News

Snapshots From The Borders

Small Towns facing global challenges of Agenda 2030 & Petition to create European Day of Memory and Welcome (3 October).

By Snapshots From The Borders

Migration is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon and a political issue which needs concrete actions taken by all levels of society. The project promotes a more effective policy coherence through a strengthened network of European border Towns directly facing migration flow. This is central to adress mobility and inequalities, build a world which leave no one behind. Critical understanding of European, national and and local authorities’ policy/decision makers and of public opinion about factors determining migration flows towards European borders, contributes to sustainable development.

Our campaign: No More Bricks in the Wall

The No More Bricks in the Wall Campaign informs European citizens about migration as a complex and multidimensional phenomenon and a political issue which needs efforts and concrete actions taken by people and organizations/networks at all levels of society. It wants to attract citizens in border areas and all around Europe both already working in solidarity with migrants and the most skeptical and critical ones.

Our Petition: Make 3rd October the European Day of Memory and Welcome

Borders areas want to raise their voices and call on all institutional levels (national & European) to implement coherent policies. People fleeing war and persecution very often do not have safe and regular alternatives to reach Europe. Only by making these solutions available urgently, people will not be forced to resort to traffickers risking their lives. By bringing voices and effective solutions from the border territories where migration is lived directly, we call for a fairer world.

Sign the petition here.

In 2016 the Italian Senate established by law that the date of 3 October would be the Day of Memory and Welcome, to be celebrated every year to remember and commemorate all the victims of immigration and to promote awareness and solidarity initiatives. It is time we introduce this day in entire Europe.

Since 3 October 2013, over 17,900 migrants and refugees have died or are missing in the Mediterranean Sea. While 2016 was the most lethal year, with 5,096 people who lost their lives in a desperate attempt to find salvation in Europe. In 2018 one out of every 18 people who crossed the Mediterranean heading to Europe lost his/her live: an unacceptable human cost and an unacceptable human statistic.

The 3rd of October will be a day to commemorate and reflect on these human losses; a day where wrong policies confront our individual and European values which should always stand higher. A day to remember the past, to correct the present and to envision our European future of solidarity and respect of all human lives.

Our Borders Towns and Islands Network

Strengthened networks of border towns and islands for equal opportunities, poverty reduction, gender equality and sustainable development

The Border Towns and Island Network allows border towns and islands to host migrants in solidarity and dignity, improving the human conditions of migrant people hosted but keeping in the focus also the need of local people and communities hosting. It is a network of actors that want to strengthen the voice of those territories and act to improve policies at all levels and the lives of any human being in their community. It collects the voices, experiences, needs and priorities of both local citizens and migrants hosted in their communities at EU borders.

Project: Snapshots From The Borders

Snapshots From The Borders is a 3-year project co-funded by the European Union (EuropeAid DEAR budget line), run by 35 partners, border Local Authorities and Civil Society organisations. The project aims to improve the critical understanding of European, national and local decision makers and of public opinion about global interdependencies determining migration flows towards European borders, in the perspective of reaching SDGs targets, especially SDG 1, 5, 10 11 and 16. Specifically, the project intends to strengthen a new horizontal, active network among cities directly facing migration flows at EU borders, as a way to promote more effective policy coherence at all levels (European, national, local).

More information:  

Website > www.snapshotsfromtheborders.eu

FB > https://www.facebook.com/snapshotsfromtheborders/

Twitter > https://twitter.com/SnapshotsEU

Instagram > https://www.instagram.com/snapshots.eu/

Do you want to learn more about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals?

A new game tests your knowledge about the SDGs and takes you on a treasure hunt through downtown Brussels.

By KHALED DIAB, EEB

Although the United Nations set the Sustainable Development Goals back in 2015, awareness about and knowledge of them amongst European citizens is patchy. Almost nine out of 10 EU citizens have either not heard about the SDGs (58%) or have heard about them but do not know what they are (29%), according to a survey conducted by Eurobarometer, the EU’s polling agency.

