies and local management. In her presentation, she stresses the need to integrate bottom-up mechanisms to cope with and adapt to climate change in the policies of other NGOs and regional development banks, and to encourage multi stakeholder processes. “The answer to climate change adaptation is not only to invest in concrete infrastructure, but particularly to invest in the resilience of local communities, and ensure they can act upon climate change by, for example, investing in replanting mangroves.”
Raising awareness among embassies
“I am happy that Both ENDS gave us this opportunity to have a dialogue with these important actors, as it is hard for us to get in contact with them,”, says Lam. “For example, the Dutch government invests in international financial institutes such as the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank. Those institutes invest in my country, to make it more climate proof. However, these institutes often invest too much in the infrastructure, and not enough in the green and social side of climate change adaptation measures, leaving the country with only more and more roads and new dams. That is not always the most sustainable option”. During the lively and fruitful discussion at the end of the session, the participating policy makers indicated that they and their respective embassies are often not aware of the actual impact of those investments on the ground. Lam: “Mr. Kees Rade, who is the head of the Inclusive Green Growth Department of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suggested to also share our ideas with their respective embassies. I think this is a very useful suggestion, because in order to promote inclusive and sustainable water-use planning, the voices of local stakeholders must be heard. It would be great if the embassies too could then share their message with the financial institutions that invest in our country!” Munguti fully agrees with this and adds: “It has been a great opportunity to be in one room with European policy makers and funders and present the eyewitness evidence of the work that is happening on the ground.”
World Water Week: Shifting from a technical to a more social approach to water management
Traditionally, the WWW program represents a rather narrow focus to water, as it mostly focuses on access to drinking water and sanitation, or the so-called WASH agenda. This year, however, the conference presented a more social and integral view on water and its crucial role in achieving sustainable livelihoods. Water security is one of the main challenges of the 21st century. Security has not so much to do with the availability of water, but more with how it is divided amongst different users. In their 2015 World Water Development Report, the UN stated that in order to foster a more equitable allocation of scarce water resources and to facilitate water sharing among competing users, innovative tools and approaches should be developed.
Read more about this subject
-
News / 4 July 2024
Karin van Boxtel new director of Both ENDS
Karin van Boxtel (35) is the new director of environment and human rights organization Both ENDS. Karin has been running the organization temporarily, together with Annelieke Douma, since the departure of the previous director, Danielle Hirsch. She has now been appointed permanently to make Both ENDS stronger and more future-proof. Karin will take up her new post on 1 September. Until then, she will continue as co-director on an interim basis.
-
News / 3 July 2024
-
Video / 3 July 2024
Jonila Castro of AKAP KA & Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment
Jonila Castro works for AKAP KA Manila Bay and/or Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE). The livelihood of the majority of the Filipino people depends on the environment, on the seas and the lands and mountains.
-
News / 3 July 2024
Illegal logging is devastating Suriname's forest: The Saamaka and their fight against deforestation
The Saamaka people of Suriname have long resisted the government's violation of their land rights. Despite a 2007 ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) against such violations, the government continues to grant logging and mining concessions on Saamaka territory without free prior and informed consent (FPIC). New report shows this has led to deforestation, land dispossession, and disruption of their livelihoods. A recent example includes a 42.7 km road built through their lands for logging access.
-
Publication / 2 July 2024
-
Blog / 21 June 2024
International coorperation - especially now!
This blog is written in Dutch
-
News / 19 June 2024
Recognition for PROBIOMA from the Chamber of Deputies of the Plurinational State of Bolivia
PROBIOMA have received recognition from the Chamber of Deputies of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. The presentation of this tribute took place at the Museum of Natural History Noel Kempff Mercado, in the framework of the Environment Day.
-
Publication / 18 June 2024
-
News / 18 June 2024
Impact of oil extraction on women's health in Bayelsa
In the context of Shell's imminent divestment from onshore oil industry in the Niger Delta, Both ENDS partner Kebetkache publishes a new report showing severe health and environmental challenges faced by the women of Otuabagi in the Niger Delta due to Shell's crude oil exploration. -
News / 18 June 2024
Dutch government threatens to put human lives at risk again in infamous TotalEnergies gas project in Mozambique
The Dutch government threatens to blunder again by providing export support for TotalEnergies' controversial gas project in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. This follows from an analysis of 9000 documents from FOI requests, commissioned by Milieudefensie and Both ENDS. Anne de Jonghe, Both ENDS: “When the export support was issued in 2021, critical voices were minimized, while TotalEnergies was heard and trusted. That should not happen again."
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
News / 11 June 2024
Stand in solidarity; sign the petition
Together with a vast majority of Dutch NGO's, political movements and other concerned professionals we have started a petition to call out to the Dutch new government to invest in international cooperation and stop the planned budget cuts (2,5 billion euros).
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.