FORESTED LANDSCAPES FOR EQUITY GREEN LIVELIHOODS …

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GREEN LIVELIHOODS ALLIANCE: ANNUAL PLAN 2020

GREEN LIVELIHOODS ALLIANCEANNUAL PLAN 2020

NOVEMBER 2019

FORESTED LANDSCAPES FOR EQUITY

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS

ACRONYMS 3

1. INTRODUCTION 42. TOWARDS INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE GOVERNANCE

OF FORESTED LANDSCAPES 5

2.1. Increased rights to, and benefits from forested land 52.2. Access to decision-making about land use and landscape governance 72.3. Sustainable practices in the management of forested landscapes 82.4. Addressing global drivers of deforestation and climate change 10

3. PROGRAMME WIDE CAPACITY STRENGTHENING 13

4. CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES 14

4.1. Civic Space and Environmental Human Rights Defenders 144.3. Synergy, coalitions and learning 154.4. Sustainability 15

5. FINAL REMARKS 15

ANNEX 1 – OVERVIEW OF GLA PARTNERS 17

ANNEX 2 – COUNTRY AND THEME ANNUAL PLANS 2020 19

Date:November 2019

Lead Author:Anneke Wensing & Charlotte Floors

Contact:Peter Oomen - [email protected]

Cover photo: Atewa Heroes Walk 95km for Water: No Bauxite Mining, Ghana - Jan Kamstra

Vereniging MilieudefensieNieuwe Looiersstraat 31, 1017 VA Amsterdammail address: Postbus 19199, 1000 GD Amsterdamtelephone: 020 550 73 00

mailto:%20peter.oomen%40milieudefensie.nl?subject=

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ACRONYMS

ADSDPP Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan CADT Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title CBD Convention on Biodiversity CBO Community Based OrganizationCDO Cagayan de Oro CED Centre pour le Développement et l’EnvironnementCFI Cocoa and Forest Initiative CREMAs Community Resource Management Areas CSIFM Civil Society-Led Independent Forestry Monitoring CSO Civil Society OrganisationCSO-OPWG CSO Oil Palm Working Group DRC Democratic Republic of Congo ECAs Export Credit Agencies EEAs Essential Ecosystem Areas EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EPA Environmental Protection Agency ERA Environmental Rights Action ESIA Environmental and Social Impact Assessment EU European UnionETA Ecological Trends Alliance FBBs Fresh Fruit Bunches FCPF Forest Carbon Partnership Facility FDA Forest Development Authority FLEGT Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and TradeFLG Forest and Land Governance FME Federal Ministry of EnvironmentFPIC Free Prior and Informed Consent FOE Friends of the Earth GLA Green Livelihoods Alliance GVL Golden Veroleum Liberia IPs Indigenous peoples KOPGT Oil Palm Growers Trust HCV High Conservation Value HIAs Hotspot Intervention Area’s HMB HIA Management Board HYPREP Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project ICCA Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas IDH Initiatief Duurzame Handel IFM Independent Forest Monitoring INCHR Independent National Commission on Human Rights IUCN NL International Union for Conservation of Nature, National Committee of the Netherlands LAFF Landscape Analysis of Financial Flows JET Just Energy Transition NBC National Bureau of Concessions NCIP National Commission on Indigenous Peoples NDCs Nationally Determined Contributions NOPP National Oil Palm Program

NOSDRA National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency NPA New Peoples’ Army NTFP Non-Timber Forest Products MoFA Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs MTR Mid Term Review PFES Payment for Forest Environmental Services REDD+ Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradationRSPO Roundtable on Sustainable Palm OilSDI Sustainable Developent Institute’sSCNL The Society for Conservation of Nature in LiberiaSF Social Forestry TBI Tropenbos International TIMBY This Is My BackyardUN United NationsUPR Universal Periodic Review VNFF Viet Nam Forest Protection & Development FundVODP Vegetable Oil Development Program VOSIEDA Volunteers to support international efforts in Developing AfricaVPA Voluntary Partnership Agreement

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1. INTRODUCTION

This document presents the annual work plan for the year 2020 of the Green Livelihoods Alliance (GLA). The GLA is a partnership of Milieudefensie, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, National Committee of the Netherlands (IUCN NL), Tropenbos International (TBI), the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and 59 civil society organisations (CSOs). The alliance aims to contribute to the sustainable and inclusive governance of forested landscapes through the Forested Landscapes for Equity programme, which is implemented in 16 landscapes in 9 focus countries. In addition to working directly in the forested landscapes, the GLA addresses global drivers of, and provides solutions to, deforestation and climate change through three thematic programmes: Agro Commodities, Forest and Land Governance (FLG) and Just Energy Transition (JET).

Forested landscapes continue to be under massive threat. In all GLA landscapes, forests, their biodiversity and their people are threatened by developments such as the expansion of dams, oil palm plantations, mining and soy. In a number of coun-tries, these projects are driven by Chinese investments and political regimes supporting unsustainable developments at the expense of forested landscapes and people’s rights. At the same time, the important role of tropical forests in the climate cri-sis and the role of local communities and indigenous people living there, become more and more visible and recognized. We will thus continue our advocacy efforts for the inclusive and sustainable governance of forested landscapes and strengthen movements against ongoing deforestation and violations of rights of local and indigenous people.

2020 is the final year of the 5-year programme. Over the years, the GLA has been able to build and implement strong local and international interventions that show clear results. Through continuous collaboration and learning, we have grown as a partnership and strengthened our collective advocacy capacity. During the last year of the programme, we expect to attain more results, while we will also invest in sustaining our achievements and in developing a subsequent programme beyond 2020. We will carry out an independent final evaluation in this final year, which we expect to provide us with valuable insights for this follow-up.

In each country and for each thematic programme, a reflection and planning meeting took place in September or October 2019. At these meetings, partners discussed the progress in relation to their theories of change and the plans based on this reflection, which formed the basis for this annual plan. The plan is structured around key elements of the ToC and highlights key elements of the plans for 2020 in our target landscapes and in our international lobby. Detailed country and thematic work plans can be found under Annex 2.

Women from Weto village in Ghana — Henk Simons

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2. TOWARDS INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE GOVERNANCE OF FORESTED LANDSCAPES

Ultimately, the GLA aims to reduce deforestation and increase recognition and inclusion of the rights of indigenous people and local communities that live in forested landscapes. The activities of the GLA partners revolve around four key conditions required to achieve inclusive and sustainable governance of forested landscapes:

1. Communities have rights to, and benefit from, land and forest resources and are thus more inclined to protect forests and use them sustainably;

2. Communities have access to decision-making over the landscape they live in. The governance of forested land-scapes can only be inclusive and sustainable if the interests of all stakeholders are taken into account, including the rights of marginalised forest-dependent groups, such as indigenous people, women and youth;

3. Sustainable land use practices are in place that allow current and future generations to benefit from ecosystem services such as climate resilience, food security, water provisioning and biodiversity;

4. Global drivers of deforestation and climate change are addressed.

In this chapter we will describe key activities and plans in these four areas for 2020.

2.1. Increased rights to, and benefits from forested landEvidence shows that communities and indigenous groups who have the legal right to manage the forested lands they live in and depend on, endorse more sustainable practices, leading to reduced deforestation rates. Since this is an important assumption in our Theory of Change and many interventions relate to land rights and benefits, the GLA has started a ‘com-munity rights review’ in 2019, which will be further implemented in 2020. The findings will provide important input for strengthening our programme and reviewing our Theory of Change (see also 4.3).

Continued efforts for the adoption or change of forest land and resources use lawsOver the past four years, the GLA has contributed to the development and adoption of a number of important laws and poli-cies related to land rights and tree tenure, in particular at the national level. However, policy processes in various countries have been very slow and politically challenging, which means the GLA partners in 2020 will have to persist and build upon their advocacy of the past 4 years for the adoption of supportive laws.

For example, in Ghana, partners strategically intensify and adjust their interventions to the upcoming election year to ensure the Wildlife Resources Bill gets tabled before parliament in the first quarter of 2020, in an attempt to ensure its passing before the dissolution of parliament. The Bill will strengthen community participation, governance and ownership of the wildlife and forest resources. Also, GLA partners will continue to advocate for a reform in the tree tenure and benefit sharing arrangements, to ensure that farmers get benefit from the trees they nurture on their farm. Partners in Viet Nam will continue to influence a new land law that is important for sustainable and equitable landscape governance. This is a very challenging process and it is difficult to predict how this will develop beyond 2020. Partners in the Philippines will continue to push for the adoption the Sustainable Forest Management Act, the Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas bill and the National Land Use Act through constantly backstopping political champions, despite the slow political processes and a variety of other political challenges.

GLA partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are involved in consultations regarding a new land policy in 2020, and emphasize the importance of participatory and local consultations, since consultations are now only happening at national and provincial level. They will also advocate to respect the rights of indigenous and local communities when it comes to land use allocation. This is important because commercial interests, often related to corruption, are not only destroying protected areas but also community lands. At the same time, they will inform local communities on how the policy reform organizes access to and allocation of land to avoid conflicts, for example around protected areas.

In Bolivia, the problems in the Chiquitania landscape have deepened due to the devastating forest fires affecting 5.2 million hectares within the GLA landscape. As a result of the fires, more intense and questioned the underlying policies fuelling forest fires and deforestation. In 2020, GLA partners plan to use this momentum to advocate for changes in current policies by col-laborating with local platforms and collectives, support fire-affected communities in their livelihoods and use international platforms to report links between policies and rights. Partners will to organize a meeting between indigenous women leaders from Chiquitania and from the northern Amazon to exchange experiences and achievements, and strengthen support and solidarity between the groups. However, the recent political unrest in Bolivia forces the GLA partners to carefully monitor the social and political developments and review the feasibility of the workplans accordingly.

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Addressing challenges in the implementation of laws and policies In several countries, there is a need for partners to push for the proper implementation of policies, laws and agreements in relation to land rights and use that have been approved, both at the national and local level. To ensure implementation, the GLA partners in 2020 apply a combination of continued advocacy as well as technical support and awareness raising at local or landscape level.

Throughout the programme, partners experienced that a lack of implementation is often a result of a knowledge and capacity gap of government officials. We see that partners therefore invest more and more in providing practical, hands-on support with policy implementation. Partners put a lot of emphasis on working closely with- and continually investing in communi-ties, which is vital for sustainable support and pressure to ensure the implementation of laws.

For example, in Liberia, the adoption of the Land Rights Act in 2018 was a major achievement. However, implementation of the Act has been a serious challenge because of lack of resources and political will to implement the law. For communities to claim their formal land rights, they need to increase their understanding of the Act. In 2020, the GLA will therefore engage in different initiatives to build the capacity of communities to start the process to get formal ownership of their customary lands, and to support them in resisting oil palm expansion on their customary land. GLA partners organise women conferences and cooperate with women groups to ensure that the provisions in the Land Rights Act for equal representation of women and youth are respected. This is likely to be effective: partners report that community members are taking bold steps in attending national and international meetings and campaigns, and discuss issues that affect their communities and livelihoods.

In Viet Nam, the government recently approved a programme on forest protection and development of the Central Highlands. GLA partners will support the implementation of the programme by facilitating the provincial Dak Lak Provincial People’s Committee to revise the Community Forest Management guidelines. It is expected that the improved guidelines will ensure the rights of local people, including marginalized groups such as women, to forestland and other natural resources.

In Nigeria, GLA partners have been campaigning and advocating for the clean-up of the many oil spills in Ogoniland for many years. Even though the actual clean-up of Ogoniland finally commenced in 2019, the quality of the work being implemented is not up to standard. The partners address this issue using multiple strategies such as building the capacity of community members and CSOs on monitoring the clean-up process and by means of a local, national and international campaign to sustain pressure on the government for proper implementation and stress the need to release the clean-up funding.

While provisions on the inclusion and recognition of NON-MORO indigenous people’s rights in the Bangsamoro Organic Law in Mindanao in the Philippines were a major success in 2018, indigenous leaders and local partners observed that land grabbing by agro commodity companies in the Teduray and Lambangian ancestral domain has intensified, alongside armed conflict. In 2020, partners will therefore focus on the implementation of the law and the development of ordinances at munic-ipal level in relation to indigenous people’s rights.

In Indonesia, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry adopted the High Conservation Value (HCV) area approach at the landscape and jurisdictional levels. However, large scale implementation is still absent, although partners have convinced some oil palm companies to apply the HCV approach. A Ministerial Decree on Essential Ecosystem Areas (EEAs), to which GLA contributed, remains unsigned by the Minister, as she considers EEAs to be outside her mandate as they cover protected areas outside the Forest Estate, which fall under another jurisdiction. CSOs on the other hand, argue that biodiversity is

Village members of Numopoh community in Liberia brief VOSIEDA-GLA team about their desire to sue Delta Timber Company — Paul Kanneh

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under her mandate. In 2020, GLA partners will invest in influencing public opinion combined with a personal approach at a high level to resolve this issue and implement the HCV approach in a more integrated way.

Supporting local communities and indigenous people to obtain land rightsPolicy implementation also includes supporting communities to claim their legal land rights. In Cameroon, Liberia, Indonesia and the Philippines, partners continue to facilitate the process of gaining (collective) land titles and village forest rights in 2020. For example, the GLA will support the indigenous Agto community of Palaui island and Baggao in the Northern Sierra Madre in the Philippines with the application for a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) and the development of an Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSDPP). There will be specific attention for more active roles of women and youth in sustainably managing the ancestral domain. Especially for Palaui Island, this would be critical as there are overlapping land claims: the issuance of a CADT to the Indigenous Peoples of Palaui Island would offer the Agta community protection from a looming large-scale development project of the island and provide more security and sustain-ability to forest protection.

2.2. Access to decision-making about land use and landscape governance A central part of the work of the GLA is empowering communities to speak up about what is happening in their landscape and engage them in decision-making. The GLA includes a long list of examples that show that communities are more successfully speaking out, that they engage in policy processes and take increased ownership over their land as a result of the interven-tions. For the final year of the programme, we will continue awareness raising and empowerment activities, as meaningful participation by informed and empowered citizens is key for the sustainability of GLA results.

Including local communities and indigenous people in decision-making The GLA partners implement many different, tailor-made strategies and activities in this area – a few examples are provided below.