If you are not a member of the knowledgeable 10%, the Make Europe Sustainable for All (MESA) project, which has 25 members in 15 European countries, has just the ticket for you. It has developed a virtual treasure hunt based on the SDGs which you can play on your mobile phone.

“With this game we hope to bring clarity about the SDGs to people and to encourage them to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle, coherent with the spirit of the SDGs,” said Eva Izquierdo, project officer for global policies and sustainability at the European Environmental Bureau, the lead partner on MESA.

After downloading and installing the ‘Spot the 17!’ game and scanning the relevant QR code, players in Brussels are ready to roll and to stroll. Using your phone’s geolocation abilities, the game leads you on a guided exploration of the wonders of the 17 SDGs and of the delights of the EU and Belgian capital.

The game, which was developed on behalf of MESA by the Greek NGO Fair Trade Hellas, is currently only available for Brussels, but versions for other cities may soon be in the pipeline. “This fun game can easily be replicated in different EU cities,” notes Izquierdo.

Spoiler alert

So what are the Sustainable Development Goals and why do they matter to you?

Without wishing to spoil ‘Spot the 17!’ for you, here is a brief overview of the SDGs.

Passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, the SDGs succeeded the earlier Millennium Development Goals. The 17 SDGs, which should be achieved by 2030, include the eradication of poverty and hunger, promoting good health and wellbeing, quality education and gender equality. For the 17 goals, there are 169 targets.

Unlike the MDGs, the SDGs apply to every country in the world, not just the so-called global ‘South’. Despite this, Europeans are generally not aware that the SDGs apply to them too, and European policy-makers have not prioritised them, even though they are essential to the sustainability and fairness of European society.

This is the raison d’etre of the MESA project which seeks to raise awareness and understanding of the SDGs in Europe and to promote their ambitious implementation through advocacy and communications activities in partnership with SDG Watch Europe, which specifically seeks to hold governments to account for the implementation of the SDGs by 2030.

 

The Spring 2019 Climate Alliance South America Tour – Supporting climate justice with indigenous partners

By Climate Alliance

In March and April 2019, a Climate Alliance delegation undertook a tour in Ecuador, Peru and Brazil in support of indigenous partners and partnerships.

We are happy to share the experiences of Climate Alliance President and Mayor of Cologne Andreas Wolter, Climate Alliance Executive Director Thomas Brose and Climate Alliance Austria Executive Director Markus Hafner-Auinger as well as Johannes Kandler of Climate Alliance Austria and Silke Lunnebach of the Climate Alliance Headquarters in Frankfurt below. For more photo highlights, see our Flickr albums!

Find out how your network is supporting climate justice and enjoy the read!

First stop: Quito, Ecuador

COICA’s Birthday Celebration

COICA, our key indigenous partner of over 25 years, has just celebrated its 35th birthday! Our gift: the launch of a new renewable energies fund for small scale projects throughout Amazonia. COICA highlighted its commitment to protecting indigenous sacred headwaters via an initiative by the same name as well as to the use of renewable energies for energy independence and territorial protection.

“I’m a grandfather now, but I still feel strong enough to fight for the Amazon.”

– Evaristo Nugkuag Ikanan, first COICA coordinator and co-founder of Climate Alliance

Fund for Renewable Energies

Many indigenous peoples either lack access to energy or are reliant on the very fossil fuel companies threatening their existence. Initiatives such as solar lamps and solar powered boats counter this situation and are very much worth supporting. In honour of COICA’s birthday, we thus announced a new fund for renewable energies. Towns and other interested parties will soon be able to contribute via the fund and thus support small scale renewable energy projects in Amazonia.

Second stop: Lima, Peru

Meeting with indigenous mayors

In Lima, Climate Alliance President & Cologne Mayor Andreas Wolter opened a meeting between indigenous mayors, representatives of Peruvian communal reserves and the Climate Alliance delegation as part of Cologne’s climate partnership. The meeting allowed for an discussion of synergies in support of climate goals. Here we exchanged with the Peruvian Ministry’s Natural Protected Areas department (SERNANP) as well as the indigenous organisation ANECAP. Our next step: a letter asking the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development to include indigenous communities in their Municipal Climate Partnership programme.

