FRIENDS OF THE EARTH ASIA PACIFIC
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VOL. 1 ISSUE 4 & 5 Nov & Dec 2016
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from FoE Asia Pacific
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Asia Pacific’s first School of Sustainability in Indonesia Lampung - Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific region excitedly hosted its first School of Sustainability in Indonesia from the 26th – 30th November 2016. This was attended by an enthusiastic group of community and environmental activists and lawyers, from diverse backgrounds and years of experience ranging from 2 to over 20 years. There were representations from Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Palestine, Russia, November & December 2016 Newsletter
Japan, South Korea, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Participants had the benefit of having Nicola Paris from FoE Australia, an experienced facilitator as the lead trainer on campaigning strategies and using social media as an effective communication strategy. The School of Sustainability was first held by the Friends of the Earth Latin America (ATALC) in 2007 and since then has been conducted by different regions in the Federation. The school provides a regional space for learning and
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• Commitments to active participation in regional work; • Skills attained in the basics of utilising twitter and mail chimp; • Strengthened communication and sharing of work through various media including through Facebook “FoE APac Next Generation”; • SofS listserv for all school participants to share and discuss; • Mapping of APac using infographics; • APac website;
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collective political formation which includes the hand, head and heart concept. Over the duration of five (5) days participants came together to learn about FoEI and APac programs particularly that of environmental justice, trade and investments and forest fires and haze. Participants were also very fortunate to be a part of the FoEI Biennial General Meeting, which ran concurrently. TA
This space of time also allowed for everyone to share their experiences on various issues faced in their home countries and campaigns undertaken as well as lessons learnt. Participants were also briefly taken through the different methods in campaigning. Through the course of discussion, there were obvious areas of possible joint member groups/regional campaigns identified. However more time was needed to explore strategic options.
The newly energised team, expressed gratitude to FoE APac for organising this event and took back with them lessons and skill learnt with the aim to utilise them in their home countries as well as strengthen the work in the region. Contributed by Marjorie Warisaiho, CELCOR
Apart from the obvious new friendships and networks made, the following were some of the immediate outcomes of the workshop;
Working together for a better & habitable planet BGM 2016 Lampung - 120 participants from about 69 FoE member groups converged at a 5 day biennial meeting in Indonesia to talk, fraternise, plan, build relationships and solidarity as well Image credit: Amelia Collins work together for a better sustainable planet. The days were filled with many discussions on the concepts of power and privilege and patriarchy, building solidarity and reaching out to affected human rights defenders, listening to emotional accounts from Gustavo Castro on Berta Carceres’s murder in Honduras, Norly Mercado on the extra judicial killings in Philippines, taking part in the various regions’ misticas and fine tuning the FoEI 5 year workplan for the various programmes.
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The nights were filled with knowledge sharing, music, dance, screen printing sessions and quiet exchanges.
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FoE Russia and FoE Bosnia Herzegovina were admitted as full members. FoE Slovenia came in as a new associate member of FoEI. 14 resolutions were adopted at the end of the BGM among others requesting various governments to stop: armed conflicts, eviction of communities, gas pipelines, power plants, extra judicial killings, terrorism, hydro power projects and a proposal to the new EXCOM to reexamine FoEI bylaws and customs.