In 2019, two GLA partners from the Virunga Landscape in DRC visited the Solonga landscape and its local communities, assessing the situation regarding oil exploration and exploitation in national parks. Salonga landscape contains the largest intact rainforest area in the Congo Basin. The situation proved to be worrying: local communities have no voice and infor-mation, and are completely excluded from decision making processes. In 2020, the GLA partners in Virunga will therefore strengthen the capacity of civil society and communities in the area and provide them with information to get them out of their isolatated position.

In Nigeria, a workshop on women land rights and gender inclusiveness will be organized in 2020, to document how these plantations affect women´s land rights and to promote women´s participation in mobilizing against oil palm plantations. The workshop will be held alongside a planned media campaign, to ensure that women´s voices and perspectives are given a wider platform. In Liberia, partners will continue to empower communities, and particularly women, to participate in negoti-ations with palm oil company Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL), so that they can negotiate fair deals themselves, based on land valuation and mapping information. In Viet Nam, GLA partners bring local voices, including those of ethnic minority women, and their demands to policy makers in a multi-stakeholder forum, where they can advocate for integrated management of Srepok river basin.

Indigenous woman in Palaui Island, Philippines explaing traditional cultural practices for sustainable resource management — Tess Gatan Balbas

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In Uganda, the GLA partners implemented activities to halt or improve oil palm development in the Kalangala landscape over the past years. Unfortunately, the Ugandan government is now planning to expand oil palm to the mainland. The project will now use the strategy of organising communities into groups to have a collective and stronger voice, and generate concrete information for communities and partners to use as evidence during advocacy. In response to the growing threat of oil palm developments, in 2020, GLA partners in Uganda will use the experiences from the Kalangala landscape in 2020 to empower communities on the mainland to make informed decisions on whether they will allow oil palm in their territories and under what conditions.

In Ghana, the launching and roll out of the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Programme provides a well-organized governance structure at the landscape level that will be used by some GLA partners as a framework for inclusive decision-making on issues of forest and cocoa in the Atewa and Juaboso landscapes. Also, until April 2020, there will be a revision of Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions1, which GLA partners will use to make input towards advancing national climate actions and put emphasis on the important role of forests and trees and the role communities can play.

Increasing legal action to address concerns While the GLA has successfully mobilized concerned citizens and community groups, partners are also dealing with devel-opments backed by powerful interest that require additional action. In some countries, partners therefore started exploring legal steps to block harmful and illegal (corporate) developments. This can be very effective, for example, TOTAL recently withdrew from an oil project in Virunga landscape after a complaint was filed by Ugandan CSOs and Friends of the Earth France.

In the second half of 2019, GLA Partners in Ghana started preparations for legal action against the Ghana Government regarding bauxite mining in the Atewa landscape. In 2020, partners will work with the Concerned Citizens of Atewa Landscape, a community-based coalition of CSOs, CBOs and opinion leaders, to address the legality of exploratory drillings for mining and the overall developments regarding the plans for bauxite mining. Partners will also use the finalization of a National Biodiversity Policy as an opportunity to protect Atewa Forest as a biodiversity hotspot and a watershed. Also, in the Philippines, partners in the Southern Sierra Madre landscape are preparing legal action in relation to the planned Kaliwa dam, to challenge the fact that the government does not respect its own policies and rights of indigenous people. In Nigeria, the GLA supports the community farmer’s court case against Okomu Oil Palm PLC. The case inspired community members and it is expected that in 2020 more community members will join the case with male and female community members demanding a halt of the oil palm expansion in their farmlands and compensation for the destroyed crops and staples.

2.3. Sustainable practices in the management of forested landscapesAlongside access to land and inclusion in decision-making, sustainable forest governance highly depends on the application of sustainable practices. In order to stimulate governments and companies to take up more sustainable practices, partners will apply both dialogue and dissent strategies in 2020 as well as building and sharing evidence and expertise on alterna-tive, sustainable practices. A large part of this work consists of showing that current business models are not sustainable and severely damaging in the long-term, and simultaneously providing solutions in terms of proven, alternative sustainable practices.

1 Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. NDCs are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and form the basis for the achieving long-term climate goals.

Small illegal mining in the Atewa Forest Reserve — Hans Vellema

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Further enhancing sustainable practices at landscape level Over the past four years, the GLA has strongly invested in developing, testing and implementing sustainable practices at landscape and local level, building on local knowledge and experience and ensuring ownership of local communities and indigenous people.

For example, in the Cagayan de Oro river basin in the Philippines, partners will focus on the identification and implemen-tation of restoration and protection activities by different stakeholders in the Cagayan de Oro river basin, based on an environmental ordinance that has been adopted by the city council in 2019. Similarly, GLA partners in Viet Nam facilitate the application of adequate knowledge for restoration of the Srepok river basin, while showcasing sustainable practices for landscape management.

As part of the Forest and Land Governance thematic programme, a GLA partner in the Kakum landscape in Ghana will start to test a Landscape Standards tool in 2020. The tool is meant to approach certification of commodities at a landscape level in an integrated manner, instead of focusing on individual certifications schemes. Three large cocoa companies are interested to use the standard to avoid deforestation in their supply chains and indirect deforestation in the landscape. Other compa-nies operating in Ethiopia have also taken an interest in the standard.

Stimulating sustainable livelihoods and businesses of communities Partners will also continue to support local communities to manage their forest in a sustainable way. In the Philippines partners will continue to support and expand their work, such as marketing the high value almaciga resin and rattan-based furniture making. In Indonesia, our partner in the Mudiak Baduo landscape supports local business groups to develop sus-tainable businesses. In 2019, 14 business groups were set up by communities and they will continue to get reinforcement in terms of product quality, business legality and access to the market. A women business group will receive special attention by strengthening their capacity in decision-making, business development and planning. Under the agro commodities pro-gramme, a local partner in Paraguay is promoting the uptake of community-based sustainable practices of forest manage-ment such as ‘analog forestry’, an approach for ecological restoration without the use of chemicals, guided by the ecological processes.

However, the wide adoption and acceptance of more sustainable practices or new farming techniques is often difficult. To overcome this challenge, partners in Liberia indicate that it is important that the change is carried by the community mem-bers themselves. The programme in Liberia supports alternative livelihoods, such as cassava, lowland rice and fishponds, in order to reduce pressure on Sapo national park. To enhance local leadership, the plan is to make more use of the farmers who have already adopted better farming practices and can directly speak to the Sapo communities about the benefits. As the GLA partners work mainly with women as lead farmers or heads of household, women could become key change agents in their communities.

Grasping external opportunities to promote sustainable practices In some places, we begin to see that our investments in sustainable practices start paying off, partly under the influence of external factors: when unsustainable businesses and governance models begin to fall apart, companies and governments are forced to accept alternatives. In these cases, the GLA is well-positioned to offer solutions and to change the way forested landscapes are managed. For example in Uganda a drastic drop in the price of Fresh Fruit Bunches in the oil palm sector between July 2018 to July 2019 and the increasing difficulty in acquiring land have led to the Kalangala Oil Palm Growers

Women employ improved practices in cassava production near Sapo national park in Liberia — Frederique Holle

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Trust to accept dialogue and research on alternatives such as intercropping rather than oil palm monoculture, providing more opportunities for food security, income diversification and sustainable land management. In 2020, the GLA partners will take advantage of this window of opportunity to advance agendas that improve community livelihoods and offer better land use planning and protection of the environment amidst oil palm.

Also in Bolivia, due to the forest fires, GLA partners will strengthen their strategies to enable local communities and munic-ipal governments to anticipate disasters and communities will be trained to engage in post-fire restoration processes. In addition, the partners will invest in training of public sector technicians in the implementation of agro-ecological practices such as analog forestry.

Through the thematic Agro Commodities programme, the local GLA partner in Cameroon will continue its work to prevent the conversion of permanent forest domain, often from former logging concessions, into industrial plantations. Thousands of hectares were already saved in 2019, but other areas are still in danger, so this work will continue in 2020 with the aim to give back the forest land to communities to enhance their livelihoods. Community monitoring and strengthening their negotiation power is at the heart of this work.

2.4. Addressing global drivers of deforestation and climate change Local, national and international developments are intertwined in a globalised world. The GLA addresses this through three international, thematic programmes. This international collaboration has grown stronger over the years and is seen as very valuable in jointly influencing the global drivers and processes that we can only influence if we connect international cam-paigns to local struggles and vice versa. The international exchanges and learning visits have helped to take local stories to an international audience and expose the devastation from fossil fuel extraction and agro commodities, which helps to put pressure on financiers and high-level decision-makers. The GLA will therefore continue to facilitate these exchanges in 2020 (see also chapter 3).

Agro commoditiesThe agro commodities programme aims to reduce land grabbing and tropical deforestation and degradation for agro-com-modities, with an emphasis on palm oil, soy and cocoa. In 2020, partners can built on strong evidence collected over the past years, showing that consumption, production, finance and trade in the EU is responsible for deforestation and rights violations in the global south. In 2019, the forest fires in the Amazon, including the GLA landscape in Bolivia, as well as in Indonesia and Siberia, the global youth-led protests against climate change, as well as the negotiated trade deal between Mercosur countries and the EU have fuelled the debate on the EU’s responsibility. The new president of the European Commission and also minister Kaag expressed the need for urgent action to deal with the climate and environmental crises. These developments provide important opportunities for EU lobby in 2020. Key European advocacy targets in 2020 include the development of plant proteins production and consumption in the EU, a communication on the EU Action Plan to Protect and Restore the World’s Forests, the European Commission Farm to Fork strategy, the reform debate around the Common Agricultural Policy, the Mercosur trade agreement and the European Green Deal. GLA alliance members and partners will also actively participate in the global movement for a UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights that has new negotiation rounds in 2020 and focus on a strong position of the EU delegation, who were blocking good progress before.

Aerial view of oil palm plantations and forest in Bindang hill, Botuh Bosi village, West Kalimantan, Indonesia — Irpan Lamago

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GLA partners will continue to campaign and lobby to halt the use of food for biofuels in the EU in 2020. Even though the phase out of palm oil in the Renewable Energy Directive has been a great win, other incentives for the use of food for biofuels still exist and are exploited. In addition, GLA will advocate for an ambitious and comprehensive EU Action plan to protect and Restore the World’s forests, which is led by Finland; seek to ensure that the EU Green Deal includes an international component that deals with agro commodities and push the Dutch government to establish an international climate table (Klimaattafel) that addresses the impact of the agro commodity sector worldwide. In the Netherlands and the EU we will campaign for binding regulation for the financial sector to stop financing of human rights violations and deforestation.

To influence those policies and connect local to global advocacies, the core strategy of the GLA is to collaborate with multiple partners in Cameroon, Paraguay, Bolivia, Ghana, Indonesia, Liberia and Uganda to promote sustainable practices in agro commodities, to stop abuses in agro-commodities plantations and fighting deforestation by influencing national and inter-national policies. In Bolivia, we will use the ‘land valuation tool’ to support customary communities and forest dependent peoples to clearly understand the value of their land and guide them to make informed decisions during land negotiations with companies or investors. In Uganda, a high-level workshop with the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the national and sub national governments based on serious gaming, is planned to discuss different palm oil development trajectories and investment models. In Indonesia, we will support independent palm oil smallholders to have access to credit for sustainable development and rejuvenation of their palm oil plantations. Moreover, we will continue to strengthen the capacity of partners in financial investigation in order to influence financiers of controversial agro-commodities plantations. GLA partners will document agroecology and community based forest management as community based alternatives to industrial agro-commodities and show these to decision makers at national and international level to promote transforma-tive change in the agriculture sector.

Forest and Land GovernanceUnder the Forest and Land Governance programme, we connect the work of GLA partners in the landscapes and countries with regional and international policy, research and advocacy in order to support locally controlled and sustainably managed forested landscapes, decrease illegal logging, upscale certification of agro forestry and commodities, and mobilize public and private finance for the sustainable and inclusive management of forested landscapes.

In 2020, GLA partners continue to influence the post 2020 framework of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) to include binding commitments, strong compliance mechanisms, gender equality and indigenous peoples, leading up to the CBD Conference of the Parties in October 2020. In March 2020, GLA partners will organise the first ever African Peoples Tribunal on Agro Commodities. This meeting will bring communities from all African regions together and send a strong call for halt-ing the expansion of industrial plantations.

In 2019, GLA started supporting regional capacity strengthening efforts among Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCA) networks and partners in Asia and Latin America. Remaining activities for 2020 in Asia are focused on strengthening capacity in mapping and documenting ICCAs, particularly in Vietnam and Indonesia. In Bolivia, partners will set out for an expedition in 2020 to map isolated tribes in the Bolivian rainforest, in order to show their existence and demonstrate the value of conserving these areas.

Oil palm smallholder interviews held in March, 2019 — Tropenbos Indonesia

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Partners will also continue testing and extending (digital) tools to monitor deforestation and rights violations in 2020, with a focus on addressing challenges such as the lack of willingness or capacity to use the evidence for improved enforcement. For example, a GLA partner in Indonesia in collaboration with Rainforest Connection will build on initial success in detecting ille-gal logging in forest areas in West Sumatra with an acoustic monitoring tool and focus on using the data for law enforcement actions in 2020. Another example is the FLEGT Watch real time alert system to detect forest cover change. This system is being tested and implemented by independent forest monitors in Ghana and will continue in Liberia and other West African countries in order to combat illegal logging and related trade. In 2020, the GLA will focus on learning and exchange between the growing number of partners and communities (with a new partner in Colombia) using the ‘This is My Backyard’ tool (used by communities) to document evidence of rights violations and deforestation and sustainability of the use of the tool beyond 2020. Moreover, the first functionalities of an international solidarity platform for public campaigns and exchange between Human Rights Defenders will be ready, which facilitates exchange and action on Human Rights Defenders cases and underlying drivers.

In 2019, TBI published a booklet on ‘Formalizing Community Rights to Forests’2, based on desk research. The publication describes the outcomes (social justice, conservation, sustainable livelihoods) that are expected when communities gain formal rights and the evidence that supports these expectations. It then dives deeper into the conditions under which the formalization of community rights to forest lead to successful outcomes. It also notes that the formalization of community rights can come with certain challenges, such as the risk that it reinforces existing inequalities between local elites and mar-ginalised groups, and between men and women. This confirms the need to analyse and address power dynamics and gender inequalities in communities as essential in our work. This initial desk study is followed by country reviews that are currently taking off. In 2020, exchanges on regional level will take place to learn from each other’s strategies and develop new strat-egies, including for lobby and advocacy. The research coincides with capacity strengthening activities for local partners working on Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) in Asia and Latin America.

