Donor funds for creation of Great Green African Wall.
Various donors and funds promised to make donations to support the pan-African Great Green African Wall (GGW) against the desert. This became clear during a meeting of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in the last week of February. In sum, these donations could mount up to around 3 billion US dollars. The envisaged 15 kilometers wide and up to 8000 kilometers long wall consisting of plants and trees will cross 11 countries south of the Sahara. The difference between failure and success will depend on the way the project is executed.
The GGW is aimed at limiting the desertification of the Sahel zone. It will stretch from Djibouti in the Horn of Africa in the East, to Dakar, Senegal, in the West. Plans already existed in the 1980's but were never executed. The idea was voiced again some 20 years later by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who presented it to the African Union (AU) in 2005. Since then, the project has gained international support outside Africa, which now resulted in the planned donations.
It is of course essential that restoring the soils, hydrology and vegetation in drought prone Sub-Sahara Africa receives full political and financial support. Still, some remarks have to be made when it comes to the way the plans are executed. Richard Escadafal, chair of the French Scientific Committee on Desertification, rightly points out that "Projects in which reforestation was put in practice without the participation of local inhabitants were almost always limited and non-sustainable". In other words, local farmers' expertise and skills will have to be used in order to make the 'wall' a self-sustaining success. It has been proven that methods of natural regeneration can work even in very dry lands, with a minimum of water and other means. A good example is the 'Zai technique', which makes use of water infiltration cum compost pits and which was developed and improved by local farmers..
Also, security of use and ownership rights over the land and tree vegetation which farmers restore, is an essential pre-condition for success. This is proven by, for example, the stunning re-greening results in the provinces of Maradi and Zinder in Niger, where farmers - with some strategic support from civil society organisations and privates foundations - restored an estimated 5 million hectares back into a stable tree landscape.
In sum, it is crucial that local restoration methods are used, with proper choice of tree species and soil management techniques. Farmers need to be in the driving seat and are to be ensured they enjoy the control over the fruits of their labour. This begs the question: what institutional arrangements will be developed to ensure these financial commitments are used for real action on the ground? Will local farmers, NGOs, and institutions like semi- governmental extension agencies, local ministries of agriculture and environment, forestry services and domestic universities, be granted enough power to take control in the process to make it a success? Or will high level agencies and investors without proper presence and support amongst the local population dominate and determine the path that is to be taken?
Both ENDS in collaboration with governmental extension agencies, NGOs, universities and private foundations in Sub-Saharan countries gives strong emphasis to local farmer-led dry land rehabilitation. Local and international partners include CRESA(Niger), Reseaux MARP and New Tree (Burkina Faso), SahelEco (Mali), Forum for the Environment and Tree Aid (Ethiopia), CIS-Free University Amsterdam, IUCN-NL, Turing Foundation, DGIS and the scientific and NGO partners of the Drynet network and the international action-research programme DESIRE.
<p >For more information on the subject also see the following links <p >Trailer 'The man who stopped the desert' <p >Desert Alert
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Instalink / 21 November 2024
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Blog / 19 November 2024
Building Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning systems based on mutual accountability and trust
Just before summer, on June 27th we participated in a panel discussion on inclusive conservation in a learning event organized by WWF Netherlands. Several organizations joined in a discussion on inclusive, decolonial, rights-based, and community-led approaches in conservation. We discussed the barriers, gaps and opportunities in how power is shared, inclusion promoted, and accountability practiced in our work. The question raised was: as Dutch-based organizations, are we doing enough to really work inclusive? In 2023 Both ENDS started an Examination of Power process to research how power is experienced in our partnerships. I share a couple of practical tips and insights that I feel might benefit the greater conversation around Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) in our sector.
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Instalink / 18 November 2024
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Blog / 18 November 2024
The global rise of authoritarian regimes demands global strategies
The global funding landscape for civil society movements is changing, and is increasingly faced with policies that restrict funding streams, limit philanthropic work, and silence critical voices. These are not incidental shifts but part of a broader pattern that erodes the support for those international networks and movements under the guise ‘necessary financial cuts’, ‘aid reform’ or ‘efficiency’.
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Publication / 18 November 2024
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Instalink / 16 November 2024
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Instalink / 15 November 2024
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Event / 15 November 2024, 12:50 - 16:45
#BothENDSatCOP29 Side Events
Both ENDS’ participation at COP29 includes three critical side events that will highlight gender-just climate finance, locally-led adaptation, and multilateral approaches to a just energy transition and industrialisation in the Global South.
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Instalink / 14 November 2024
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Instalink / 13 November 2024
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Instalink / 12 November 2024
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Press release / 12 November 2024
Ruling climate case Shell: "Shell has an obligation to protect human rights."
The Hague, 12 November 2024 - The court has ruled in Shell's appeal in the Climate Case that Milieudefensie won against Shell in 2021. The Court of Appeal has ruled that the oil and gas giant has a responsibility to reduce its emissions, but has not imposed a reduction obligation.
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Instalink / 12 November 2024
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Instalink / 11 November 2024
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Press release / 11 November 2024
Both ENDS's response to government letter on future cooperation with civil society organisations
DEN HAAG, 11 November 2024 - Today, the Dutch government published its policy on future cooperation with development organisations, both in the Netherlands and abroad. PVV minister Reinette Klever is putting the axe to this funding: she has decided to cut the budget for aid to international civil society by more than two-thirds: from roughly €1.4 billion to €0.4 billion in the period 2026 to 2030. This has major implications for critical voices at home and abroad, at a time when civic space for organisations around the world is already shrinking. Karin van Boxtel, director of environmental and human rights organisation Both ENDS: ‘This is an unprecedented step in exactly the wrong direction. Civil society organisations are essential for sustainable and social change worldwide. International movements fulfil multiple, indispensable roles: as a watchdog of the rule of law, as a driver of change, and as a counterforce against authoritarian tendencies. The weakening of support for these roles is a telling signal.’
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News / 11 November 2024
Kenya Terminates Bilateral Investment Treaty with the Netherlands
The government of Kenya has officially terminated its bilateral investment treaty (BIT) with the Netherlands, marking a significant win for economic justice and environmental protection. Kenya’s decision reflects a growing global trend of rethinking outdated treaties that often prioritize corporate interests over public welfare. The Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development recently confirmed that Kenya unilaterally ended the treaty in December 2023, rendering it inoperative from 11 June 2024. Kenya now joins South Africa, Tanzania, and Burkina Faso as the fourth African country to terminate its BIT with the Netherlands.
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News / 9 November 2024
Why is the Dutch climate case against Shell important to our partners in the Global South?
On November 12th, a new ruling will be issued by the Court of Appeal in The Hague in the climate case against Shell, in which Both ENDS is a co-plaintiff. Ahead of this ruling, we asked our partners why this Dutch lawsuit is important for the Global South.
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Instalink / 3 November 2024
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News / 1 November 2024
Both ENDS at COP29: advocating for gender just climate finance
On November 11th, the 29th UN Climate Conference will start in Baku, Azerbaijan. Just like previous years, Both ENDS will be there to advocate for local access to climate finance, and to support our partner organisations in their advocacy work. How do we do that, and what are our hopes (and worries) about this 29th edition of the UNFCCC COP? We asked Marius Troost, who will be joining COP29 together with Daan Robben.
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Instalink / 31 October 2024