Fridays for Future message

Olenka, the workshop’s youngest participant, was excited to learn about the Fridays for Future movement. Andreas Wolter’s explanation of how students in Cologne and across the world are striking for the climate inspired her to deliver her own video message, which we are happy to share.

“It is important that we all stand and fight together for the global climate and for the protection of the Amazon – the lung of our planet.”

– Olenka, Yanesha girl from Santa Rosa de Chuchurras, Selva Central, Peru

Third stop: Yarinacocha, Peru

Delegation tour Municipal Climate Partnership Cologne – Yarinacocha

Pucallpa – District Yarinacocha

Next we stopped in the Yarinacocha District of Peru, as part of Cologne, Germany’s Municipal Climate Partnership. What a welcome! The mayor of Yarinacocha Jerly Diaz Chota, city representatives, the partner organisation FECONAU and the entire indigenous community welcomed us with music and dance.

Exchange with indigenous youth  and the LGTB community

The inclusion of civil society and indigenous peoples is key to the success of the Cologne – Yarinacocha partnership. The Acitcjia Bekanwe youth organisation as well as the Ucayali Equality and Future movement (MOCIFU) each invited us to exchange on climate partnership ideas.

Climate action unites!

Shipibo community visit

We had the opportunity to visit the Shipibo community of San Salvador. The community  takes part in Cologne’s municipal climate partnership and can count on support in the fields of health care, economic development and infrastructure. Like many communities near urban areas, San Salvador no longer has any intact rainforest and lacks its own territory.

Indigenous women – community pillars     

The Shipibo are well known for their textile art. The designs symbolise their vision of the cosmos and their cultural identity. San Ken Xobo, and indigenous women’s cooperative for handicrafts, has already benefited from the Cologne climate partnership: representatives of the cooperative sold their goods at a Christmas market in Cologne last year and plans to develop an online marketing platform with the support of a school in Cologne are now underway.

Water and waste water

The lagoon of Yarinacocha may be the namesake of the Pucallpa district, but its waters are extremely polluted. There are almost no sewage treatment plants and the huge palm oil plantations in the region make the situation even worse. Through its climate partnership, Cologne is supporting the City of Yarinacocha and its action plan with both its knowledge and experience.

Renewable Energy for the University

During the tour, the mayors of Yarinacocha and Cologne commissioned Yarinacocha’s first solar plant on the roof of the local university with the university’s president. The pilot project consists of 20 panels (6.4 kW) and is a small, symbolic contribution  intended to raise awareness on renewable energies – amongst the professors, the students and the community. Read more in this Deutsche Welle article (in Spanish).

“Climate action means moving away from oil and coal and towards renewable energies – to protect the climate and the rainforests.”

– Andreas Wolter, Climate Alliance President and Mayor of Cologne.    

The forest and municipality of Alexander von Humboldt

To get a glimpse of ongoing efforts on the ground to preserve pieces of intact forest, the mayor of the municipality of Alexander von Humboldt invited the Climate Alliance delegation to the Humboldt forest. There we learned about a variety of initiatives that are a strong counter-movement to the countless acres of palm oil plantations in the area.

“Nature must be felt, who only sees and abstracts it, can […] dissect plants and animals, he will know how to describe nature, but he himself will be eternally alien to it”

– Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt

Fourth stop: Manaus, Brazil

Renewable Energy and Communities fair

As the final stop on our tour, we had the pleasure of participating in the first fair on renewables for communities in Amazonia with our partner and fair organiser ISA (Instituto Socioambiental). The focus of the fair was on energy strategies in the Amazon region and solutions for communities without access to the public power grid. Climate Alliance and Climate Alliance Austria participated with various activities and discussed new approaches with more than 400 participants from the Amazon region.

