Both ENDS
In 2011 one of the world’s largest gas reserves was found in the coastal province of Cabo Delgado, in the north of Mozambique. A total of 35 billion dollars has been invested to extract the gas. Dozens of multinationals and financiers are involved in these rapid developments. It is very difficult for the people living in Cabo Delgado to exert influence on the plans and activities, while they experience the negative consequences. With the arrival of these companies, they are losing their land.
Global Witness and Both ENDS strongly condemn the reported of harassment and surveillance by the Armed Forces of the Philippines of environmental activists and fishing communities in Navotas, Philippines. Pamalakaya-Pilipinas, a National Federation of Small Fisherfolk Organisation in the Philippines, has received credible reports that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are engaged in “red-tagging” their members.
For decades, our local partner organisations have been developing and promoting effective ways to combat land degradation, desertification, and drought. This includes regions like the drylands, as well as forests, and wetlands. Supporting these locally-led actions is essential to reversing negative trends. For COP16, Drynet has developed 10 recommendations to strengthen the implementation of the UNCCD. Success at COP16 would mean turning these recommendations into action, fostering inclusive land governance and sustainable land management practices globally. By enabling locally-led actions—particularly those led by women, youth, pastoralists, and Indigenous Peoples—we can build a more resilient future.
Since 1994, Both ENDS has been advocating for inclusive governance in addressing desertification, land degradation, and drought, ensuring local communities have a strong voice in global discussions. As a member of Drynet, a network of over 20 civil society organisations, we champion the inclusion of women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples in land governance and highlight the importance of locally-led initiatives. Our work promotes gender equality, agroecology, and sustainable land management. This landing page serves as a comprehensive hub for all information and updates related to the UNCCD COP16 and Both ENDS' efforts to drive positive change. Here, you’ll find key resources, initiatives, and insights into how locally-led solutions can shape the future of land governance and environmental sustainability.
As the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) celebrates its 30th anniversary, the global community faces an urgent need to address the escalating challenges of land degradation, desertification and drought. At the forefront of these efforts, Both ENDS has long advocated for inclusive, locally-led solutions to these critical issues. In this interview, Nathalie van Haren and Yordanos Mulder, who will represent Both ENDS at the upcoming UNCCD COP16, share insights into the significance of the conference, the key issues on the agenda, and the crucial role of local communities in shaping effective land governance. They discuss Both ENDS' ongoing work to amplify the voices of marginalised groups and emphasise the importance of sustainable land management practices, particularly those driven by women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples.
In various countries in the Sahel, vast tracts of degraded land have been restored by the local population by nurturing what spontaneously springs from the soil. They do this using a method called 'Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR)'.
This week, Laura Zuniga Cáceres, daughter of Berta Cáceres*, visits the Netherlands. She will talk with the directors of the involved departments of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participated in a colloquium about indigenous right of Leiden University and meet with several Dutch NGO's. Both ENDS asked this brave young woman about the situation in Honduras and her motivation to continue her mother's work.
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.
The Joke Waller-Hunter (JWH) Initiative creates opportunities for young people in the environmental sector in developing countries to unfold their full potential. By providing small grants to individuals to expand their knowledge, experience and training, the Initiative aims to strengthen environmental Civil Society Organisations capacity and efficiency. Grantee Brighton Aryampa wrote a column for Monitor about his journey to becoming a Human Rights Defender, and his work battling the EACOP.