The Landscape Analysis of Financial Flows tool, which involves participatory research on financial flows in order to strengthen advocacy strategies will be implemented in Bolivia and Viet Nam in 2020, following assessments carried out in Ghana and Indonesia in 2019. GLA partners in the Philippines have developed four business cases through the use of the Landscape Investment Tool in 2019. For 2020, they aim to get 3 agroforestry and tree planting projects financed by local development banks.

Just Energy Transition (JET)The Just Energy Transition (JET) focuses on Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. In 2020 we will further expand the JET alliance and organise exchanges with West African and South American partners. These planned exchanges are a specific request from the current JET partners who indicated that they learn a lot from other regions and activists in terms of effective advocacy, campaigns, trends and developments.

We will also invest in joint research. For example, in the first half of 2020, the GLA will conduct a mapping of the work and impact of export credit agencies (ECAs) in Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and Togo. The aim is to use this research in international advocacy to ‘green ECAs’. A currently conducted research on the (potential) impacts of oil and gas exploitation along the

2 K. Kusters, M. De Graaf Formalizing Community Rights to Forests; Expectations, evidence and conditions for success. 2019, Tropenbos International, Wageningen

Woman engaging in alternative livelihoods in the Philippines — Erwin Mascarias

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West Africa coastline and other water bodies on fisher folks will feed into this inter-regional conference to exchange on off-shore oil exploration impacts and advocacy strategies to halt these.

In addition, we aim to promote a gender-just energy transition, as we found that a gender lens is missing from the energy transition work so far. In Nigeria, partners plan to train women’s rights organisations on JET, in order to strengthen their advocacy capacity as well as encourage women’s movement building for a just transition. It is expected this will contribute to better inclusion of a gender perspective in the processes towards a just energy transition in Nigeria. We also plan an inter-national meeting to contribute to feminist JET alliance building.

There are currently a number of court cases against oil companies, including against Shell, to hold them accountable for environmental pollution and human rights violations in Nigeria. For a number of these cases, it is expected that the court rul-ing will happen in 2020. This will provide an important momentum to raise international awareness on the negative effects of fossil fuel extraction and the need to make a just energy transition. Also in 2020, partners in Uganda and DRC will bring communities, CSOs and other stakeholders from DRC, Uganda and internationally together in the so-called Movement of Resistance in Action to mobilize, unite and take up the fight to protect the African Great Lakes region from fossil exploration.

3. PROGRAMME WIDE CAPACITY STRENGTHENING

In addition to capacity strengthening activities in the country and thematic programmes, GLA plans to strengthen capacity at the overall programme level on a number of subjects in 2020. During the Mid-term Review global meeting we concluded that exchanging observations, approaches and results substantially benefits the programme. It also contributes to a sense of belonging to an international movement, which is in itself empowering and can strengthen partners’ effectiveness in imple-menting national and international programmes.

We therefore initiated multiple learning and exchanges visits in 2019 and will continue this is 2020. For example, indigenous leaders from the Philippines will visit indigenous communities in Bolivia (if the political situation allows) to exchange expe-riences in relation to the (planned) development of dams in their territories. Under the thematic programmes, we will also continue exchange and learning between partners from different countries and landscapes.

GLA will prioritize ‘storytelling’ for 2020. We will strengthen our partners’ capacity to collect and share stories about change and progress as well as the added value of the GLA interventions in an accessible, appealing and convincing way, ranging from oral stories, podcasts, videos etcetera. Those stories will be used for increased visibility for multiple audiences, sharing GLA outcomes and informing the end line evaluation. We will also continue the capacity strengthening on gender, which is reflected in paragraph 4.2 of this report.

Finally, independent consultants will carry out an final evaluation in 2020. In addition to holding the GLA accountable, learning is an important objective of the evaluation. It therefore includes a range of different methods, including interactive workshops where partners have the opportunity to contribute to and learn from the findings.

In 2020, TBI will also carry out an end line of the Landscape Governance Assessment in all landscapes, in relation to the base-line established in 2017. We will combine lessons from this assessment with results from the end evaluation and incorporate these into future projects and programmes.

Members of Asociación Forestal Indígena de Guarayos (AFIG) receive training on finance, Ascencion de Guarayos, Bolivia — Waldemar Mario Colque Canaviri

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4. CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES

4.1. Civic Space and Environmental Human Rights DefendersThe general trend of shrinking space for civil society and high safety and security risks for human rights and environmental defenders runs as a common thread through the programme. Our partners face security risks due to political instability, conflict, civil unrest and the presence of armed groups in a large number of our target countries. Particularly in Indonesia, Cameroon, Bolivia, the Philippines, Uganda and DRC, the situation remains critical. Therefore, the GLA intends to facilitate exchange of lessons learned of local partners in these countries, while partners will adapt their strategies to the specific con-texts. All Friends of the Earth (FOE) human rights defenders focal points of the three FOE regions Asia Pacific, Latin America Caribbean and Africa have received training on risk and security strategies and for the Africa region on the UN instruments for environmental human rights defenders. In 2020 this will result in the further implementation of the FOE Africa regional security strategy. At the same time, the security situation requires constant vigilance and flexibility and sometimes brings programme activities in a specific area to a complete standstill, for example recently in Bafwasende in the DRC and in the Northwest region of Cameroon. The flexibility that is offered under the Strategic Partnerships framework is crucial to work effectively in unstable countries, where long term planning is hard – or even impossible – and changes are frequent.

Recently, an environmental activist active with one of the GLA partners in Indonesia was found dead under suspicious cir-cumstances and two journalists critical of illegal oil palm plantations were murdered and. Partners in Indonesia will therefore increase their support to those community groups or individuals who are impacted by environmental crime and violence in 2020. Some community members involved in international lobby and advocacy work in relation to oil palm work have been threatened upon their return in Indonesia. The GLA will therefore also employ strategies such as continued media attention, ensuring that partners are embedded in their communities and legal assistance. The agro-commodities programme provides trainings, legal support and campaign opportunities for environmental human rights defenders under threat.

In 2018, the Philippines was the country with the most killings of land and environmental defenders. A recent report by Global Witness3 states that mining, agribusiness, logging and coal plants are driving attacks against environmental activists and the President is categorically failing to protect rural and indigenous communities and the environment. Currently, there are a number of developments influencing civic space and security, both at the national level and the local level. For exam-ple, indigenous people are targeted in the conflict between the government and the New Peoples’ Army (NPA), the armed group of the Communist Party of the Philippines. In Sierra Madre, the military, together with some regional/provincial heads of government offices, made allegations that indigenous people and the NGOs supporting the campaign against the Kaliwa Dam are also NPA supporters. Due to this situation, the work of the GLA partners is complicated and security measures have to be taken. Contacts with other groups and indigenous community leaders sometimes need to be kept under the radar. In previous years, partners tried to maintain relationships with the military in the Sierra Madre, but the Kaliwa Dam issue has tensed the relationship. Indigenous leaders still plan to attend these meetings to show their good intentions.

4.2. Inclusion and gender equality Inclusion is at the heart of the GLA programme. In all countries, GLA partners empower local communities and indigenous groups to speak out, assert their rights and participate in decision-making, while also paying attention to power dynamics within these groups. Based on the Mid Term Review (MTR) findings and the results of a gender consultancy in 2018, we con-cluded that the GLA gender work required a more systematic approach.

Gender commitments are now more firmly integrated in the GLA-programme activities. We increased and continue efforts to enhance gender awareness, commitment, support and capacity strengthening of northern as well as southern GLA-partners more systematically in the programme. We build on this to establish gender agenda’s and action plans that ensure equal participation and benefits for men and women and/or improve the position, participation, benefits and rights of women in 2020. Many GLA partners have appointed staff to ensure mainstreaming of gender in the GLA partners work plans, projects and activities.

Northern Alliance partners have initiated their own specific gender trajectories, including organizational and staff capacity building, and policy and strategy development. Additional budget and staff time is made available.

Southern partners were encouraged to specify gender agendas and targets in their 2020 work plans. We also started sup-porting feminist movements in some regions, such as the ReSisters dialogue in South East Asia, a growing movement of women environmental defenders. We intend to continue this in 2020. In 2020, the GLA will organise regional gender network exchanges and capacity strengthening events with the objective to create a platform to build agenda’s specifically on gender and forest/land use, identify root causes of inequities and power imbalances and design strategies to address and support

3 Global Witness, September 2019. Defending the Philippines. https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/defending-philippines/

https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/defending-philippines/

https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/defending-philippines/

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pecific needs of women and women groups. This should result in strong empowered regional gender networks of southern partners capable of improving the position, participation, benefits and rights of women.

4.3. Synergy and coalitions As we are entering the 5th and final year of the programme in its current phase, the GLA members and our partners know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and know when and how to work together to add value to the programme and achieve better results. In our intervention countries, partners indicate that working together in lobby and advocacy is more effective, even though it requires extra coordination efforts, and partners express the wish to intensify the collaborations further. The combination of the landscape work, national lobby and advocacy work and the thematic programmes addressing global drivers of deforestation is reaping results within the programme period and beyond.

4.4. Sustainability Within the GLA, we apply different strategies to enhance sustainability of our work and the outcomes of our work. In order to complement and build on the results of GLA activities, partners in most GLA countries are actively fundraising or already successfully raised funds from other sources.

Supporting movementsAnother strategy is to support and strengthen existing and emerging environmental and human rights movements. These people’s movements are not depending on structural funding from the GLA; they are there because people stand up for their rights and organize themselves. GLA partners started supporting these movements in 2019 to have more impact and intend to expand this in 2020. For example in Bolivia, GLA supported an emerging women defenders movement. In the Philippines, GLA supports a movement campaigning against the Kaliwa dam and in Europe over 600.000 people signed a petition for a binding UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights. Also, in the DRC, our partners witnessed a student movement for clean energy arising as a result of their collaboration in the energy transition campaign. It is expected that this movement will be a major player in the fight against the destruction of forest ecosystems.

Institutionalisation of activities Last but not least, capacity strengthening and lobby and advocacy work aiming at changing policies, laws and practices are sustainability strategies in themselves. Working through existing structures further enhances the likelihood that activities will continue beyond the scope of the programme. For example, one of our partners in Viet Nam will work through existing structures like the Ethnic Minority Affairs Council that can continue the work after the GLA. In Indonesia, at the village level, communities are increasingly involved in spatial planning and capable to do the mapping by themselves, using village funds. As village spatial plans must be integrated into district spatial plans, partners will give more attention to the involvement of the district. Some partners support smaller community-based organizations to acquire legal status. Besides empowering the group and uniting its members around a common mission and vision, it also enables accreditation by government agencies to access available programs and services.

Last but not least, we have learned that building coalitions between organisations using different strategies towards the same goal can be very effective. The successes achieved by our joint actions are also likely to contribute to continued col-laboration in the future.

5. FINAL REMARKS

With this annual plan we aimed to provide an overview of the highlights of the GLA programme in 2020. The general plan does not allow us to go deeper into the country and thematic plans and clearly fails to do justice to all the work that has been done and still will be done. However, the annex provides a more detailed plan per country and theme. We are most willing to answer your further questions for clarification or elaboration.

After four years of working together, we have experienced that the central assumptions in the Theory of Change are generally valid and that working in partnership in dialogue as well as dissent adds value to our work and the outcomes we are able to achieve. We therefore intend to continue the partnership beyond 2020, based on the lessons and results achieved of the Forested Landscapes for Equity programme. Protecting forests and vulnerable landscapes becomes ever more important in a time of climate and biodiversity crises and the effects on local communities in forested landscapes around the world.

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ANNEXES

GREEN LIVELIHOODS ALLIANCE

ANNUAL PLAN 2020

FORESTED LANDSCAPES FOR EQUITY

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ANNEX 1 – OVERVIEW OF GLA PARTNERS

Country Thematic Programme

Alliance member

CSOs contracted in the GLA No. of collaborations (with MoU)

Landscape1st tier 2nd tier

1 Bolivia TBI IBIF AFINCicol

2 Chiquitania region, Santa Cruz

IUCN NL PROBIOMA

SAVIA

Comunidad Sustentable

TICCA consortium Bolivia

2 Democratic Republic of Congo

JET IUCN NL ACEDH Virunga National Park and Kahuzi-Biega National Park

IUCN NL CREDDHO

IFDP

IDPE

CEPED SUWE

FECOPEILE

TBI Tropenbos DR Congo

8 Tshopo, Mongala and Ituri provinces

3 Ghana TBI Tropenbos Ghana

1 Juaboso-Bia landscape

IUCN NL A Rocha Ghana Atewa Range Forest Reserve

FLG MD FoE-Ghana National level, and Atewa and Juaboso landscapes

4 Indonesia AC IUCN NL WARSI NTFP-EP Indonesia

Legal Aid Organisation 0f PadangConsortium SIKLUS (SIKAP, KARSA, IMUNITAS)Consortium ROA (ROA, YPAL, Solidaritas Perempuan)

Mudiak Baduo, Gunung Tarak, Lariang Watershed

TBI Tropenbos Indonesia

KBK IPB University

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AC MD WALHI / FoE Indonesia

5 Liberia AC / FLG MD SDI /FoE Liberia Sinoe County

TBI VOSIEDA

IUCN NL SCNL

6 Nigeria JET / FLG MD ERA/FoE Nigeria 8 Edo State, Cross River State, Ogoniland, Rivers State

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Country Thematic Programme

Alliance member

CSOs contracted in the GLA No. of collaborations (with MoU)

Landscape1st tier 2nd tier

7 Philippines FLG MD LRC-KSK/FoE-Philippines

Timuay Justice and Governance

1 Maquindanao Province

IUCN NL NTFP-EP Mabuwaya FoundationTanggol Kalikasan

Sierra Madre Landscape

Samdhana Inst. KINSRSLFMBDACDORBMC

Cagayan de Oro and Tagoloan river basins

TBI Philippines Forest Foundation

National level

8 Uganda JET IUCN NL AFIEGO Virunga National Park

MD FoE-Uganda Kalangala district

TBI Ecological Trends Alliance

9 Viet Nam IUCN NL PanNature Tay Centre for Rural Development (TNCRD)

Serepok River Basin

VietNature

TBI Tropenbos Viet Nam

WASI PVUSTAWomen Union IDH/ISLAUniversities CH

1

Thematic programmes

10 Cameroon1 FLG / AC MD CED

11 Paraguay1 AC MD Sobrevivencia

12 Togo1 FLG / AC MD Les Amis de la Terre Togo

Forêt Classée de Togodo-Sud

Focus countries EU and UN

FLG / JET / AC

MD FoE InternationalFoE Europe

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) – FoE Malaysia

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Asia FLG IUCN NL NTFP Asia

Total countries Total 59 CSOs included in SPs programme(including both 1rst and 2ndtier partners) see Annex 2

Collaborations Landscapes

12 3 38 22 492 183

Table notes:1. CSO partners contracted by GLA and implementing GLA thematic programmes, but not in GLA focus countries.2. 110 CSOs are active in the GLA programme: 37 first tier, 22 second tier and 49 collaborating CSOs.3. Of the formal collaborations, 16 landscapes are in focus countries and 2 are not in focus countries; several sub-landscapes are named in Annex 2 but not counted in this total, since they are part of a larger landscape.

