Brave human rights defender Berta Cáceres murdered!
We are deeply shocked and saddened by the death of Berta Cáceres, who was murdered in her own home last week. Berta was the driving force behind the ‘Consejo Civico de Organizaciones Populares e Indigenas de Honduras’ (COPINH), a network of Honduran civil society organisations standing up for the rights of indigenous communities in the country. This attack once again proves that these rights are virtually non-existent in Honduras. We share the fear of many in and outside the region that this assassination will further worsen the situation of local communities.
Dutch involvement in Agua Zarca
The Agua Zarca dam, which is owned by the Honduran company DESA, is being built in cooperation with the German company Voith Hydro and the Central American COPRECA, among others. The project is partly financed by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), which provided DESA with a loan of 24.4 million US dollars. But, in addition, also the Dutch development bank FMO and the Finnish 'Finn Fund' have invested in the project.
No water
The indigenous Lenca population fears that the Gualcarque river will run dry as a result of the construction of the dam. This would mean that the residents will no longer have access to water and, moreover, a large part of their communal land will dry out. They fear that the Agua Zarca dam will make life impossible for them. Despite the protests, largely led by Cáceres and COPINH, the project is pushed through, thereby seriously violating the rights of the indigenous communities in the region.
Reconsider Dutch engagement
This is yet another assassination of a courageous human rights defender. The Dutch government has an obligation under human rights law to ensure that its state-owned enterprises respect human rights in their operations. As a majority shareholder, it is responsible for the impacts of FMO’s investments and must exercise its authority to prevent further adverse impacts from occurring. The assassination of Berta Cáceres is yet another signal that our Dutch policy does not sufficiently guarantee that local stakeholders can decide about their own future in a timely manner and without danger. There can and should be a time to discuss what policy changes are needed at FMO to ensure that future investments fully respect the rights of those affected, in particular the rights of indigenous peoples.
Justice
But now, we call on the Dutch government to take the following immediate actions to ensure that it is no longer contributing to the conflict and violation of rights in Honduras:
* Direct FMO to divest from the Agua Zarca project;
* Direct FMO to conduct a portfolio review to determine whether it is directly or indirectly investing in any other project on Lenca territory;
* Use all diplomatic means at its disposal to ensure the safe return of Gustavo Castro, witness to Berta’s murder, to Mexico, as recommended by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders;
* Urge the Honduran authorities to support a full and impartial independent investigation, one that involves international human rights organizations, that is coordinated by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and pursues both material and intellectual authors of the crime.
A selection of articles, letters and other background information:
Joint letter to Dutch Minister of Trade and Development Cooperation, requesting her to direct FMO to divest from Agua Zarca. (14 March 2016)
Joint letter that was sent by FCAM, MamaCash en Both ENDS to Dutch ministers Koenders and Ploumen (4 March 2016)
About Berta Cáceres:
Video en article about Berta Cáceres who won the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize
Message in Spanish of COPINH on news site criterio.hn
The FMO:
Page of Dutch Development bank FMO about the Agua Zarca project
Statement of the FMO after the assassination of Berta Cáceres
Dutch media:
Column Marc Broere in Vice Versa (in Dutch)
Open letter of our partners of TNI
International media:
Article on news site in Nicaragua
Press release Oxfam International
International Rives: the mortal danger of opposing a dam
Read more about this subject
-
Blog / 23 April 2025The power of trust
Trust builds trust. That is what I have learned from how Both ENDS works - within our team, with partners in joint strategies and advocacy, and in our relationships with partners as a funder. Trust is the foundation. It is what allows compassion to grow, what gives rise to hope, and what fuels real solidarity. This is especially powerful in contrast to the prevailing global trend of political and international leaders who prioritize hard measures and…
-
article / 16 April 2025 -
Letter / 15 April 2025
African civil society urges Oman against EACOP support as east Africa trade expo kicks off
Just one day before the Oman East Africa Trade and Investment
Expo opens in Muscat on April 16, over 70 civil society organisations (CSOs) from Uganda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and beyond have published an open letter urging the Government of Oman to refrain from providing financial or diplomatic support for the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). -
Blog / 11 April 2025FMO is very pleased with its own success – now the local population still needs to be
The FMO development bank is proud of its results and the opportunities it seizes where commercial banks fail to act. But do the bank's actions really…
-
News / 7 April 2025Food forest Ketelbroek: where food production and biodiversity come together
When Both ENDS-colleagues visit partners, they often go on a "field trip" to see how our joint work affects people and communities. This year, we did the same in the Netherlands. Food forestry pioneer Wouter van Eck demonstrates a group of Both ENDS partners how regenerative agriculture can offer…
-
Publication / 1 April 2025
-
Blog / 31 March 2025International cooperation and solidarity are in the interest of both the Netherlands and Africa
Traditional development aid keeps Africa in a state of aid dependency, but development cooperation is essential to break this post-colonial dependency, argues Melvin van der Veen in response to an interview in NRC Handelsblad with the Cameroonian economist Célestin Monga. By breaking off this cooperation on the basis of equality, we are actually stifling the voices of African civil society organisations, indigenous communities, youth and…
-
External link / 28 March 2025 -
Blog / 27 March 2025Fair trade and equal partnerships: only then can Kenya stand on its own
Several media outlets, including de Volkskrant, focused last week on the shift from “aid” to “trade,” partly in response to the state visit of the Dutch royal couple to Kenya. The idea is that it would be beneficial for Kenya to stand on its own two feet. A beautiful ideal—one I whole heartedly believe in…
-
News / 25 March 2025Urgent call to Shell: Don’t leave the Niger Delta without cleaning up decades of pollution
Last week, Shell reported that it officially completed the sale of its on-shore oil assets in the Niger Delta, leaving behind a vast oil pollution caused by…
-
Letter / 25 March 2025
Letter to Shell's CEO and plc Executive Committee: don’t leave the Niger Delta without cleaning up
Today, on Shell Capital Markets Day 2025, Both ENDS together with 195 international and Nigerian of civil society organisations is sending an open letter to Shell’s Executive Committee demanding a full cleanup of the SPDC pollution legacy and transparency on the cleanup process.