A new EXCOM was elected with a new Chairperson. For the next 2 years, FoEI will be led by Karin Nansen from FoE Uruguay. APac will be represented by Kim Choony and Hemantha Withanage in the EXCOM. APac will be represented in the Membership Development Team by FoE Australia through Chloe Aldenhoven. In 2018, Nigeria will become the next BGM host. TA
Contributed by Theiva Lingam, SAM
WALHI’s Pre Conference in Bandar Lampung Lampung - WALHI’s Pre Conference was an International Symposium on Climate Change and Voices from the World. More than 100 participants at this conference heard the continuous support for the 12.7 million hectares allocation for social forestry by Minister for Environment and Forestry Dr Siti Nurbaya Bakar and other government authorities. Apart from the government authorities, participants also heard about community based forest management in other areas, climate change
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in general and the outcome from the UNFCCC meeting in Marrakesh, from various speakers including local community leaders and those from FoEI. Contributed by Theiva Lingam , SAM
No illegal & unsustainable timber for Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 - say 44 organisations Japan - 44 organisations including international NGOs and several member organisations of Friends of the Earth International sent a letter warning the International Olympic Council (IOC) currently hosting the winter council that wood sourced from illegal and November & December 2016 Newsletter
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unsustainable tropical rainforests may be used for the construction of facilities scheduled for the new National Stadium in Tokyo and other venues. Civil society organisations are seriously concerned with significant consequences on local and indigenous communities who are forest-dependent living with legitimate rights to biodiversity, climate change, and forests unless additional precautionary measures or due diligence measures are immediately taken. Japan has been criticised for many years by civil societies and the international community as its wood consumption is the cause for tropical forest destruction. Japan is the world's largest importer of tropical plywood, many of which are supplied from Malaysian and Indonesian forests. NGOs are particularly focused on the situation in Sarawak, Malaysia, which supplies nearly half of the imported plywood in Japan. Sarawak is one of the fastest paces of deforestation regions in the world and the incidences of destructive logging and forest conversions are very high. Sarawak's indigenous communities have been fighting logging companies for decades to protect their customary territories. FoE Japan will continue to try and monitor the construction projects for the Olympic games to see that illegal and unsustainable wood are not used. Article & images contributed by Junichi Mishiba, FoE Japan
Environmental Effects of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant The Government of Bangladesh has signed a USD$12.65 billion contract with Russia to construct Bangladesh’s first ever 2,400 MW nuclear power plant at Rooppur in Ishwardi, Pabna Distict. This will be the most expensive project in Bangladesh’s history. A total of 262 acres of land have been acquired to set up two units generating 2.4 GW which would be operational in 2023 and 2024. Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission in association with Russia’s state owned Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation will implement the project. Russia will be providing tk91,040 crore (USD11.58 billion), 80% of the total project cost while the Bangladesh government will provide rest of the money. The original agreement was that Russia would supply the nuclear fuel and take back the spent nuclear fuel. However, a most recent news report has claimed that due to Russia’s reluctance to take back the nuclear waste, the signing of the remaining agreements are in a limbo. There is a lot of worry that there may be mismanagement of nuclear waste, risk of accidents, and risk of huge damage which would induce fatal accidents. Nuclear power plant under construction
Once a nuclear power plant is activated, several areas would be sealed off, and human access to these areas would be limited because of high levels of radioactivity. It is also a serious concern for the environment. Some of the environmental concerns include deterioration of radioactive waste containers due to radioactive and November & December 2016 Newsletter
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thermal effects and consequential leakage and contamination of ground water. Further, Rooppur Power Plant is situated near the Padma river bank that may cause contamination and water scarcity in the foreseeable future. Contributed by Rehmuna Nurain, BELA Image credits: http://bd.geoview.info/ruppur_nuclear_power_plant,96999167p & http://www.risingbd.com/english/govt-finalizes-rooppur-nuclear-power-plant-deal/30293
Climate and Food Security main concerns at Rome meeting The 43 rd session of the United Nations Committee on World Food Security (CFS) was, as is every year held in Rome at the Food and Agriculture Organisation headquarters. The Vision of the Committee on World Food Security is to be the most inclusive international and intergovernmental platform for all stakeholders to work together in a coordinated way to ensure food security and nutrition for all. The Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) for relations with the United Nations Committee of World Food Security (CFS) is the largest international space of civil society organisations (CSOs) working to eradicate food insecurity and malnutrition.
Image credit: Martin & Kirtana (FSP)
by Ms Amira Daoud Hassan Gornass (Ambassador of Sudan) with delegates from 116 Members of the Committee, 8 non-Member states, representatives from 10 United Nations Agencies and Bodies, 123 Civil Society Organisations, 84 private sector associations and private philanthropic foundations.
Each year the CSM holds its annual forum prior to the CFS Plenary Session. The two day forum is a fundamental moment and space for the CSM, to enable CSOs to debate, consolidate, articulate and finalise their positions that would be shared and brought to the CFS Plenary. The CSM forum is also a space to assess past processes, to consolidate the common positions for the present and to identify the key challenges and steps forward for the future.