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ANNEX 2 – COUNTRY AND THEME ANNUAL PLANS 2020

1 BOLIVIA – Country Programme

WHERE WE WORK, THE PROBLEM WE WORK ON, AND OUR APPROACH

The long-term objective of the GLA programme in Bolivia is to achieve inclusive and sustainable landscape governance in the Gran Chiquitanía Region. There are a number of challenges in this landscape, such as the unsustainable practices of the productive and extractive sector and limited enforcement of policies by the local and national government. In addition, local communities, small-scale producers and CSOs are not included in decision-making. GLA Bolivia works on these issues by lobbying for the productive sector to apply conservation innovations and for the sustainable management of natural resources. In addition, GLA Bolivia lobbies the national government to comply with and enforce environmental legislation and international agreements. GLA also builds the capacity of CSOs for inclusive and sustainable forest/landscape governance.

EXPECTED CONTEXT CHANGES IN 2020 (ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL ETC.)

The recent elections caused political unrest in the country. Former president Evo Morales stepped down and was provided asylum in Mexico, while protests continue in relation to an interim government. The situation is marked by protests, associated violence, roadblocks etcetera. Partners will need to strategically choose their actions as all attention is going to the post elections situation.

In addition, in 2019, the effects of government policies that favor the expansion of agribusiness were very visible: fires affected 5.2 million hectares within the GLA landscape. While this had enormous effects on the goals GLA partners aim to achieve, it also represents new opportunities for action, since the Chiquitania Forest has come to the forefront in the public debate and is recognized as a national heritage. Due to the fires, the public debate has intensified and is now focused on the structural roots of the problem, questioning the underlying policies and sectors fueling the fires and deforestation.

A recent change in the leadership of the ABT (forest institute) means that partners will need to re-engage. Given that the context is highly challenging, partners plan to discuss strategies and plans in January 2020.

MAIN EXPECTED OUTCOMES 2020 (THEORY OF CHANGE)

PLANS FOR 2020

1 Management committees support the management of protected areas

The GLA will continue the strengthening of management committees of protected areas, so they can strengthen their effectiveness and social recognition. GLA partners aim to get Statutes and Regulations approved for the Management Committees and the Association of Management Committees (SAVIA). The GLA will also engage in advocacy for the implementation of governance, conservation and resource management projects in San Matías, Kaa Iya and Noel Noel Kempff Mercado (SAVIA).

2 The ABT applies measures that support the sustainable management of their territories

The GLA will lobby for the approval of the forestry norms and the corresponding regulatory framework to allow the use of low impact sawmilling technologies in Forest Management operations of the Chiquitanía. We also lobby the ABT to monitor compliance with ministerial resolution 136/1997 regarding objectives, administration and monitoring of community forest management units.

3 The Agro-ecological Platform of the tropics, subtropics and Chaco region develops tools to position agro-ecological products

The Agro-ecological Platform will continue to be empowered through weekly fairs, where possible, to make people in Santa Cruz aware of the importance of agro-ecological products. In 2020 the GLA will engage Women’s productive organizations and an indigenous community (Guarayos) in the Platform.

4 The media disseminates reliable information related to integrated forest and land management

The GLA will continue working with the media to denounce the illegality of transgenic crops, impacts of deforestation and the impact of agrotoxics on health and raise awareness on forest conservation.

5 Organizations and international alliances issue resolutions and/or decisions in response to complaints of non-compliance by the government

In 2020, the GLA will follow up the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations done by different countries in the 2019 UPR session for Bolivia. Topics of interest are: human and environmental rights defenders, protected areas and extractive activities.

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6 CSOs practise integrated management of their territories for the management of their natural resources

In 2020, the GLA will support the environmental defenders networks with capacity building regarding their rights and we will also work on a post-fires strategy for the adequate conservation and restoration of the forests.

7 CSOs, the productive sector (agriculture, livestock, forestry, mining) and the public sector participate in the public debate on the extractive development model

The GLA will activate debates regarding the extractivist economic model in Santa Cruz, which is undermining the Chiquitania forest conservation, and will also organize workshops to analyse solutions.

8 Conscious consumers demand products from sustainable and integrated forest and land management

We will continue analyzing and sharing information with consumers about the importance of forests and the services they provide. In 2020 we aim to create a responsible consumer organization in Bolivia.

REFLECTION/LESSONS LEARNT AND WAY FORWARD

Gaining access to international spaces related to human rights issues, has proven to be effective, although slow. Finally, human rights defenders have gained space and their complaints about the extractive and infringing rights model have been heard at international level. We will continue to ensure human rights defender an international platform in 2020.

Organizational strengthening, training and capacity building is of great importance and shows significant results. However, consolidated results imply longer-term processes. Indeed, this remains important throughout 2020.

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2 DR CONGO – Country Programme


IUCN NL and TBI DRC work with eight local partner organizations and eight formal collaborations to combat the destruction and degradation of ecosystems in the Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega landscapes in northeastern DRC and in Tshopo, Ituri and Mongala in the central part of the country. These areas are under threat due to weak governance, illegal exploitation of natural resources, land grabbing, encroachment of protected areas and inadequate forestry laws and policies. Sustainable forest governance is also seriously hampered by corruption and the presence of armed groups. GLA uses multiple and complementary approaches to address these problems. They include coalition building, awareness raising and mobilization of all stakeholders (including communities, land-owners, local authorities and cross-border actors), documentation/monitoring of violations, legislative advocacy and the gathering and dissemination of evidence to guide decision-making.


Since the elections and the inauguration of president Tshisekedi in January 2019, partners have some renewed hope in the future. Some changes are visible already; the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) have started to launch offensives against armed groups in the east and some of these are starting to demobilize. There is also a focus on development opportunities for the population and to address corruption. On the other hand, frustrations are increasing against The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), and their lack of pro-activeness when it comes to the protection of civilians in Beni against rebel group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF Nalu). Partners hope that in 2020 president Tshisekedi will put the “green and sustainable” vision into practice”, which he has shared in various international fora in 2019, where African countries become the “pivot of sustainability”. They also yearn for development that protects the vast forests in the DRC, which account for nearly 50 per cent of forest cover on the continent. One aspect of the context that requires monitoring and follow-up in 2020 is the expansion of China’s investments with an effect on biodiversity conservation and climate change. Protected Areas and environmental defenders are increasingly targets of extractive industries and infrastructure development funded by China.


PLANS FOR 2020

1 National policy and the new land tenure law includes environmental aspects

• Partners will contribute to the finalization of the new land tenure law and follow-up on earlier advocacies regarding the new law. Partners will maintain the relationships with stakeholders, including the ministry of Land and attend activities related to the law at provincial level.

2 Authorities apply better law enforcement • Partners will lobby the governor of Tshopo province to issue a local community forest concession title to Bapondi. The governor and assembly of Ituri province will be lobbied to issue an artisanal logging license for 5 years accordingly to national regulations.

• To improve environmental law enforcement, partners will continue to capacitate magistrates (both civil and military). Within this capacity strengthening, there is a specific attention for regulations related to gender and youth rights. Partners will also encourage female and young magistrates to participate in training on environmental laws.

3 There is a harmonious relationship between communities and other stakeholders/the government

• Community & CSO monitors will share information and evidence on illegal practices with decision makers, political authorities and law enforcers to tackle illegality. Women and youth will be encouraged to play a more active role to improve relationships between stakeholders.

4 Local communities, including women and youth, are involved in landscape protection.

• Partners will continue environmental education activities for youth in and around the Kahuzi-Biega National Park. Moreover, partners in Ituri province will continue to support communities with sustainable livelihood activities, such as agroforestry.

5 Illegal exploitation of natural resources is reduced

• Partners will continue advocacy for demarcation of Lake Edward, in order to increase the safety and security situation. Moreover, partners will continue to advocate for the effective implementation of a new agreement regarding fishing in lake Edward with the aim to have harmonized rules for all stakeholders and to include the input of the fishermen and -women involved in the commercialization of fish.

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6 Peaceful cohabitation between indigenous people and protected area managers

• Partners advocate for harmonization of approaches and solutions among local and international organizations that accompany the indigenous people in or around Kahuzi-Biega National park, who are in search of agricultural land or involved in illegal activities. Partners also continue the registration of data in relation to environmental crimes and the dialogue between IPs, park management and other stakeholders.

7 Initiatives taken by the Congolese government to abandon the oil project in protected areas

• In 2019 partners carried out a number of joint lobby missions to abandon oil projects in protected areas. In 2020 partners will therefore follow-up on the petitions and maintain relations with champions and networks within the government. Meanwhile, partners will strengthen the cross-border collaboration between communities in the great lake region in DRC and Uganda and stimulate joint civil society efforts in relation to oil developments in the great lake region. For example, Congolese have not been able to provide their input into the EIA process in Uganda.


For both landscapes, partners identified a number of lessons learned. They learned that protracted silence of actors on sensitive issues aggravates conflict. It is therefore important to continue promoting a culture of dialogue and cooperation among all stakeholders, also to stimulate better solutions and clarify expectations of responsibilities of different stakeholders. Partners will therefore more actively seek for collaboration with other organizations, intensify collaboration with the media, multiply meetings (amongst others at local level) and intensify communication efforts in 2020. Given the differences in visions and approaches related to conservation among organizations working in the area, partners aim to harmonize them. Partners in the Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega landscapes will intensify the capacitation of and security measures for human rights defenders, particularly for women human rights defenders.

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3 GHANA – Country Programme


The GLA programme in Ghana is implemented by three partners: Tropenbos Ghana, A Rocha Ghana and Friends of the Earth (FoE) Ghana. The programme addresses the alarming rate of deforestation and forest degradation in Ghana, mainly resulting from agricultural expansion as well as unsustainable logging and mining practices. The programme promotes the sustainable management of forested landscapes to secure the remaining forest in Ghana’s High Forest Zone. GLA works in two landscapes in Ghana, Atewa and Juaboso-Bia, both high elevation tropical forest areas dominated by cocoa farming. A major part of the work to protect the Atewa forest received additional funding from the Flexible Fund for Dialogue and Dissent under the Strategic Partnerships for a one-year campaign against bauxite mining. GLA deals with policies and practices at the landscape and national level related to achieving sustainable and inclusive landscape governance. The GLA implements a diversity of lobby and advocacy tactics (campaigns, research, multi-stakeholder dialogues, capacity strengthening, collaboration between CSOs) focused on illegal logging and mining, cocoa and trees/ forests, tree tenure reform and Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs). CSO networks are actively used and strengthened to create wide support for the inclusive and sustainable landscape management which the program aspires.


2020 is an election year in Ghana which presents both risks and opportunities for attaining anticipated outcomes. For political expediency, government could be easily pushed to take actions that are detrimental to the environment and natural resources sustainability: law enforcement against illegal logging and mining could be lax. There is also a high tendency to focus on political campaigns at the expense of developmental and policy issues presented by CSOs. Despite the risks, the election period also provides an opportunity for CSOs to provide input to the policies of the political parties through their manifestos for the election campaigns. It also offers the opportunity for the CSO network to lobby government and competing political parties to make concrete commitments towards sustainable natural resource management. CSOs will seize this opportunity to lobby the sitting president to leave a legacy in his first term by passing the Wildlife Bill through Parliament before the elections.

Currently, there is a draft National Biodiversity Policy which is expected to be finalized and become operational by 2020. This provides an opportunity for CSOs to contribute to the national agenda on biodiversity conservation. Specifically, it will provide an opportunity for CSOs to lobby for Atewa to become a national park and thus excluded from government’s intended bauxite industry.

The launching and roll out of the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Programme provides a well-organized governance structure at the landscape level for inclusive decision making on issues of forest and cocoa at the landscapes of the GLA. This structure builds on existing structures such as the CREMAs and Hotspot Intervention Area’s (HIAs). From date till April 2020, there will be a revision of Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which will give CSOs the opportunity to advance national climate actions and put emphasis on the important role of forests and trees.


PLANS FOR 2020

1 Integrated land and water management is broadly applied

• We will mobilise environmental CSOs to provide collective input in Ghana’s NDCs to global climate action during the revision process in 2020.

2 Biodiversity resources and ecology protected and secured in cocoa forest landscapes

• With the importance of the Atewa forest as biodiversity hotspot and a watershed, we will continue to campaign, advocate and lobby against bauxite mining in Atewa forest.

3 Mining and logging operations conform to national laws and international standards or best practices

• CSO-Led Independent Forest Monitoring activities will continue and improved to ensure that infractions reported receive attention and key lessons shared through stories.

• Local communities will be further empowered to engage small scale miners on issues of compliance and community rights.

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4 Cocoa sector adopts and applies climate smart practices and landscape standards

• CSOs and CBOs will monitor the fulfillment of the commitments of Cocoa companies under the Cocoa and Forest Initiative (CFI)

• Cocoa platforms and farmer groups will be used as channels for promoting and developing capacity in sustainable practices, particularly in cocoa production and logging.

• Landscape governance structures (e.g. the CREMAS and the HIA Management Board) will be used for discussions and decision making on matters of natural resources management to ensure inclusiveness of all relevant stakeholders at the local level including women.