Among the highlights:

  • Climate Alliance exhibition with photo booth
  • Screening of the documentary, Heat, accompanied by a discussion with Almerinda Ramos of FOIRN and Johann Kandler of Climate Alliance Austria
  • Workshop on small scale solutions with COICA and Kara Solar

The presentation of the Kara Solar project was a special highlight. Kara Solar is a solar-powered boat that has been developed in collaboration with the indigenous Achuar people of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Adolfo Chávez of COICA helped present this pilot project as an important part of COICA’s energy strategy for the entire Amazon Basin. We support COICA in this strategy and also presented experiences from the long-standing solar lamp project in Peru.

“The fair is a good opportunity to exchange with others on renewable energy strategies for communities… We are delighted to be able to support COICA and its member organisations in these questions going forward.”

– Thomas Brose, Executive Director of Climate Alliance

Your Climate Alliance Network is hard at work in the fight for climate justice, both here in Europe and in the rainforests of the Amazon…

Want to find out more? Contact us!

Silke Lunnebach

  1. +49 69 717 139-32
  2. s.lunnebach@climatealliance.org

Thomas Brose

  1. +49 69 717139-31
  2. t.brose@climatealliance.org

Towards a sustainable future: Time for bold and courageous political leadership

Statement on the European Elections 2019 by the SDG Watch Europe

Citizens of the European Union have voted for a new political leadership, and the turnout was higher than at any time in the past 25 years. This high turnout and the overwhelming support for strongly pro-European and progressive parties shows that the people of Europe value the unity and peace that come with a strong European Parliament and desire European policies with climate change, environmental protection and overcoming inequalities at their heart. The results clearly show that voters wish to shift the focus away from the economy-only approach of the previous Commission to the rapid implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the UN’s 2030 Agenda with its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

The elections also show that despite worrying projections in many countries, the far-right there was not able to gain additional support or even lost voters compared to previous national elections. However, in some other countries anti-European, right-wing parties are celebrating victories, a trend we are deeply concerned about and urge European policymakers to address.

SDG Watch Europe and civil society across the EU working to Make Europe Sustainable For All call on the newly elected Members of the European Parliament and the future political leadership in the Commission to refocus on the core European values – democracy and transparency, social and environmental justice, human rights, the rule of law, equality, and solidarity. All European policies and rules need to be guided by the overarching objective of ensuring well-being and health within planetary boundaries, of enhancing equality, of upholding safety and freedom for people and protecting the climate and the environment to serve present and future generations in and outside Europe.

While the out-going European Commission has failed to put Sustainable Development at the top of its political priorities, the new Commission needs to show bold and courageous political leadership. It needs to answer to both a growing number of people across the Union expressing their concern about the state of the planet and our societies, but also to re-build the lost trust in the EU and its institutions.

We call on the new European Commission to start working immediately on an overarching Sustainable Development Strategy which will act as the compass for all European policies, to present an action plan with clear timelines and targets to implement the SDGs, and to make the new European budget fully sustainability-proof.

“The voters – especially the young – expressed their concern that humanity and life on Earth face existential threats through the climate crisis and the rapid loss of biodiversity. People understand that our growing hunger for resources and the increasing amounts of waste and plastic choking our planet are not sustainable,” says Patrizia Heidegger, Steering Group member for the European Environmental Bureau, Europe’s largest network of environmental citizens’ organisations, with 150 members in more than 30 countries. “We ask for bold steps to be taken towards the urgently needed economic transition to reduce our environmental footprint at home and globally. Young people in particular no longer believe in GDP as the indicator for the progress of a society.”

“The new Commission needs to address the unacceptable fact that inequalities persist across the EU, one of the world’s wealthiest regions. While the international community has promised in the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind, the EU is likely to fail to achieve SDG 10, the global Goal to reduce inequality,” points out Barbara Caracciolo, who is a member of the Steering Group on behalf of Solidar, a European network of civil society organisations working to advance social justice in Europe and worldwide. “To ensure social peace and to strengthen trust in the EU, it is crucial to take the right decisions now to ensure social and ecological progress for a just transition.”

