Both ENDS
A strong and connected environmental justice movement worldwide provides the foundation of positive change toward our collective vision. Both ENDS works with environmental justice organisations, activists and movements throughout the world, particularly those in Africa, Asia and Latin America, to ensure that they can effectively play their role in advancing an environmentally just world in which people and ecosystems thrive.
Partners are at the heart of all that we do. Civil society organisations and social movements are key drivers of change. Activists, organisations and social movements have deep understanding of local contexts, challenges and needs. They know how to hold the line and take collective, effective action. They enjoy a high level of legitimacy and trust in their communities. This trust enables them to effectively engage with and mobilise community members to advance shared environmental justice goals. The partners with whom we work facilitate communities’ access to decision-makers. They are driving systemic change by advocating for accountable and responsive governance, transparency, and the protection of human rights and the environment.
Both ENDS strengthens and connects environmental justice actors around the world. We support partners in accessing funds, information and decision-making spaces in order to enhance the impact of their work. By connecting a diversity of actors – from those operating at the grassroots to the global level, from trade justice advocates to agroecology experts – we maximise the power and effectiveness of collective action. We facilitate networks and create spaces for sharing information and skills, and -building knowledge that strengthens our joint strategies, work and impact. A key aim is to ensure that environmental justice activists, organisations and movements can participate actively and effectively in decision-making processes in order to drive progressive social and economic change. Both ENDS uses its leverage to facilitate partners’ access and influence in relevant decision-making spaces, such as UN spaces and those of international/development finance institutions backed by Dutch or European money.
Across the globe, environmental justice advocates and practitioners face increasingly severe threats, harassment, repression and violence as a result of their work. Powerful actors, including government actors, police, private security forces, and multinational companies, often have a vested interest in silencing them. We have responded to these growing threats by increasing support to partner safety, such as through our expanding System of Care. Through our System of Care, we provide partners and (W)EHRDs with short-term support to immediate threats, as well as long-term support for the development of prevention and mitigation strategies, including support for collective, holistic security and well-being (see Objective 3). In the coming years, we will build on our experiences and learnings to further develop and refine our System of Care to effectively meet the needs of partners.
While our focus is on environmental justice, we recognise the vital importance of civil society in general. A strong and independent civil society is crucial for advancing the public good, holding governments and business to account, and helping to ensure a well-functioning, inclusive society. This is particularly pertinent within the current global context of rising authoritarianism and state-sponsored violence. In the Netherlands and the EU, as elsewhere, it has become increasingly clear that recognition of the value and importance of civil society can no longer be taken for granted. Going forward, we will step up our efforts to preserve this long-held principle. In cooperation with allies, we will hold the line and ensure that the importance of civil society is widely recognised and supported, both in the general public and among policymakers.