5 Tree tenure is reformed to make benefit sharing more equitable in cocoa forest landscapes

• In view of the highly needed tree tenure benefit sharing arrangements, CSOs will mount pressure on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to ensure that farmers retain naturally occurring trees on their farms and get benefits from the trees they nurture.

6 CREMAs are legalized, institutionalized, effectively utilized and upscaled

• We envisage the lobby of government and campaign for the laying of the Wildlife Resources Bill before parliament by June 2020 so that it can be passed before the dissolution of the current parliament


A number of lessons have been learnt in 2019. For instance, we learned that joint advocacy can be very effective: E.g. The government nurtured plans to amend the existing mining law to allow for mining in all forms of forest reserve. However, with stiff opposition from CSOs, there plans were halted. As a measure to help curtail illegal mining, which has received great opposition from CSOs, the government has made its mining sanction regime more punitive. The campaigns against bauxite mining in Atewa forest reserve have led the Norwegian, Netherlands and Australian Ambassadors to lobby to protect Atewa Forest. Still, the fight against bauxite mining in Atewa is a tough journey since the government has tied some key projects to the anticipated proceeds from the intended mining. In 2020, partners will unabatedly continue to lobby and campaign against mining in the Atewa forest reserve.

We also learned that working with community structure is effective. With continuous engagement of chiefs in the Juaboso-Bia landscape on the need to support efforts towards safeguarding the forest, some influential chiefs in the JB landscape have set up 11-member committee to address issues of farm encroachment into the Krokosue Forest Reserve. It is expected that this will encourage many of the locals that engage in illegal farming to quit the practice.

Another important lesson is that when communities are empowered, they are able to fight for their rights in matters of natural resource utilization. A clear example is the case in which the Akyim Juaso community in the Atewa landscape demanded proof of permit from two mining companies that attempted to mine on their lands. Another community in the Atewa landscape sued a mining company for negligence. A national CSO platform on Civil Society-Led Independent Forestry Monitoring (CSIFM) is established as a step towards institutionalizing CSIFM. The JB Hotspot Intervention Area (HIA) now has an HIA Management Board (HMB), which is a governance structure that opens up discussions on cocoa and forest for inclusive decision making in natural resource management. Lastly, after building the capacity of local communities in the Juaboso-Bia landscape on the Timber Resources Management and Legality Licensing Regulation (L.I. 2254), community members in Kramokrom in the BIA East District successfully engaged a timber company to implement its Social Responsibility Agreement in June 2019. Empowering communities will remain a central part of the GLA programme in Ghana.

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4 INDONESIA – Country Programme


GLA works in three landscapes in Indonesia: (a) Mudiak Baduo (720,000 ha), West Sumatra Province; (b) Gunung Tarak Landscape (500,000 ha), West Kalimantan Province; and (c) Upper Lariang Watershed (530,000 ha), Central Sulawesi Province. GLA’s efforts mainly address poor natural resource governance at the village, district, province and national level. GLA contributes to inclusive spatial planning, establishing a multi-stakeholder platform to improve natural resource governance, improving the practices of oil palm companies while resisting their expansion, and supporting communities in their conflicts with oil palm companies. GLA also lobbies government to accelerate social forestry (SF) and agrarian reform (TORA) and develop sustainable economic activities based on forest products and services.


The development perspective of the new government is under question. The government is very open to business investment and the new parliament has strong business interests and includes many police officials. If the implementation of Social Forestry (a GLA priority) cannot contribute to economic development, it will lead to conflict. Conflict and criminalization may potentially increase with the stronger focus on investment in the new government. Public spaces will shrink, making it more difficult to fight for people’s rights to the environment and justice.In the area of Land Law/Agrarian reform, the government and parliament are very determined to pass the Land Law, which allows the state to forcibly take community land and criminalize farmers who defend their rights.In addition, people have concerns that the KPK (Anti-corruption Commission) Law revision will result in reducing the authority of the KPK, especially in combating corruption.


PLANS FOR 2020

1 Spatial planning to become more equitable and sustainable

• In ca. 20 villages throughout the GLA landscapes, villages will be assisted in participatory spatial mapping and/or subsequent local development planning, as a way to translate local needs and interests into spatial plans. The intended outcomes are that an increasing number of villages conduct spatial planning using their own financial means, that districts synchronize their district planning with these local plans, and that they adopt the participatory mapping approach throughout the district. Women will be trained to participate in participatory mapping and planning activities and there will be specific attention to gender-specific forms of natural resources use.

2 Government, private sector, communities and CSOs coordinate interventions and investments at a landscape level

• Activities will focus on opening up the debate between CSOs, companies and government (at landscape level) on sustainability issues on the one hand and human rights on the other. Another set of activities focuses on the implementation of the High Conservation Value approach by a company in West Sumatra, and to lobby the Government for the completion of a national regulation on Essential Ecosystem Areas that safeguards such HCVs.

3 Oil palm grower sustainably manage their concession, while traders/buyers conduct sustainable trade

• Oil palm remains a focus, both in terms of confrontation and collaboration. Partners address issues related to large scale operators as well as independent small holders.

• One partner will continue to generate public support for stringent law enforcement against corporations breaking the law, and for the legal protection of environmental activists, especially women; others will work with a company to implement HCV and improve sustainability (West Sumatra and Central Sulawesi). In West Kalimantan, GLA will seek to improve cultivation practices and resource governance for independent small holders (both men and women), in order for them to be legalized and eligible as suppliers to larger companies.

• All partners will work with regional governments to implement the 2018 Oil Palm Moratorium, which has not yet been followed up.

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4 Communities protect and use the forest for sustainable local livelihoods

• Partners will support communities, especially Village Business Units (BUMDES) to develop and access markets for forest products (rattan, forest honey, resin, orchard and bamboo) and services (using carbon schemes), especially in areas where villages were awarded Social Forestry permits. In several cases specific support will be provided to women’s groups or to specific forms of women’s natural resources use (e.g., the pampa system in Central Sulawesi); in all cases women are important players in village enterprises and their role will be taken into account. Village Forest Management Groups will also be supported to manage their forests and protect them against outsiders.

5 Local communities have a greater involvement in sustainable forest and land management

• There will still be several villages whose bid for Village Forestry Permits will be supported by GLA; in about 25 others GLA will help to implement the work plan and lobby local and district government to accommodate the Social Forestry work plans in their budgets and spatial plans.


Outcome 1 (Governance and planning): At the village level, communities are increasingly involved in spatial planning and capable to map by themselves. Also, villages start to implement participatory planning and mapping using their own village funds (rather than facilitated by the GLA). However, the involvement of the district still remains an issue: The village spatial plans must be integrated in district spatial plans. An extra effort will be required here and this is reflected in the 2020 workplan.

Outcome 2 (Landscape management): Although partners have convinced some oil palm companies in some landscapes to apply HCV approach, a real success story is still absent. Efforts to get legal recognition for High Conservation Values using so-called Essential Ecosystem Areas (EEA or KEE) are confronted with difficulties. A Ministerial Decree on KEE (that provides strength to the current instruction at DG level, and would cover HCV) to which GLA contributed remains unsigned by the Minister as she considers this outside her competence (KEE is for protecting areas outside the Forest Estate, under another jurisdiction). CSOs argue that biodiversity is under her competence and that she is able to sign. Through influencing public opinion combined with a personal approach at the high level, GLA will continue to seek to realise this goal.

Outcome 3 (Oil palm): President Joko Widodo signed INPRES No.5/2019 on Moratorium new permit in primary forest and peatland, but there is a poor follow up by province & district level governments. The enforcement of laws on companies that have been reported to the authorities or even already been fined does not work. There is increased criminalization of people protesting or resisting the presence of damaging investments (such as oil palm). Joint lobby with GLA partners in the Netherlands is considered effective, e.g. the campaign to stop funding support from Dutch banks to several companies such as WILMAR, ASTRA, SINARMAS and INDOFOOD. In 2020, partners will work with regional governments to assist them in implementing the moratorium requirement, while, at the same time, we will strengthen our efforts to protect environmental activists and lobby for following up on convictions.

Outcome 5 (Social Forestry): Interventions of the GLA partners are relatively successful at the village level: an increasing number of communities obtain village forest rights, and at least in one landscape forest management committees of several villages have started to collaborate amongst themselves. However, at the provincial and national level, support to SF remains too restricted to the directly involved agencies, and support from other sectors (within and outsides of the ministry) remains limited. A success was obtained in West Sumatra where the Governor issued a regulation to align provincial agencies in support of SF. In 2020, we will work collectively to strengthen collaboration on SF, while continuing the effort at village level to obtain SF permits and make them work for the benefit of the community.

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5 LIBERIA - Country Programme


In Liberia, Milieudefensie works together with its local partner SDI /FoE Liberia, Tropenbos International works with VOSIEDA, and IUCN NL works with SCNL, complementary efforts for the same landscape: Sinoe County. SCNL works with communities around Sapo National park to improve the park management and prevent destructive activities such as mining. In the coming year, SCNL will target a company involved in illegal logging. VOSIEDA targets a company that is logging illegally in Numopoh and achieved that the Forest Development Authority (FDA) is now researching this company. VOSIEDA is building the capacity of a women and youth groups to participate in e.g. negotiations on social agreements with companies. VOSIEDA is also building capacity for independent forest monitoring (IFM) and it is investigating cases of forest abuse.

SDI supports communities that negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding with palm oil company Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL). SDI facilitates the national CSO Oil Palm Working Group (CSO-OPWG) and takes the positions from the communities to the national level to influence the Land Rights Law implementation and the agriculture policy review. SDI campaigns with international partners to expose financiers of deforestation and human rights violators.


Communities are increasingly engaging with civil society to stand stronger and protect their rights. Indeed, this can change companies’ practices, for example where logging companies (temporarily) stopped operating illegally. But, unfortunately, we have also seen that this can cause a backlash, for example when GVL started to intimidate community monitors and youth leaders. This requires continuous attention from civil society. On February 13, 2019, the President and national government met with Sime Darby Plantation Liberia and assured the company of his government’s support. This sets a precedent for more land grabbing from customary communities that have been resisting encroachment on their land and seeking legal help for respect of their land rights. Additionally, the statement has the potential to undermine the newly passed Land Rights Law. Precautionary measures for the implementation of the Land Rights Law therefore need urgent attention and there is a need to inform communities of their rights as stipulated in the Land Rights Act.

The economic situation of Liberia is going downhill rapidly, with the government budget running out. Civil servants are not receiving their salaries. This has increased the challenges for enforcement agencies to act on incompliances from companies and to start with the implementation of the Land Rights Law. There is an increase in illegal pit sawing and mining in the landscape. The government no longer remits forest revenue that it cashed from logging companies back to the Counties and local communities.

The government is appealing to the RSPO to lower its standards in Liberia, to allow concessions in more High Conservation Values (HCV) forests. In one of the meetings with the Ministry of Agriculture, GLA partners were told that the government has offered old and existing palm farms to multinational palm companies, but the companies refused these farms because they are on degraded lands and are demanding fresh forest lands.


PLANS FOR 2020

1 Lawmakers pass legislations on concession and land that reflect the voice and concerns of affected rural communities.

• SDI will support and advocate with the Liberia Land Authority to create more awareness on the implementation regulations of the Land Rights Law with a focus on customary land.

2 Communities are makingdemands on government and concessionaires in the implementation of policies and laws on forest and land management

• SDI supports communities to negotiate fair deals in their Memoranda of Understanding with palm oil company GVL and to demand the fulfilment of previous commitments before signing.

• Vosieda supports women and youth organizations in forested communities to participate in decision making. They will hold Community Forest Management Bodies accountable and demand that the payments of forest revenues and social agreements are respected.

• SCNL engages the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) to enforce the Mandra logging company to stop its operation in the buffer zone of the Sapo National Park and adhere to the MOUs in the community forest.

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3 NGOs and CSOs hold companies accountable for human rights violations in their concession areas

• SDI engages with the UN office on Business and Human Rights that follows up on companies’ compliance to human rights standards. SDI will put pressure on companies through an (inter)national media campaign based on rights violations. VOSIEDA builds capacity of non-state actors to develop monitoring reports and produce evidence on forest governance issues.

4 New legislation in the agricultural sector that protects community rights is enacted.

• SDI coordinates the CSO-OPWG that aims to get key demands included in the National Oil Palm Strategy of Liberia. VOSIEDA works with non-state actors to increase the effectiveness of their advocacy.

5 CSOs and INGOs influence EU/US policies that have an influence on forests and land in Liberia

• The CSO-OPWG advocates to prevent the weakening of standards on forest protection and community rights by the Liberian government. The CSO-OPWG members campaign on the drivers of deforestation and human rights violations using, amongst others, the Accountability Framework Initiative.

6 Concessionaries are in compliance with national and international laws in the areas of operations

• SDI demands palm oil company GVL to be transparent and engage communities in ways that respect their rights and development demands. SDI will work with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Bureau of Concessions (NBC) and the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) to ensure they hold palm oil companies accountable.

7 Providing alternative livelihood options for communities affected by the SAPO Declaration

• SCNL develops several alternative sustainable livelihoods activities with communities, such as cassava, lowland rice and fishponds in order to reduce pressure on the Sapo national park.


Supporting and working with grassroots organizations within the landscape has kept the spirit of the communities up and has increased trust within the communities for the GLA partners. In addition, different GLA advocacy initiatives (e.g. land valuation meetings, land rights meetings, Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and women conferences) are increasing communities’ understanding of their rights and communities are standing up, resisting oil palm expansion on their customary land and asking other legal institutions for guidance. Working closely with communities will therefore continue in 2020.

The establishment of the Multi Stakeholder Platforms (MSPs) by the National Bureau of Concessions (NBC) was originally seen as a major conduit for protecting the interest of communities over those of the industrial palm oil companies. However, we have learnt that the government is using members of these platforms to push the agenda of companies. Therefore, SDI will strengthen the capacity of CSO members of Sinoe MSPs to protect their interests.

There is a need to work more on alternative livelihoods for community led development. Exchanges and community leadership can be effective: GLA will therefore link the Sapo communities with Sinoe farmers who have already adopted better farming practices (Sons of Sinoe).