-
News / 21 March 2025Dutch Royal couple visits Thogoto Forest: a green oasis on the outskirts of Nairobi
This week, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima visited Thogoto Forest as part of their state visit to Kenya. They were able to see the impact of…
-
News / 18 March 2025Abuses surrounding TotalEnergies‘ LNG project in Mozambique are piling up; Dutch support irresponsible
On Friday 14 March, the French Public Prosecutor's Office announced that it would launch an official investigation into TotalEnergies’ involvement in involuntary manslaughter during the attacks on Palma, the location of their LNG project. This umpteenth abuse makes it clear that the Netherlands…
-
Event / 12 March 2025, 09:30 - 11:15The Conflict, Gender, Climate Nexus: Localized understanding and policy recommendations
Across the world, women lead efforts to advance peace, gender and environmental justice. From the Philippines to Mozambique, Burkina Faso to Brazil, they face a deadly convergence of violence, environmental destruction, and extractivist land grabs. As corporate interests, state forces or other armed actors expand into their territories, entire communities are displaced, criminalized, or subjected to violent repression. At the same time, worsening…
-
News / 4 March 2025Feminist March 2025: let's take to the streets for gender justice
Women's rights are under pressure worldwide, and hard-fought rights and freedoms are being dismantled. Whereas until recently the Netherlands was a champion of emancipation, women's rights and gender justice, the current cabinet is breaking with this policy and abandoning millions of women and girls. That is why Both ENDS, together with many other allies, will be taking to the streets on 8 March. It is time to make a strong stand against the…
-
Letter / 3 March 2025
Input for FMO’s “investment approach to responsibly managed forest plantations”
Both ENDS has been asked by FMO to comment on its draft investment approach to responsibly managed forest plantations. To follow are a number of observations and recommendations, partially informed by Both ENDS long legacy of working in the forest & land arena, in dialogue with international donors, philanthropic foundations, companies, certification bodies and notably with forest dependent communities and other land users.
-
News / 21 February 2025Cabinet turns its back on international cooperation and solidarity with callous policy letter
Foreign Trade and Development Minister Klever's published policy letter is coldhearted and callous. It places the Netherlands in international isolation…
-
Press release / 18 February 2025Trade deal fueling resource grab? 120+ groups from Europe and Indonesia sound the alarm
Brussels, 18 February 2025 - Over 120 civil society organizations and trade unions from Indonesia and Europe today call on the Indonesian government and the European Union to stop the negotiations for the Indonesia-EU free trade agreement – the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement…
-
Dossier /Seeking justice for the affected communities of Vale’s mining disasters in Mariana and Brumadinho
In 2015 and 2019, the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais experienced two severe mining tragedies in Mariana and Brumadinho, due to the same mining company: Vale. Since then, the affected communities have been seeking justice, via the criminal punishment of the responsible parties, and a fair compensation for the loss of their loved ones, their homes and their livelihoods. Both ENDS supports local CSOs by amplifying their quest for justice within an international audience and, more specifically, by raising awareness amongst Dutch investors in Vale about the high risks this company’s…
-
Dossier /Towards a socially and environmentally just energy transition
To address the climate crisis we need to urgently transition away from fossil fuels towards clean, renewable energy. However, this transition is not only about changing energy sources. It requires an inclusive and fair process that tackles systemic inequalities and demanding consumption patterns…