“The new European leaders need to push back against the recent attacks on women’s rights that we have witnessed globally and in a number of EU Member States. Gender equality is one of the core values of the EU – and we cannot afford another decade without progress – or even worse, roll-back,” insists Sascha Gabizon from SDG Watch Europe member Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF), an international network of over 150 women’s and civil society organisations focusing on gender equality and sustainability.

“Civil society has been increasingly under attack globally – but also within the European Union. European democracy needs independent voices, and its credibility depends on improving transparency and limiting the power of lobbyists representing particular interests rather than working towards the common good,” added Steering Group Member Julie Rosenkilde from Nyt Europa.

Already in the autumn of 2018, SDG Watch, together with a broad coalition of civil society organisations, put forward a Manifesto for a Sustainable Europe for Its Citizens, which urges the new EU decision-makers, both the incoming Parliament and Commission, to build a Europe for all Europeans, both present and future generations, founded on sustainability and justice.

Food for Thought: Sustainable Development Goals as media agenda

By the Hellenic Platform for Development

On 11 April 2019, the Hellenic Platform for Development held a participatory workshop for journalists and communication officers of civil society organizations on communicating on the Agenda 2030 and global issues.

The workshop, “Food for Thought: Sustainable Development Goals as media agenda”, focused on good practices for both national and international media on how to effectively communicate to the Greek public global issues such as poverty, inequality, human rights and climate change. It was implemented and organized in the framework of the European project “Make Europe Sustainable for All” and in collaboration with members of the Hellenic Platform for Development – Fair Trade Hellas, ActionAid Hellas and Organization Earth, with the participation of a representative from the British Council of Greece. See more info on our website: http://hellenicplatform.org/trofi-gia-skepsi-sdgs/

European Women’s Lobby: How-To Guide on Campaigning for a Feminist Europe

By the European Women’s Lobby (EWL)

The European elections are almost here!

At the European Women’s Lobby, we believe that it is crucial we vote for a feminist Europe this May, with more women elected to the European Parliament than ever before.

Indeed, statistics show that women vote less than men (only 40% for the 2014 European elections) which shows us that women across Europe do not feel represented or that their needs are prioritized on the European stage- The time to change this is now!

Women represent 52% of the European population and, without their participation, significant voices are lost.

We believe that this is a critical democratic issue and strongly believe that we must work together in ensuring that all women feel represented in Europe and commit to vote at the next elections. Our election manifesto, 50/50: Women for Europe – Europe for Women, highlights some of the changes that we can make towards a more fair and equal society.

Therefore, we are excited to share with you some campaign messages specifically designed for women candidates running in the elections and helpful tips on how to call for more women to vote. For more information on how to use and disseminate these messages amongst your members and partners, please refer to our handy little how-to guide.

Together, let us seize this unique democratic moment to drive forward an equal, inclusive, diverse and democratic Europe, a Europe that leaves no one behind!

We hope you will find it useful and use it in this last leg of your campaign.

You can also share our petition for a feminist Europe and pledge for future Members of the European Parliament to sign.

How-To Guide

Welcome to this how-to guide for using the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) 50/50 Campaign Messages Pamphlet. This short guide explains how to disseminate and use this tool to your members, colleagues and partners.

The pamphlet provides campaigners, activists and candidates with some key messages that the EWL invites all to use during their European election campaign efforts.  The messages included are social media ready calls for actions on burning issues as well as handy “sizzle” messages that can be used in short campaign videos or social media messages. The pamphlet also includes links to all the EWL European election campaign materials, which are highlighted in green.

We encourage you to share this handy campaign messages pamphlet across your networks and to use the messages in your campaign videos, so that women across Europe can be sure that their rights will not be diminished during this next European session.

Here is an email template you can use when sharing across your networks:

Dear All,

We are proud to share with you today the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) Campaign Messages Pamphlet; a useful tool to help you share key messages on women’s rights for the European elections 50/50 campaign.

The pamphlet attached includes messages on the most burning issues that must be prioritised during the European election campaign to ensure that women’s rights are at the forefront of the political agenda. The messages can be used for any of your social media actions and can be used in any of your campaign engagements or events in the coming weeks.