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6 NIGERIA - Country ProgrammeWHERE WE WORK, THE PROBLEM WE WORK ON, AND OUR APPROACH

In Nigeria, the GLA programme is a collaboration between Environmental Rights Action (ERA) and 2 coalitions of community based organizations. One on crude oil in the Niger Delta, and one on palm oil in Edo state and Cross River State. Milieudefensie and Friends of the Earth Europe closely cooperate with ERA in the Nigeria programme for mutual capacity building and joint lobby and litigation. The programme addresses two major issues; rights violations and environmental degradation caused by (1) crude oil extractive impacts and (2) large-scale oil palm plantations. The development of both oils poses a strong threat to forested landscapes, either through deforestation or through degeneration of forested areas. Consequently, they have a significant impact on livelihoods in Nigeria. Through this program we intend to protect forested landscapes and livelihoods through protecting community land rights.

To achieve this, the GLA focuses on using evidence-based research on the socio-economic impacts of crude oil and palm oil to raise awareness and feed the lobby and advocacy process. Coalition building and capacity strengthening to engage with government authorities is also central to the programme. Finally, the programme uses litigation to stop new and existing plantations, enforce land rights and to halt oil and gas explorations.


Crude oil: The cleanup process of oil spills in Ogoniland started in 2018/2019 but has not been a smooth process, due, amongst others, to lack of transparency around the selection of contractors, the delayed release of budget and the absence of key performance indicators. Direct interaction with the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) remains challenging for civil society. Meanwhile pollution continues and community members´ basic needs (e.g. clean water) remain insufficiently addressed, which has contributed to tensions at community level. Threats to community activists also exist, as a result of shrinking civic space.

Palm Oil: Civil society faces challenges in engaging with Edo State policy makers. This in contrast to Cross River State, where policy makers engage frequently with civil society and community members on oil palm expansion and its community impacts. Litigation is currently being explored as a possible intervention strategy for Edo State. A case against Okomu Palm Oil PLC is currently in place, however the company is delaying the legal process. Nonetheless, the case has contributed to community members awareness about their rights, with more members expressing interest in joining, to halt palm oil expansion and demand compensation for destroyed lands and crops.

Overall, the security situation in Nigeria is deteriorating. This manifests itself for example in more cases of violence, such as kidnappings on the high ways. In response, the Nigerian government has intensified security patrols and road blocks. Civil society analyses the increase of violence as an indicator of the worsening economic situation.


PLANS FOR 2020

1 Nigerian government is changing policies and laws towards protecting community rights, holding companies accountable for their impacts and ensuring the implementation of these policies and laws

• The Nigerian government is showing willingness to enforce existing communal land laws and proper cleanup of Ogoniland. In 2020, remediation of pollution impacts is happening, alongside compensation and protection of livelihoods.

2 Companies no longer apply large scale plantations and oil extraction projects that cause deforestation, land and forest degradation that negatively affect local people’s rights and livelihoods and they abide by Nigerian laws.

• Further evidence is generated in 2020 to support the palm oil and crude oil legal cases to secure community land rights, biodiversity protection and reduce deforestation.

3 Local communities defend their rights and promote their own sustainable livelihood systems towards companies and governments

• A 2020 shadow report on the Ogoni cleanup is generated through collective efforts (including community monitoring) and feeds into campaigns for proper cleanup and remediation.

4 There is increased public awareness and understanding of problems related to crude and palm oil production at the local, national and international levels

• The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and the Federal Ministry of Environment (FME) hold oil companies accountable for their impacts and their responsibility to cleanup oil spills in the Niger Delta, which is showcased in the cleanup of polluted sites as well as the release of more cleanup funds

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The Nigeria country programme saw important results in 2019, in particular in relation to crude oil work. This is the direct result of many years of campaigning for the cleanup of Ogoni land, which included (inter)national mobilization, media reports and litigation. This pressure has contributed to the first release of the cleanup funds and actual start of the cleanup process in 2019. This long term involvement has been and will remain key to continuously put pressure on the government and the oil companies, in particular in terms of ensuring that the implementation of the cleanup process is up to standard and conducted transparently.

Prioritizing policy engagements has paid off in Cross River State, as state legislators continue to engage with the communities and have reached out to address their concerns and demands, e.g by inviting them to a public hearing against Wilmar PZ on oil palm expansion and impacts. ERA will continue building on this engagement in 2020, for example through the provision of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) capacity building for policy makers and the community members.

We have learnt that court cases can be a good means of holding palm oil and crude oil companies accountable, depending on whether they are given timely trials, as they are also a burden on poor litigants. The palm oil case is generating wider community interest and has supported community members´ knowledge on their rights.

The coalition building under the crude oil and palm oil work has led to coalition members championing the various campaigns, which brings a stronger voice to the table rather than ERA campaigning alone.

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7 PHILIPPINES - Country ProgrammeWHERE WE WORK, THE PROBLEM WE WORK ON, AND OUR APPROACH

The GLA works in three landscapes in the Philippines: the Cagayan de Oro (CDO) river basin, the Maguindanao province in Mindanao, and the Sierra Madre landscape in Luzon. Indigenous peoples (IPs) are present in all landscapes and have an important role in forest management and use but a limited role in governance. The GLA partners therefore strengthen the role of IPs and forest dependent communities, foster the implementation of sustainable practices by communities and other stakeholders and strengthen the local governance and tenure arrangements. In addition to the work at landscape level, GLA partners lobby and advocate for policies at the national level and increase the capacities of national and landscape actors for more collaborative effort on landscape governance, for example through national and landscape dialogues, as well as research efforts to provide evidence-based documentation and information to the lobby and campaign activities.


Civic space at national level and local level remains a serious issue of concern. In 2019, a new set of guidelines for NGOs was released, which is supposed to protect CSOs from terrorists and money laundering abuse. However, CSOs see this as another means to debilitate any form of criticism against the government. A number of NGOs have been red tagged by the government at the end of 2019, meaning that they are labelled as communists or terrorists regardless of their actual affiliations.

Moreover, the result of the mid-term election in 2019 was not very promising in the eyes of GLA partners, with many candidates acting against upholding human rights and the rule of law. This is likely to have effects on the lobby and advocacy results by partners, for example regarding the Sustainable Forest Management Act and Indigenous Peoples Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCA) bill. With the inclusion of indigenous rights in the recently passed Bangsamoro Organic Law, the IPs were hopeful for the future. However, recent development show a backlash with increased land grabbing of IPs land, displacements and security threats, which needs a great deal of attention in 2020. Finally, ongoing challenges such as the proposed construction of the Kaliwa dam, the development of roads and the expansion of palm oil poses challenges to partners.


PLANS FOR 2020

1 Improved skills, knowledge and tools of CSOs and communities in lobby and advocacy work

• IPs communities in Palaui Island will be strengthened to apply for an ancestral domain claim and management plan and strengthen their community based enforcement activities in their domain. In the CDO landscape, partners will continue to empower IPs to participate in the river basin council in the landscape and focus on recognition of their cultural practices. Partners will continue to support IP communities affected by the Kaliwa dam to claim their rights regarding Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) or Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process and hold other actors accountable for their responsibilities.

2 Increased and strengthened influence of CSOs, forest dependent and indigenous communities in environmental and social justice policies and laws.

• Despite the difficult political context, partners will continue the lobby for the ICCA bill and the sustainable forestry management bill at the national level, in which they will also involve local (IP) communities.

• Partners in the Tagaloan landscape will lobby for the development and amendment of green policies among local government units in the riverbasin.

• Villages in the Teduray and Lambangian Ancestral Domain Claim will continue to combat increased land grabbing, for example by network building and learning from other groups facing similar issues.

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3 Government agencies improves procedures recognizing community tenure rights

• GLA partners in the Bangsamoro region will focus on the development of the enabling law of the Bangsamoro Organic Law and the development of ordinances at municipal level in relation to IPs rights. They also will advocate to the local government to harmonize the provisions in different policies.

• The GLA partner in Palaui island advocate for the issuance of a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) for their ancestral domain. Partners will advocate for the inclusion of the Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSDPP) into the tourism masterplan of the municipality of Rizal in the Southern Sierra Madre.

4 Government agencies improve enforcement of environmental and social justice laws and support multi-stakeholder efforts

• In the Sierra Madre landscape, partners will assist IP groups to get a permit from the government for their marketing arm of an almaciga enterprise. Partners will also lobby the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to support IPs in their demand for an FPIC process in relation to quarrying companies. Partners in the Sierra Madre will take steps for legal action regarding the construction of the Kaliwa dam, since the government is pushing through regardless of a ‘no’ by communities in the FPIC procedure.

• Partners in the CDO landscape will push for the implementation of a river based wide payment for environmental services scheme. Partners will also support community law enforcement teams to develop and implement a master plan for protection of the marine protected area and push for the recognition for their responsibility by local governments. Lastly, partners will advocate for the inclusion of the demonstration sites into the local government plan.

5 Multi-stakeholder groups and IP communities implement sustainable management of forest landscapes, revive traditional farming systems and pilot nature-based solution models

• Partners will push for the implementation of protection and restoration measures in relation to the recently approved ordinance for protection and restoration of the CDO river basin, such as by businesses and local government units. Partners also aim to identify green champions among businesses in the landscape for forest restoration.

• In 2020, community members in the Teduray and Lambangian Ancestral Domain Claim will pay forward the successes and lessons learnt of Sulagad (an indigenous sustainable farming practice) and an anti-carabao logging campaign to other villages.

REFLECTION / LESSONS LEARNT AND WAY FORWARD

For all the landscapes, one of the major lessons learnt is that continuous and strong collaboration with different stakeholders plays a significant role in achieving outcomes. This is the case in for example the adoption of an environmental ordinance in the CDO river basin to protect and rehabilitate the river basin, for which partners have collaborated with a wide range of stakeholders. Similarly, while partners acknowledge that indigenous people need to be at the forefront of lobby work when it is about issues of their concern, support of other sectors is crucial. For example, the support of a youth organization, tourism operators, academia, lawyers and the municipal government has boosted the morale of the indigenous people defending their rights around the planned Kaliwa dam. The same applied for the effort of CSOs, government agencies, academia etc. to come up with a common proposed sustainable forest management act, instead of different versions per sector. Another lessons learnt is that it also takes sustained dialogues and visioning to come up with integrated governance mechanisms. Partners will therefore continue to seek for collaboration, despite the fact that this is not always the easiest and fastest road.

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8 UGANDA - Country ProgrammeWHERE WE WORK, THE PROBLEM WE WORK ON, AND OUR APPROACH

In Uganda, the GLA program is focused on oil palm development in the Kalangala Landscape comprised of Kalangala and Buvuma districts both of which are Lake Victoria Islands. Oil palm has been established on Bugala for ten years; in Buvuma it is about to start. As an agro-commodity, oil palm has wide reaching negative impacts on livelihoods, human rights and the environment and therefore warrantees civil society action to keep government and its partners in check on its obligations to the citizenry. The Ugandan implementing partner, Ecological Trends Alliance (ETA) , works at local and national levels by engaging a range of stakeholders, in order to limit the environmental problems caused by oil palm and to safeguard forests for improved community livelihoods. The GLA adopts a lobby and advocacy approach through a strong civil society to advocate for what is right and due to the major stakeholders: the communities. Strategies include stakeholder dialogues, multi-tier information dissemination and simulation games to sensitise stakeholders on impacts of oil palm. In addition, GLA partners carry out exchange visits, evidence-based research, and GPS mapping of forest buffer zone encroachment and land grabbing.


Despite our efforts to prevent it, but after a delay of 10 years, the oil palm project in Buvuma took off with the establishment of a nursery. Marginal lands such as buffer zones and wetlands are encroached upon under pressure of oil palm developments, without any reprimand of the encroachers. At the same time, prices for oil palm fresh fruit bunches have dropped significantly, which makes the single focus on this monoculture even more fragile. The oil palm project is also starting initiatives on the main land in four new hubs for oil palm development. Lutoboka Central Forest Reserve (CFR) in Kalangala district is listed for local government infrastructure benefits after the district donated all its land for oil palm development. South Busoga CFR in Mayuge district (indicated as a new hub) is under a parliamentary degazettement process for oil palm growing.

The current position of the government on (funding of) NGOs restricts NGO operational space: e.g. in 2019 mandatory registration of NGOs with the Financial Intelligence Authority was effected by obliging all NGOs to gazette a Money Laundering Officer registered with the authority, further narrowing NGO space.

The next presidential elections are scheduled for 2021, with 2020 as a campaign year. Most likely this will also further restrict operational space of civil society. CSO proposals to review and improve existing policies are expected to be shelved, as government concentrates on its own political agenda and enacting policies in its favour. Also, there will be a tendency to please voters through forest degazettement.

There are also changes that positively impact the GLA such as completion of the review and enactment of both the National Environment (NEMA) Act and the Wildlife Act in 2019. The NEMA Act comes with stringent measures and tough penalties on environmental offenders while the Wildlife Act strengthens measures against illegal harvesting and access to protected wildlife areas, together with tough penalties for wildlife crimes both inside and outside protected areas.


PLANS FOR 2020

1 Oil palm expansion on public and private land has stopped and alternative model for inclusive and sustainable oil palm production is developed

• The oil palm company BIDCO will continue to be put under pressure to change its bad practices, revert illegalities and abide to all environment safeguards and take action against the negative impacts of agro-commodities/ monocultures on the environment and livelihoods.

• We will inform communities on the impacts of giving up their land for oil palm and provide options to outgrowers to diversify income sources alongside oil palm.

2 Empowered communities able to engage government and oil palm investors on rights based advocacy

• In new (oil palm) hubs, we will support communities organizing themselves prior to oil palm development, by providing them with the right information for informed decision making and by jointly developing alternative livelihoods

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3 Empowered, informed and supportive local and national government that appreciates oil palm safeguards, forests, for improved community livelihoods

• At national level, we will use serious gaming, which will include a gender dimension, to inform high level decision makers. We want the involved ministries to adopt a new model in the oil palm project that does not displace communities and that recognizes agro-commodities as a key driver of environmental degradation and adapt its budgeting accordingly. GLA will also work towards parliament rejecting the degazettement of Kalangala, Buvuma and the new hubs.

