Both ENDS at IUCN congress Barcelona
In cooperation with partners Both ENDS will organize multiple workshops at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona. During the event from 5-14 October more than 8,000 of the world's leading decision makers in sustainable development: from governments, NGOs, business, the UN and academia will share ideas and initiatives. Together they will debate, share, network, learn, commit, vote and decide. The objective: ideas, action and solutions for a diverse and sustainable world.
Because of the great diversity participants Both ENDS will focus on three important subjects: Gender and Biodiversity, Small Grants and Certifying Commodities. Both ENDS will also be present as a partner of Drynet.
Gender and biodiversity conservation and management: communicating a lost world?
Tuesday 7, October 2008, 11:30 - 13:00, room 122. Addressing gender inequity issues in biodiversity conservation and management as part of sustainable use of natural resources is crucial. Not only from the perspective of equality and social justice, but also because men and women have distinct attitudes, responsibilities and (traditional) knowledge related to biodiversity. Women play an important role in biodiversity management and conservation, but their representation and influence in decision-making structures is often limited.
The organizers (Both ENDS and Alterra in cooperation with ALTER-Net) welcome practitioners, researchers and policy makers to help us develop this strategy and share their views and experiences!
Small grants - Big changes: The case for investment in small grant schemes for financial support to projects in developing countries!
Wednesday 8, October 2008, 14:30 - 16:00, room 131. Topics which will be highlighted include: lessons from evaluated small grants programmes; some challenges of SG Funds (e.g. overhead costs, decision making, accountability, results & impact); what can be learned from development organisations receiving funding from their governments? What can be learned from Small Grants Funds in the USA which do not receive government funding? The purpose of the workshop is to engage and get feedback from bilateral and multilateral donors, such as the European Commission, and large foundations with respect to their own experiences and plans with regard to the promotion and funding of small grant schemes.
Convenors: Both ENDS and The World Bank (to be confirmed), the National Committee of the Netherlands for IUCN, the IUCN Regional Office for Europe and the French IUCN National Committee.
Certifying commodities, beauty or beast?
Thursday 9, October 2008, 14:30 - 16:00, room 119. Things have moved on in the last 4 years. International Roundtables have discussed what credible certification should look like, certified Palm Oil is on the market, the ISEAL Alliance has had considerable success in strengthening and promoting certification, local initiatives for standard setting have sprung up, and 'eco' labelled products are becoming increasingly prominent on our shelves. There is a need to review this topic and see how far we have come in answering some of the questions and challenges posed by the 2004 Congress, and to identify key areas for future improvement.
Convenors: Both ENDS and the National Committee of the Netherlands for IUCN.
Read more about this subject
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News / 18 March 2025
Abuses 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 cannot in any way provide public support for this project.
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Event / 11 March 2025, 09:30 - 11:15
The 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 climate disasters further erode their means of survival, exacerbating food insecurity, water shortages, forced migration and gendered inequalities.
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News / 4 March 2025
Feminist 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 dismantling of gender policy and to stand up for gender equality and social justice.
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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.
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News / 21 February 2025
Cabinet 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 and abandons the most vulnerable people worldwide, including many women, farmers, indigenous peoples and youth.
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Press release / 18 February 2025
Trade 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 (CEPA).
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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 activities pose for people and the environment.
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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, prioritizes environmental and social justice, and which does not repeat mistakes from the past.
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Blog / 30 January 2025
Brumadinho’s painful “seas of mud”
By Carolina de Moura
Six years ago, Brumadinho tailings dam I, from the Paraopeba Complex, owned by mining company Vale, collapsed. January 25th, 2019, forever changed the lives of thousands. The scars remain open, and the quest for justice, remembrance, and prevention of future mining crimes endures despite all adversities. This was manslaughter coupled with socio-environmental devastation of proportions difficult to measure. These are irreparable losses and damages that could have been avoided if it wasn’t for the greed, negligence, and irresponsibility of decision-makers at Vale, the German certification firm Tüv Süd, and the state of Minas Gerais.