Here is how we recommend that you use the Campaign Messages Pamphlet

For Twitter or Facebook, simply copy and paste the messages for your social media activity on the campaign. Please make sure you tag the EWL in your posts and use the campaign hashtags so that we will ensure to give your campaign additional visibility.

EWL Twitter Handle: @EuropeanWomen

Campaign hashtags: #ThistimeImVoting #WomenforEurope #EuropeforWomen #FeministEurope

Here’s an example:

“We demand a better future for everyone across Europe! Let’s work together to ensure that all women and girls can fulfil their potential, in a secure and supportive environment. A safer Europe for women is a safer Europe for everyone! @EuropeanWomen #WomenforEurope”

You can also use the messages provided in your own political campaigns if you are standing for election in your country! Through these messages you will be echoing the voices and priorities of over 2000 women’s civil society organisations in Europe.

Use the messages in the pamphlet that begin with My name is… I am running for…. in a short campaign video or a vox-pop social media video. Simply follow the instructions of this how-to video (it explains how to use Facebook live, which works the same way as Instagram live): https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/facebook-live-guide.  

Would love to know more? Simply click on the green headings in the attached pamphlet to find our campaign manifesto, our candidate pledge and our election petition calling for a feminist Europe!

We hope you find this campaign tool helpful! Please feel free to contact us or the European Women’s Lobby directly to find out more about their work on achieving equality between women and men across Europe

Good Luck in all your elections efforts, Feminist wishes,

IRELAND: Presenting the Rediscovery Centre: the Irish National Centre for the Circular Economy

By Laura Niessen, Rediscovery Centre

The Rediscovery Centre is a creative space connecting people, ideas and resources to support low carbon living. We bring together the skills and expertise of artists, scientists, designers and craftsmen united in a common purpose of sustainability through resource efficiency and reuse. As the Irish National Centre for the Circular Economy, the Rediscovery Centre supports the development of a circular economy and advocates for a more resilient, equitable society.

The Centre is situated in a state-of-the-art ecological building. The Ballymun Boiler House was refurbished through the WISER LIFE project (www.wiserlife.eu) and demonstrates best practice building design, construction and operation. It also defines the building and environs as an educational tool to inspire, inform and lead positive behavioural change with respect to resource management and efficiency.

The Rediscovery Centre hosts a wide array of activities. Environmental education for sustainable development and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) is provided to students of all ages and varying needs. Research programmes investigate reuse and circular economy opportunities in Ireland and policy work aims to promote sustainable consumption, climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals. The Centre hosts four reuse social enterprises Rediscover Fashion, Rediscover Furniture, Rediscover Paint and Rediscover Cycling. All businesses use discarded materials which are repaired and upcycled to new products. These creations as well as products from over 40 established and emerging Irish eco-designers are available in the Centre’s Ecostore.

All Rediscovery Centre activities support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Education workshops promote sustainable development, global citizenship and sustainable lifestyle with children and adults alike (SDG 4). We also input to the development of the national school curriculum ensuring the inclusion of sustainability elements. Through advocating and teaching about the circular economy and sustainable living, we drive sustainable consumption. Through our social enterprises we enable youth and others distanced from the workplace to access education and training through our work-based skills training programmes: supporting the provision of decent work and economic growth (SDG 8).

As the National Centre for the Circular Economy, a key focus of our work is underpinned by SDG 12: responsible consumption and production. We work towards the fulfilment of several targets under SDG 12. These include education and outreach to reduce the consumption of resources, advocating against food waste, promoting circular practices (waste prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse), and educating about global citizenship and sustainable development. Finally, our work relating to SDG 13: Climate Action, is delivered through education programmes and advocacy work we undertake to influence the development of national and local climate policy.

In order to support the implementation of the SDGs in Ireland, the Rediscovery Centre actively participates in Coalition 2030, the Irish NGO coalition for the SDGs. We also host events that link to the broader SDG agenda for example, this year we hosted the National Circular Fashion Conference on 26th April, 2019. This highly successful conference facilitated conversations with key practitioners within the circular fashion scene and examined the environmental, social, and economic impact of fashion industry.