• At landscape level, we will support current and new hubs district local governments to regulate BIDCO and communities’ operations and increase the protection in forest reserves

4 A strong and vibrant civil society with favorable operating space

• In answer to the shrinking operational space, we will support CSOs to comply with provisions of the law, strengthen the CSO network to get to a common voice on the restrictions and build the coalition between media and the CSO network to fight the restrictions.


Through our support, the previously vulnerable and weak communities of Buvuma have become more resilient and gained courage to sustain resistance of full government land acquisition for oil palm development for 10 years. Of the 10,000ha documented as requisite for Buvuma, government has finally settled for 7,500ha. We will involve these communities in exchange programs with new oil palm hubs in 2020 to share their experiences and encourage other communities to resist and delay oil palm project developments in the proposed new hubs.

As part of government transition from Vegetable Oil Development Program (VODP) to National Oil Palm Program (NOPP), the NOPP project document includes issues raised by the GLA partners such as food security, land rights and environmental protection. However, GLA partners should continuously be innovative in their lobby and advocacy strategies informed by research to avoid that these adaptations will become a paper-tiger.

The drastic drop in the price of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FBBs) in the oil palm sector from 550 to 485 Uganda shillings between July 2018 to July 2019 has increased the interest of Kalangala Oil Palm Growers Trust (KOPGT) in intercropping rather than oil palm monoculture for food security and income diversification issues. The GLA partners will take advantage of this in 2020 to improve community livelihoods amidst oil palm developments.

During a mission with the Dutch Embassy, GLA partners, NOPP representatives and Kalangala district technical and political heads, oil palm impacts were highlighted, spiced by community meetings. This shows that a well-researched and informed lobby and advocacy strategy, supported by the diplomatic voice and combined with solid complementary roles of civil society partners and empowered local communities can be successful in promoting a common agenda in favour of inclusive and sustainable development.

The GLA activities consciously take the concerns of women and youth into account to make sure women and youth are reached, involved and benefitting equally.

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9 VIET NAM – Country Programme


The GLA in Viet Nam works in the Srepok River Basin in the Central Highlands. We advocate for revised policies and practices and provide models in the following broad areas: (1) conservation and management of natural forests and restoration of degraded forests; (2) sustainable production practices in (agro-)forestry commodities that do not lead to further deforestation and depletion of water resources; and (3) the implementation of integrated landscape approaches to natural resources management that involve the voices and interests of civil society, local communities including men and women.


The programme on sustainable forest protection, restoration and development in the Central Highlands (CH) for the period of 2016 – 2030 has been approved by the Vietnamese Prime Minister in March 2019. However, District Forest Protection Divisions and many other concerned state agencies have not yet been fully updated. Moreover, the practical guidance on the financial aspects of the scheme is unavailable. As a result, lobbying relevant provincial agencies to make sectoral plans, including financial aspect, for the implementation of the programme is challenging.

The revision of the Land law has been delayed until May 2020. The Land law is a very important element of the GLA (Viet Nam ToC) and for sustainable and equitable landscapes. It is difficult to predict how this will develop and it will likely go beyond the GLA (after 2020). The progress of developing regulations and instructions under the Planning Law has been slow, stalling local planning processes. This is affecting the GLA partners’ contributions to the planning process in the Central Highlands, in the sense that local level authorities are not acting without higher level regulation and instructions.

In 2019, the Viet Nam Forest Protection & Development Fund (VNFF) has continued to put pressure on provincial forest funds to review all Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) areas, develop PFES payment maps and promote online payment for PFES scheme. However, the Provincial Forest Funds shows that they are facing many challenges while lacking technical skills to follow instructions and requirements from the national PFES policy framework. The GLA partners will therefore need to work on strengthening the capacity of provincial VNFF for PFES implementation, to ensure that the actors in the landscape can benefit from this. The USAID Vietnam Forests and Deltas (VFD) Program has been supporting VNFF to develop a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) scheme, which is expected to be piloted in late 2019. This will create some spaces for GLA partners to join, in terms of piloting PFES M&E at provincial level and capacity building for local partners.

In October 2018, the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA)/Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) between Viet Nam and the European Union (EU) was signed and ready for ratification. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has proceeded with the development of policy, technical guidelines and infrastructure for VPA implementation in 2019. This scheme is expected to benefit stakeholders in timber value chain and promote forest governance.


PLANS FOR 2020

1 Forest owners restore and manage degraded forests

• GLA partners will promote further allocation of forest land from state owned companies to communities, as well as forestland in unproductive condition that has not been managed well by commune people’s committees. The partners will also support provincial authorities to develop community forestry guidelines and action plans. The partners will also strengthen forest cooperatives and support female land owners to increase their financial capacity, productivity of the land and market linkages.

• For state forest land, the GLA partners will promote the development of sustainable forest management plans for forest units in the Srepok River Basin.

• Finally, GLA partners will work with government agencies in the Srepok River Basin to promote a landscape scale restoration plan, with participation of all relevant stakeholders including women and youth.

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2 Government reviews and reforms Forest Law, Land Law, Planning Law and related natural resource policies (ICCA, PES, Forest Land Allocation, FLEGT-VPA) to be inclusive and sustainable

• GLA Partners will work with the Department of Forest Protection to develop community forestry guidelines (incl. how to ensure participation and benefit-sharing for women and youth). Together with the Forest Protection and Development Fund, they will strengthen the Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) policy implementation by increasing the use of satellite images. GLA partners will also work with government actors in Dak Lak province to ensure compliance with Environmental Impact Assessments in the development of solar energy in the region. For the revision of the Land Law, GLA partners will work together with the Ethnic Minorities Affairs Council to ensure that the rights of (ethnic) women and the issue of land conflicts are included in the law revision.

3 The production of agro-commodities happens in a sustainable way; does not lead to further deforestation, does not over-use water resources and companies implement practices that increase resilience to climate change

• GLA partners will work together with coffee cooperatives and the women’s union to promote climate smart coffee production practices (for both male and female farmers), and continue to support farmers in scaling up these practices. They will also work to document and share lessons from the landscape coffee model that was developed in the GLA programme together with the Sustainable Trade Initiative (Initiatief Duurzame Handel (IDH)).

4 Srepok River Basin resources are managed using a multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral landscape approach

• The GLA partners will work with public actors and national (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) and local level state authorities to promote a landscape approach to the management of the Srepok River Basin. They will also promote this approach with the Mekong River Committee, of which the Srepok river basin is part.

• In promoting the landscape approach, the partners will take into account the differences between men and women in having access to and benefit from the landscape, to ensure that their rights will be protected and that they can participate now and in the future.


In 2019 Viet Nam GLA partners made most progress on restoration at landscape scale, as well as climate smart changes in practices such as intercropping multi-purpose tree species with coffee plantations. Capacity of female farmers to participate in these and planning processes was strengthened. Compared to 2018, there are fewer outcomes on policy advocacy in 2019 because the delay in revision of the Land Law provided fewer lobby and advocacy opportunities at the national level. Based upon the intermediate outcomes, the applied strategies and the extent to which those outcomes have been achieved, the GLA partners concluded to continue to:

• Collaborate in research to get high quality information and to promote the application in practice (e.g. collaboration with WASI and university).

• Engage in dialogues and the repetition of messages to influence the perception and understanding of communities on sustainable land use.

• Maintain and use the good relationships with high level policy makers. This proves helpful in influencing decisions and promoting a good linkage between landscape realities and high-level decision making.

• Provide direct support to women (e.g. through training and coaching). This empowers women to speak out and participate more actively in meetings.

• Strengthen the capacity of local partners to create local and lasting impact • Form strong CSO coalitions, to lobby for changes that are difficult to achieve alone.

However, we also note that creating changes requires a lot of time, requiring GLA partners to continue to lobby for policy changes in the long term, even after GLA (e.g. integrated spatial development plan is not feasible within GLA timeframe), and GLA partners still need to further strengthen their capacity for lobby and advocacy, in particular how to lobby and advocate in the Vietnamese context.

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10 AGRO-COMMODITIES (AC) - Thematic ProgrammeWHERE WE WORK, THE PROBLEM WE WORK ON, AND OUR APPROACH

The Agro-Commodities programme aims to decrease land-grabbing and tropical deforestation by addressing the international drivers of unsustainable agro-commodities expansion. Organisations in the programme (the three Dutch Alliance members and their GLA -partners) aim for regulation of production, consumption and financing of agro-commodities as well as system change towards a more sustainable model. We also work on voluntary measures and best practices in palm oil, soy and cocoa. The programme is executed at different levels, ranging from capacity building of CSO partners to lobbying at Dutch and EU level.

CHANGES IN CONTEXT IN 2018 (ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, ETC.)

Civil society has provided strong evidence over the past years that the EU is responsible for deforestation and rights violations in the global south, especially due to the unfair use of resources. The debate on EU’s responsibility has been fuelled by emerging developments, such as the raging forest fires in Brazil, Indonesia and Siberia in 2019, the negotiated trade deal between Mercosur countries and the EU, the ongoing youth leadership in climate change protests, and the strong call from IPBES - the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services - for transformative change to halt the biodiversity crises. GLA partners are well placed to make use of this momentum and provide solutions and advocate for policy measures to overcome these emergencies. We connect local to global and bring the voice of communities and forests right to the doorsteps of decision makers in the EU.

We face ongoing threats and violence to our organisations and the Environmental Human Rights Defenders we work with. This impacts the ability of civil society to achieve our expected outcomes on halting deforestation. GLA partners will continue to strengthen processes on prevention and rapid response as well as advocate for political change at national and international level for protection of and access to justice for local people and indigenous communities.

Analysis shows the expansion of oil palm in African countries is slowing down due to community resistance. Actors in the financial sector recognize that stranded land assets are an issue where industrial palm oil companies are not able to plant the enormous areas as licensed to them in their contracts. This might be an early indicator that strengthening communities to secure their rights and resist landgrabs is effective.

Environmental issues are expected to remain high on the agenda in the Netherlands, due to e.g. the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) process. 2020 also sees several final evaluations of promises made by the private sector, and it is clear that the sector has failed to remove deforestation from its supply chains.

International policy developments in 2020 offer opportunities to halt agro-commodities related deforestation. The European Commission published an Action Plan to Protect and Restore the Worlds Forest. Dutch politicians, Timmermans and Samson, have important new roles in the EU and ambitious goals for forests. A Green Deal should be developed early 2020 by the new European Commission. The UN Treaty for Business and Human Rights is being shaped, and the EU Sustainable Finance Action plan is a good platform to advocate for regulation of the financial sector to prevent rights violations and deforestation.


PLANS FOR 2020

1.1 National level policies and laws in the producing countries are improved and better implemented.

• In Paraguay and Cameroon, partners work on improved legal frameworks to avoid conversion of forests for agro-commodities. In Cameroon negotiation skills in communities, increased knowledge on rights and as improved documentation of rights violations and deforestation is showing good impact.

• In Ghana, TBI will achieve a common vision in the government to tackle governance drivers of deforestation and poverty in the cocoa sector. The developments in Ghana, the Cocoa Initiative and options for regulation of the cocoa sector are all moving forward rapidly.

1.2 At EU and international level, the financial sector is regulated to eliminate land grabbing and deforestation for agro-commodity expansion

• Milieudefensie and partners implement joint campaigns to improve regulation of the financial sector in Europe and other regions, including targeting the Asian financiers of agro-commodities. A new focus will be on greenwashing through certification systems that block the needed transformative change.

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• National and international partners actively participate in the global movement for a UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights that has new negotiation rounds in 2020 and focus on a strong position of the EU. European civil society mobilises the public and advocates to oppose a Mercosur trade deal that is bad for forests and human rights.

• Community resistance to expansion of agro-commodities on customary lands and into forests is strengthened through capacity building.

• IUCN NL aims to achieve that financial regulation includes minimum requirements for agro-commodities.

1.3 The EU carries out an ambitious Action Plan to foreclose deforestation products on its market, including binding measures for trade and rules for the financial sector.

• TBI works to avoid deforestation in the cocoa sector aiming at governance and transparency in producer countries supported by regulatory measures at the EU (demand) side.

• TBI and IUCN NL advocate for a comprehensive and ambitious EU Action Plan, including binding and non-binding measures, actively supported by the Dutch government. Advocacy on the EU Green Deal & the Dutch ‘Klimaattafel’ focuses on agro-commodities related to deforestation.

1.4 The biofuel blending target in the EU is deleted as from 2021 and biofuel demand from the EU does not longer boost demand for agro-commodities

• Milieudefensie advocates at EU and Dutch level to halt the use of food such as palm oil in biofuels for CO2 reduction aims.

1.5 More uptake and policy support for best practices, including conservation measures and social, environmental and corporate integrity safeguards within the actual bulk trade chains of palm oil, cacao and soy

• TBI provides knowledge and advocates for the Cocoa & Forest Initiative on the need for reforms, especially in Ghana, and to ensure that zero-deforestation commitments are being complied with.

• IUCN-NL coordinates increased collaboration between soy platforms to promote implementation of commitments on deforestation free soy. Financial Institutions step up their requirements on soy. The Dutch government policy on the protein transition is improved leading to a more plant based diet of the Dutch population.

2.12.2 Policy makers have increased their support for alternative production models with more attention to long-term environmental and social impacts of palm oil, cacao and soy production, and for alternative consumption models.

• Milieudefensie connects alternative financial models to small farmers and ensure that policy makers are responsive to recommendations on agro ecology and Community Based Forest management.

• Tropenbos Indonesia will research overlapping land claims and possible solutions. They will empower independent smallholders of oil palm plantations and provide better access to low interest loans.

• IUCN NL will increase awareness in vegetarian/vegan producers on deforestation and human rights in their supply chains.

• FoE Europe coordinates civil society to advocate to halt deforestation and climate change caused by intensive livestock production and consumption with strong measures in Common Agriculture Policy reform process and the new From Farm to Fork strategy.

• TBI and GLA partners develop a vision on alternative business models for smallholders and facilitate discussions between public and private actors to explore governance of agro commodity landscapes.


After NGO campaigns, including from the GLA, led to a policy win in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) to phase out the use of palm oil, the CO2 reduction targets became a driving force for the use of palm oil in biofuels. We therefore updated our ToC and shifted our lobby strategy towards this new threat. Palm oil has a huge trade lobby backing it, pushing for other reasons to buy and sell the oil. A high alertness and continued investigation and civil society strategizing is needed. In addition, after the decision on palm oil in the RED, the Indonesian and Malaysian government

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reacted furiously. As a result, palm oil has become a very sensitive topic in other discussions, such as the trade agreement between Indonesia and the EU, which makes it unlikely that the EU will make proposals in 2020 that will address the negative impacts of palm oil.