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Blog / 28 January 2025
Sinking promises in Manila
Yesterday, Global Witness published a new report, "Sunk Costs" - in which I had a modest role to play - that comes up with new facts about the disastrous New Manila International Airport project in the Philippines, for which the Dutch dredging multinational Boskalis received Dutch export credit insurance (ekv) of €1.5 billion.
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News / 22 January 2025
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Publication / 16 January 2025
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News / 16 January 2025
DetoX: Both ENDS leaves X
Both ENDS, along with many other Dutch organisations, is leaving social media platform X. In January, we will join the campaign ‘#DetoX’ by De Goede Zaak and Stem op een Vrouw. We hope that many organisations will follow us so that the hate, misinformation and the undermining of democracy on X are given less space.
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News / 13 January 2025
New partnership with Netherlands Enterprise Agency for resilient food systems in Sahel
The situation in Africa's Sahel is the world's fastest-growing humanitarian crisis. Over 3 million people are fleeing violence. They are ravaged by hunger, disease and increasing drought caused by climate change. Both ENDS and its partners are successfully working on accelerating the resilience of local food systems and communities in the Sahel, based on ‘Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration’ (FMNR). The project, funded by DOB Ecology, will end in mid-2026, but has already been followed up thanks to a new collaboration with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
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News / 24 December 2024
LILAK's Dare to Trust projects: Dreams transformed into actions
LILAK has worked alongside indigenous women communities for over a decade, focusing on building capacity and advocating for rights to land, the environment, and bodily autonomy. Despite gaining recognition and trust from allies, the journey was challenging. Starting with limited resources, LILAK faced resistance, particularly from patriarchal leaders and the state, which often labeled them as adversaries. Nevertheless, they adapted and continued their work, grounded in solidarity and sisterhood.
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News / 24 December 2024
Dare to Trust: a journey of culture, renewal, and empowerment of Sengwer women
Historically, the Sengwer community has lived in harmony with their environment, relying on forest resources for sustenance and integrating conservation into their daily lives. However, recent government policies aimed at forest protection have limited their access to these ancestral lands. Although these regulations intend to protect the environment, they often disregard the traditional conservation practices of indigenous communities like the Sengwer, who have been natural stewards of these lands for generations. Faced with these restrictions, the Segerger Women’s Conservation Group intensified their conservation efforts, viewing it as both a cultural duty and a means to safeguard their heritage.
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News / 24 December 2024
Forum Suape empowers women's groups with Dare to Trust-grants
Forum Suape decided to help several women’s groups in their network. First, they wanted to understand the desires and needs of each group, with the aim of fostering collective thinking and understanding their collective interests and goals. Five groups were selected, one group had difficulty in organizing themselves. They did not move forward and did not receive the money. The other four had wonderful results.
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News / 24 December 2024
Dare to Trust: Sowing dreams irrigated with droplets of trust (Colectivo CASA)
Collectivo CASA in Bolivia, with support from Both ENDS and Dare to Trust, found great satisfaction in assisting women defenders with personal and economic needs. This support allowed the women to express their needs and develop a shared vision for their improvement. Although managing funds sustainably posed challenges, the women defenders demonstrated their skills by quickly creating a “Plan for Good Living,” (“Buen Vivir” in Spanish) addressing health, economy, empowerment, and food production.
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News / 24 December 2024
NTFP-EP supports grassroots women’s organisations with Dare to Trust-grants
The pilot of Dare to Trust, facilitated by NTFP-EP, was implemented in two grassroots women’s organisations in the Philippines and Cambodia. The Dare to Trust project provided them with the independence to utilize the resources they have and thus handed to them the agency for more grounded and better judgment. By giving more liberty to the communities we are moving them away from bureaucratic processes and power structures, and towards more empowered decision making capabilities.
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News / 23 December 2024
Dare to Trust: LSD supports women to speak up after losing their houses
Lumière Synergie pour Développement (LSD) has helped 63 individual women who all have had problems due to the development of a controversial train project (TER) in Senegal and a recent big earthquake. These communities are displaced by the train project, involuntarily resettled, their property has been destroyed and they have been harassed. Moreover, they have never been consulted and are still waiting to receive fair compensation.