For further information about our work on the circular economy and the Sustainable Development Goals, visit our website (www.rediscoverycentre.ie) or email info@rediscoverycentre.ie.

#EU2endFGM election campaign

By End FGM European Network

The End FGM European Network is a European umbrella network of 24 organisations working to end female genital mutilation (FGM).

With our 2019 EU election campaign #EU2endFGM, we want to encourage EU candidates to commit in taking concrete action to end female genital mutilation (FGM).

Worldwide 30% of women suffer from physical and/or sexual violence and at least 200 million women and girls are affected by female genital mutilation (FGM), which is a global practice strongly linked to social norms shaped by tradition, and not connected to any specific religion. In the European Union alone, one out of three women experiences physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15, and currently close to 1 million women and girls live with the lifelong consequences of FGM.

The past European legislature has paid an increasing attention to the issue of violence against women and girls, gender equality and FGM both in Europe and beyond. But there is still a lot to be done, and now it is time to walk the extra mile and scale up those commitments and actions to make sure to deliver a more equal world free from violence to the future generations.

In the run up to the 2019 European Elections, the End FGM European Network and its members are conducting a Campaign in 7 points to ensure violence against women and girls, including FGM, is high on the new EU representatives’ agenda. We invite all candidates to sign our Manifesto here for:

  • Ending violence
  • Ratification of the Istanbul Convention
  • Respectful asylum & migration policies
  • Engaging affected communities
  • Including young people
  • Training professionals
  • Building bridges with other regions of the world

Europe needs ‘sustainability and wellbeing pact’

Nick Meynen, EEB

More than 200 experts use Europe Day to call for systemic changes to deal with the climate crisis, species extinction and inequality.

The echo from the streets of Europe and beyond is ‘system change, not climate change’. When climate activist Greta Thunberg met European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, she told him to talk to the experts, but what should they say?

We, over 200 system change experts from academia, civil society and cities, have some answers. Last autumn, a group of 238 scientists and 90.000 citizens asked for an end to Europe’s growth dependency and at a Growth in Transition conference in Vienna we made this more concrete. We look beyond increasing GDP towards a positive plan for a post-growth economy.

Our three key leverage points on how to launch a transition towards a thriving society within planetary boundaries advise policy-makers at European, national, regional and municipal levels on ways to confront the still worsening triple crisis of climate change, mass extinction and inequality.

Let’s be honest. Neither the Paris Agreement nor the Aichi Biodiversity Targets nor the current tax regimes are capable of dealing with these existential threats. As a group of scientists just wrote in Science: “The current measures for protecting the climate and biosphere are deeply inadequate”.

Deep changes are not only needed, but also wanted. A recent and massive poll taken all over Europe showed that a majority of Europeans now consider that the environment should be a priority – even at the expense of growth.

Broad agreement was found on three major systemic changes. These three leaps are not excluding other solutions, but they all three are urgent, possible, needed, wanted and game-changing. They do require a visionary mindset and a can-do attitude. They require a mindshift away from incremental thinking, the mindset that has brought us to this point of crisis.

1) Dethrone King GDP, elect WELLBEING

People want to thrive in a living world. Policies catering to GDP growth often sacrifice people and planet alike, while policies towards well-being help us heal.

Prosperity without growth is possible. Growth by over-exploitation of resources, safety shortcuts and pollution drive both people and planet to burnouts. Examples from Bhutan to New Zealand and Barcelona show that putting social and environmental progress before GDP really works.

Demands to the European Commission:

  • Turn the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) into a Sustainability and Wellbeing Pact (SWP).
  • Change from “Jobs, growth and investment“ to “Wellbeing, jobs and sustainability“
  • Establish a DG for Wellbeing and Future Generations led by the first vice-president

Demands to countries, regions and municipalities:

  • Create a wellbeing and future generations portfolio at the heart of governance

2) From TAX HAVENS for the few to REDISTRIBUTION for the many

Tax wealth more and labour less. Tax pollution progressively and stop subsidising it.

