In October 2022, the Dutch government published a policy to implement the COP26 statement in which it promised to stop public finance for fossil fuel projects abroad by the end of 2022 . The proposed policy, unfortunately, has quite some 'loopholes' that make it possible for the Dutch government to keep supporting large fossil projects abroad for at least another year. These projects often run for years and will have a negative impact on the countries where they take place for decades to come.
The past months, weeks and final hours were without a doubt exciting. Last Friday afternoon, the announcement finally came in: the proposals for partnerships that were submitted by Both ENDS, have both been approved by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are incredibly happy that we can bring this great news to our colleagues from Southern partner organisations, who are dedicated to making the world a better place to live in.
A lot of talking is going on about what should be done after 2015, when the Millennium Development Goals will come to an end and new agreements must be made to stimulate global sustainable development. But that’s easier said than done. Nathalie van Haren from Both ENDS attended a so-called 'post-2015 conference’ in Bonn, Germany. Why was it held and what did Nathalie do there?
Together with 29 other CSO's, we've submitted our comments and recommendations in the Public Consultation on the AfDB Integrated Safeguards System. These include that the Bank should prioritize community-led development and human rights-based approaches; protect natural resources and tackles environmental and climate crises; raise the bar on access to information, transparency and accountability; facilitate participatory processes in policies, programmes and projects; and end inequality, poverty, and the cutback and privatization of vital services.
Together with civil society organisations from all over the world, the Fair Green and Global (FGG) Alliance aims for socially just, inclusive and environmentally sustainable societies in the Netherlands and the Global South.
Today, on the eve of the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, the fossil fuel divest-invest movement released a new report that details how institutions representing an unprecedented total of EUR 33.7 trillion worth of assets have now committed to some form of fossil fuel divestment, a figure that's higher than the annual GDP of the United States and China combined.