During the UN Treaty speakers tour we experienced that the presence of southern partners and community members opens doors of public and private actors that were previously closed to European civil society. Public support to the UN Treaty is incredibly high, given over 600.000 people signed the petition. In 2020 we will use momentum to follow up on this result.

Financial sector work is highly technical and next steps in EU policy on forests also. This calls for slightly adapted strategies, where technical recommendations from civil society and scientists are needed. For example, when TBI and FERN published a document on cacao regulation, we learned it is time to move the discussion from ‘awareness to act’ to technical elements of the regulation.

The approach for a European action on deforestation could be sectoral (one commodity) or horizontal (all commodities). There is a momentum in Europe for the cocoa sector that seems relatively easy to regulate, as there are two major cocoa producing countries (Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire) and the EU has by far the largest trade role. It can become an example for sector wide measures as well. Progress in the cocoa sector could inspire and benefit European action for all commodities. However, we will remain vigilant to avoid that progress in regulating one commodity hampers efforts that benefit the whole agro-commodities sector.

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11 FOREST LAND GOVERNANCE (FLG) - Thematic ProgrammeWHERE WE WORK, THE PROBLEM WE WORK ON, AND OUR APPROACH

To promote sustainable and inclusive Forest and Land Governance (FLG), the GLA lobbies for improved international policy and supports capacity development for locally controlled forest and landscape management. In the FLG programme we connect the work of GLA partners in the countries with regional and international policy, research and advocacy to address global drivers of deforestation and climate change. The GLA aims to reduce illegal logging through monitoring and implementation of Voluntary Partnership Agreements under the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Action Plan (VPA-FLEGT). GLA partners promote certification of forestry and landscape initiatives, and advocate for public-private financing for landscape management. Milieudefensie, TBI and IUCN NL work together on this cause with Friends of the Earth International and national partners worldwide, using both different and complementary strategies.


International attention to deforestation has risen steeply over the past months with forest fires raging on in the Amazon, Siberia, Bolivia and Indonesia. This brings back deforestation on the political agendas of Dutch and other policy makers as well as increases our chances to get our messages across to the general public. The launch of the IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services has caused increased attention for biodiversity issues. The report highlights the dire state of biodiversity, analyses if the targets of the CBD have been achieved and calls for transformative change. The report has a large impact on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) post 2020 negotiations making the CBD one of our key advocacy focus areas for 2020. The recent study of TBI on community controlled forests informs advocacy on the CBD, by identifying the factors that determine success of community controlled lands and forests in terms of forest protection and livelihoods development.


PLANS FOR 2020

1 International policies support locally controlled and sustainable management of forested landscapes

• Digital tools to monitor deforestation and rights violations are central in GLA’s work to address the drivers of deforestation and lobby and advocacy. TBI develops the FLEGT Watch real time alert system to detect forest cover change. It is currently used by independent forest monitors in Ghana. In 2020 implementation will continue in Liberia and other West African countries to combat illegal logging. Milieudefensie partners increasingly use TIMBY (This Is My Backyard), a mobile phone application that supports local communities to document rights violations and deforestation safely and enables quick reaction from civil society. IUCN NL is using and testing an acoustic monitoring tool in West Sumatra in order to detect encroachment. In 2020 we focus on using this evidence in law enforcement actions. We will also continue to support local communities and environmental human rights defenders to use grievance mechanisms and get legal support for their cause.

• FoEI and national FoE groups will push for community forest management and agro-ecology, and include the call from IPBES on transformative change in the CBD post 2020 negotiations. We will also promote agro-ecology in regional spaces of the FAO Committee on Food Security. To connect local to global spaces, Milieudefensie works with FoE groups in Africa to organise the first ever Peoples Tribunal on Agro-Commodities.

• TBI’s study on community controlled forests aims to increase understanding of enabling factors for community forest rights. It appeals to governments to develop integrated policies for community forest rights for the new CBD framework.

• IUCN NL will support the remaining capacity strengthening activities of regional ICCA networks in South-East Asia and and Latin-America in 2020, such as mapping and documentation of ICCAs

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• Within TBI’s work on inclusive business, an international partnership of a bank and practitioners agrees to apply inclusive business principles and criteria. NGOs and financial institutions in Indonesia and Ghana will commit themselves to strengthen the sustainability of landscape finance flows, based on best practices.

• IUCN NL promotes Landscale, a new landscape standard, and aims to improve it by giving more attention to inclusive governance, the participation of NGOs and communities, and by involving a leading coffee brand and chocolate company. Lessons learned from the sustainable cocoa landscape program will boost developments to bring back shade trees in cocoa landscapes and halt deforestation by the private sector through a joint effort with relevant government, CSO and community stakeholders.

2 Illegal logging is diminished • TBI works with partners in West Africa to establish a network of forest monitors producing evidence from satellite-based observations on specific forest governance issues, using technical tools such as ForestLink. Increased recognition and support of civil society monitoring is one of the key outcomes. IUCN NL works with partners in Indonesia to ensure more enforcement action after first promising results from acoustic monitoring to detect illegal logging.

3 Certification of forestry, agro-forestry, commodities and landscapes

• No activities planned as the outcomes have already been achieved.

4 Public and private finance support inclusive and sustainable management of forested landscapes.

• IUCN NL aims to trigger private and development banks to finance a landscape restoration project in the Philippines. IUCN NL and 4 CSOs in Ghana and Philippines will develop investable business cases for projects that protect and restore nature. IUCN NL cooperates with a chocolate trading company to fund a community-based conservation and land use governance initiative.

• TBI will publish the Landscape Governance Assessment tool in a scientific paper and aims for more CSOs and actors to adopt it as part of integrated landscape initiatives. Another key outcome for TBI is that 4 Multi Stakeholder Platforms identify priority actions for which finance is needed or for which existing flows need to include sustainability principles, based on Landscape Analysis of Financial Flows (LAFF).


We see a proliferation of tools to monitor forest cover and tree cover changes, but also operational challenges, like costs, a lack of incentive to monitor and the use of data. Gathered data is not automatically used for enforcement, it is therefore imperative to influence the capacity and willingness to act. We learned that it remains difficult for CSOs to critically review their strategies in depth and openly. Proper facilitation helps, but will likely remain a challenge. We learned that networking and working through financial intermediaries gives access to finance. Local banks, such as development banks, are ready to invest in deforestation tools and activities. The challenge is to make the deal.

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12 JUST ENERGY TRANSITION (JET) - Thematic ProgrammeWHERE WE WORK, THE PROBLEM WE WORK ON, AND OUR APPROACH

The Just Energy Transition (JET) focuses on the Niger Delta, the greater Virunga landscape and the Ituri landscape in Nigeria, DRC and Uganda. The program´s aim is to contribute to a pro-people, inclusive and just energy transition process, in order to move away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy in an inclusive manner.

The GLA engages in community mobilization efforts against oil exploration and extraction, while also supporting communities´ awareness and use of alternatives, such as solar energy. An important aspect of the 2020 JET work will focus on cross-border movement alliance building (Uganda/ DRC), to protect shared natural areas from fossil exploration. In addition, partners actively engage in advocacy towards local and national policy makers to stop fossil investments and to redirect government support towards a Just Energy Transition. Next to community mobilization and advocacy, the JET partners use litigation as a joint strategy to address the environmental and human rights impacts of the fossil industry in court. Internationally, the cooperation focuses on joint campaigning, research and learning, a.o. via a joint international campaign to highlight the need for implementation of the UNEP recommendations for cleanup of the Niger Delta.


Contextual dynamics faced by the JET partners include:• At policy level: Policy officials changing seats, which means some of the renewable energy advocacy efforts

conducted and successes achieved need to be repeated again in 2020 (Nigeria). Another issue concerns government and companies not delivering on promises made. Partners also witness political manipulation of (young) illiterate and unemployed people into opposing conservation activities. The threat of oil exploration is continuous, and cross border dynamics play a role in this. For example, the DRC government is renewing efforts to explore oil in the Virunga and Salonga national parks and plans to redraw park boundaries to enable this. If this is not halted, it will encourage exploitation of oil in Lake Edward and Queen Elizabeth National Park (Uganda), even though JET partners’ efforts have been successful in halting the explorations in these two eco-sensitive areas.

• At litigation level: There is a risk that court cases could run beyond 2020, as well as that the court findings end up not being supportive to the cause of holding companies to account.

• At civil society level: Operational space keeps decreasing, especially in Uganda. Partners face threats, smear campaigns, and disruptive interventions from governmental bodies such as the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA). Conflict-related risks also continue to play out, especially in areas that already have a history of violent conflict due to the exploration of natural resources. This has resulted in armed groups threatening day-to-day conservation activities and CSO groups. The 2020 work will therefore give special attention to operational space, via the exchange of lessons learned with other GLA partners.


PLANS FOR 2020

1 CSOS are unified around a common ideology on inclusive and just energy transitions

Strengthening coalitions to work together towards a just transition remains a focus of the JET programme. In 2020 we will engage in: • Capacity building for a.o. policy makers, community leaders and

women to increase their understanding of a Just Energy Transition (DRC).

• Mapping of sacred natural sites, followed by exchange meetings between Congolese and Ugandese custodians of sacred natural sites. This will increase their capacity to withstand pressure from oil developers and resist the destruction of natural sites (DRC/ Uganda).

• Supporting women´s rights organizations in Nigeria, aiming at realising a women´s movement for JET. Also, an international JET-gender consultation will be organized in 2020. The event will highlight the gendered set-up and impact of the fossil-fuel energy framework, generating lessons learned for a gender-just and inclusive transition. Coalitions will be built with (international) feminist groups including for national and international advocacy purposes.

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• Informing a regional conference, which focuses on experience sharing between African and Latin American CSOs on advocacy strategies to halt oil exploitation, with research findings from Togo, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Liberia, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoir on the impacts of oil and gas exploitation on fisher communities along the West Africa coastline.

• Conducting a joint research on the impact of export credit agencies (ECAs) in Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and Togo, contributing to the decarbonization of ECAs by 2025.

2 Relevant national government agencies in the African focus countries progressively promote an inclusive and just energy transition.

In 2020, the GLA continues to engage with policymakers for a Just Energy Transition in multiple ways: • Policy awareness on oil impacts will increase through the screening

of documentaries at local/ district leader/ Member of Parliament level (Uganda).

• Policy briefing papers, media publication and awareness raising will strengthen policy allies’ knowledge to promote a Just Energy Transition (Uganda/ DRC).

• CSOs, communities, fisher folk and cultural minorities will receive support, so they can effectively lobby the Ugandan Parliament to prevent oil activities in national parks, lakes, rivers and forests while increasing budget lines for clean energy (Uganda).

• Advocacy towards the new National Assembly will result in the acceptance of the Renewable Energy Bill, with steps for its adoption into law being taken (Nigeria).

3 Best practices of community involvement in inclusive and just energy transition exist in the selected landscapes.

Community mobilization for a just transition will continue in 2020:• In DRC, Uganda and Nigeria, awareness will be raised on the

environmental and socio-economic impacts of oil exploitation on the one hand, and the possibilities of alternative energy sources and a just transition on the other hand, using for instance audio-visual means. Women and youth champions will serve as role models (Uganda).

• A community led green alternative model for development will be developed and tested in the Great African Lakes.

4 New or existing oil exploration and extraction projects are delayed or halted

In 2020, JET partners will continue their efforts to halt oil exploration/exploitation:• International and Nigerian CSOs together with local communities

campaign to pressure the Nigerian government towards the cleanup of Ogoniland (Nigeria)

• Campaigns will increase pressure towards military and legal actors, to put an end to the violence, environmental destruction and livelihood threats affecting the people and ecosystem in Virunga National Park (DRC)

• Communities´ capacity will be built to engage critically in Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs), leading to further delay of oil exploration. Oil host communities will also be empowered to reject and delay oil activities through high compensation claims and court action (Uganda).

• CSOs and communities from the DRC and Uganda will be engaging in joint action to stop oil activities in national parks and lakes across DRC and Uganda borders (Uganda/ DRC)

• Litigation on rights violations and crimes of oil companies continues in 2020 (Nigeria). Environmental crimes and rights violations of oil companies and governments are on the political agenda through joint public campaigns in Europe and Africa.



The slow pace of implementation of the UNEP report, and the lack of transparency about the current state of the cleanup process in Ogoniland, makes collective (international) campaigning challenging. It has led Milieudefensie, FoE Europe and ERA to refocus in 2020 on cooperation around litigation, to generate wide public attention and push the companies and Nigerian authorities to speed up the clean-up process. At the same time, it is expected these cases will strengthen the principle of international accountability for corporations.

By consistently working with authorities, community leaders, women, indigenous peoples and other marginalized social groups, JET actions have become more sustainable on the ground. Investing in strong community and CSO partnerships at the national, regional and international level has been key to engage in effective advocacy. When CSOs spoke with one voice, oil companies have been successfully halted. In addition, working in (international) coalitions and in close cooperation with communities helps to reduce partners’ vulnerability on the ground. Also, several MPs as well as central and local government officials, most notably in Uganda, have become key allies and proponents of clean renewable energy. In 2020, the JET partners will therefore use these role models and support community members, CSOs and other stakeholders, to jointly push for renewable energy over oil.

International learning exchanges to oil/gas affected communities have inspired other communities to adopt new strategies to curb fossil exploitation, in particular on community mobilization, after seeing with their own eyes the environmental, socio-economic, cultural and political impact of oil exploration. International exchanges (2018/2019) have also proven valuable to deepen the JET concept from an equity perspective. It has, amongst others, revealed the double standards at work and the need to put pressure on Northern countries and companies to redirect investments from fossil fuels towards a just transition in the South. It also contributed to awareness of the negative environmental and human rights impacts of some renewable energy projects, and the need for regulation and guidelines. South-North collaborations will be expanded in 2020.

Contact:Peter Oomen - [email protected]

Vereniging MilieudefensieNieuwe Looiersstraat 31, 1017 VA Amsterdammail address: Postbus 19199, 1000 GD Amsterdamtelephone: 020 550 73 00

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