Two post-war decades of +-90% top income tax rates in US & UK became a rate (far) under 50% now. Most EU countries followed, leaving the rich off the hook. As a result, inequality has been rising steadily and a growing feeling of (tax) injustice has spilled into social unrest and populism. The Gilets Jaunes uprising in France showed that you can’t tax pollution without a fair taxation system. Subsidies supporting pollution and resource overuse need to end immediately and pollution/carbon taxes must be used to promote welfare for the poorest.

Demands:

  • Set top income tax rates above 80% for redistribution to low- & middle-income families.
  • Tax air travel for redistribution to better and low to zero-cost public transport.
  • Launch progressive carbon and resource taxes at the source and redistribute.
  • Provide tax incentives for the use of recycled materials.

3) EFFICIENT products are good, SUFFICIENT solutions are great

Efficiency gains are important, but only the beginning of the solution.

Social and cultural exclusion can undo efficiency gains. We don’t need to sell more products, we need sufficient solutions that are long-lasting. Some companies already sell the service of having light, instead of the product of a light bulb, reversing the incentive from planned obsolescence to long lasting products. Barcelona’s zero-waste strategy includes advanced separate waste collection systems with smart waste containers to identify users and reduce residual waste as well as boost biowaste catchment – going much further than awareness raising, prevention, and support for reuse.

Demands:

  • Support the development of better business models like the product-service economy.
  • Implement zero waste strategies at all governance levels following the waste management hierarchy for operations and extended producers’ responsibility schemes.
  • Decrease the VAT on labour-intensive services such as repairing.
  • Leap from efficiency to sufficiency policies to make sustainable lifestyles the default.

You can find here all the signatories of this letter.

MEMO TO EU LEADERS: MAKE EUROPE SUSTAINABLE NOW

By KHALED DIAB, EEB

An alliance of more than 50 of Europe’s leading civil society organisations urged EU heads of state and government as they gathered for a summit in Sibiu, Romania, to nominate and select European commissioners who will support and serve present and future generations, and prioritise environment, quality of life and decent work.

“Too many people in Europe are being left behind,” more than 50 NGOs said in a letter to every EU head of government or state, referring to increasing poverty, widening inequalities, deteriorating access to healthcare and worrying levels of youth unemployment. “Meanwhile, many large companies pollute the environment, refuse to pay their fair share of taxes and wield disproportionate political influence.”

This has led many Europeans to feel frustrated and lose trust in the capacity of EU institutions to respond to their aspirations, which is helping fuel Euroscepticism, says the NGO coalition, which includes such prominent organisations as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders, as well as the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), an umbrella network representing some 150 environmental organisations across Europe.

In addition, the escalating environmental emergency facing the world means – as most recently conveyed in the report released by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) – that inaction, or even insufficient action, are no longer an option.

“There is no more time for delay or complacency,” explains Eva Izquierdo, an EEB policy officer dealing with global policies and sustainability. “The time has come for the EU to take serious action to build a sustainable Europe.”

Not just a transition but a just transition

For that reason, the EEB and four other organisations decided to persuade other leading members of civil society to join forces and communicate a blueprint. Together, 55 NGOs sent a letter to every EU leader attending the Sibiu summit in Romania on 9 May 2019, imploring them to “lead and support a just transition towards a sustainable economy and society for all people”.

“The women and men you propose to lead the next European Commission will play a major role in making this vision of the EU a reality,” the letter adds, in reference to the fact that the mandate of the current Commission, led Luxembourg’s by Jean-Claude Juncker, will end this year.

The letter outlines the main milestones the new Commission will need to achieve, such as accomplishing the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, implementing fairer taxation policies, as well as taking urgent action to limit climate change and reverse biodiversity loss.

It also outlines the qualities required in future commissioners. “We need European commissioners who put the interests of the people of Europe, not corporations, first,” notes the document.

The dozens of NGOs who signed the letter are committed to exerting continued pressure on EU leaders to ensure they appoint the Commission Europe so desperately needs in the coming years.