Our achievements in 2020

STRONG CIVIL SOCIETY

Both ENDS works with civil society organisations around the world. We support them financially, but also engage in joint strategising, mutual capacity development and collective advocacy efforts. Our partner network embraces the whole world. The map below shows where our partners are situated; their activities might cover even more countries:

SYSTEMIC CHANGE

In order for systems to prioritize people and the planet, Both ENDS and partners aim to change the system step by step, policy by policy. Where policies are already strong, they need to be implemented, and where they are absent, we advocate for new ones to be enacted, on all levels:

STRONG CIVIL SOCIETY

• Our long-term relationships with our partners, based upon trust and solidarity, helped us to act quickly when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Together we continued to work towards our goals and where necessary adapted our plans and budgets to the new situation.

• Together with five partners from Ghana,Togo, Nigeria and Uganda, we have published a report about the impact of export credit agencies (ECAs) on a just energy transition in these African countries. A huge effort and success, given the COVID-related difficulties that arose during the research period and the general lack of transparancy of ECAs.

• After several years of close collaboration with our Asian and African partners in an informal network on inclusive land governance, we organized a follow-up skill- sharing workshop in Zambia and published a guidebook on Inclusive Land Governance. These activities have fostered South South linking and learning and helped partners in their daily work and lobby activities towards governments at different levels.

• Current and former grantees of the Joke Waller-Hunter Initiative continued to unite in an online platform where they meet, share ideas, work together and network with each other. In 2020, in over 100 young environmental leaders participated in 8 meet-ups and webinars where they could learn from each others experiences, and from several distinguished guest from the world of climate justice and sustainable development.

SYSTEMIC CHANGE

• In the fight against global deforestation, Both ENDS and partners achieved some successes at different levels. Our call for a strong deforestation law was clearly heard by the European Commission, while at the same time in Peru, Indonesia and Liberia our partners’ long-term struggles resulted in some remarkable victories concerning local land rights.

• After intensive advocacy by Both ENDS and a broad coalition of civil society organisations from the EU and MERCOSUR countries, European Parliament adopted a resolution against the EU-MERCOSUR treaty. This is an important sign that also the EU parliament finds the human rights and environmental standards in this treaty insufficient.

• After many years of advocacy by Both ENDS and partners, Dutch pension fund ABP in 2020 took the first steps toward divestment from fossil fuels by setting out exclusion criteria on coal and tar sand companies and to implement this policy change in its investments by 2025. Although Both ENDS would have liked to see ABP go even further, this is a significant first step in the direction of a fossil free financial system.

• After joint lobby and advocacy by a network of Northern and Southern CSOs including Both ENDS and SEATINI, the Energy Charter Treaty decided to halt its expansion to include new member states. This means those states will keep the freedom to develop their energy policies in the public interest and to proceed with the necessary energy transition.