Climate change and food security were the major themes of the 43rd CFS. Opening statements were delivered by UN-Secretary General Ban Ki-moon through a video message, and by the Heads of the Rome-Based UN Agencies. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) DirectorGeneral JosĂŠ Graziano da Silva acknowledged the inclusion of food security concerns in the climate change agenda and drew attention to the failure of food systems to deliver healthy diets. International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) President Kanayo Nwanze underscored the importance of gender equality and the need to translate policies into action, and Assistant Executive Director of World Food Programme (WFP) Elisabeth Rasmusson highlighted the role of smallholders and social protection systems and stressed the importance of promoting partnerships and international cooperation to combat malnutrition.
2016 marked the 40th Anniversary of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) which was held from 17 to 21 October, at FAO Headquarters in Rome. The session was chaired
Two sets of policy recommendations were endorsed by the Committee, namely those emanating from the HLPE report on 'The Role of Livestock in Sustainable Agricultural Development for
The CSM was founded in 2010, as an essential and autonomous part of the reformed CFS. The purpose of the CSM is to facilitate civil society participation and articulation into the policy processes of the CFS.
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Food Security and Nutrition', and those on 'Connecting Smallholders to Markets’. Furthermore, the Committee provided guidance to the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on SDGs on how to elaborate its contribution to the 2017 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) was very vocal during the plenary, presenting statements regarding the different policies; Connecting Small Markets, Global Strategic Framework, Monitoring, MyPoW, Nutrition, Protracted Crisis, SDG, Sustainable Livestock including Agriculture, Sustainable Forestry, Urbanisation and Rural Transformation and Water. CSM had daily morning meetings to prepare for the day’s
plenary and to confirm and consolidate statements as well as advice about side statements that needed the support of fellow civil society members. The CSM also worked tirelessly in setting up meetings with regional government representatives to lobby and advocate the CSM positions and have the support of the governments in pushing these points at the plenary. Sources: http://www.fao.org/cfs/cfs-home/plenary/cfs43/tr/ https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquartershomepage/15623/-17--21-october-2016---43rd-session-ofthe-committee-on-world-food-security-cfs-at-fao_en
Contributed by Rebecca Asigau from CELCOR who attended the meeting in Rome
Killings, impunity and erosion of the rule of law in the Philippines Philippines - Buried under the close to six thousand names in the six months kill list of President Duterte’s War Against Drugs are those of civil society leaders like anti-mining activist Jimmy Saypan and environmental youth activist Joselito Pasaporte who were killed in separate incidents in Compostela Valley; anti-crime crusader Zenaida Luz killed by two policemen in Mindoro Oriental; and tricycle transport organisation leader Joel Lising who was shot dead in Tondo, Manila during Human Rights Week.
Image credit: Romel de Vera
Killings of political activists and rights defenders continue in the Philippines but are now virtually concealed amidst the widespread and systematic killings in police operations and vigilante attacks against suspected drug offenders. This further erosion of the rule of law and the dismantling of human rights standards have led to insecurity in the homes and streets in mostly impoverished communities and provided a new excuse for harassing and silencing political, environmental and community rights defenders.
Image credit: Carlo Gabuco
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Duterte won the presidency by a plurality of 39% of electoral votes by championing populist campaign promises such as the present annihilation of suspected drug pushers and addicts as well as the end of traditional politics and elite rule. His campaign team exploited the image he created for himself as a ‘man of the masses’ which hid the fact that Duterte comes from a traditional political clan, and that 89% of his P334.8 million (USD$6.72 million) campaign fund came from only 13 big donors with an additional 8% from a 18 campaign fund donors.
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The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism reported that within six months of the elections, half a dozen of these donors and their relatives - who represent companies that do business with the government or engage in utilities, mining, and the exploitation of natural resources - has been appointed to Government Cabinet and other positions. Furthermore, upon winning the presidency, Duterte’s economic team has declared that they will continue the neoliberal economic paradigm of the previous administrations and will even work to reform laws and amend the constitution to allow more foreign business and investments in the economy. Activists and rights defenders will continue to struggle against the threat of political, economic and cultural disintegration of communities and environmental destruction of ecosystems from the continuous drive for resource plunder and labour exploitation by global corporations and the local elite. They will have to seek justice for victims of human rights violations perpetrated against their members and society at large, even as they defend themselves from the brutal coercive apparatus of the state.
Image credit: Carlo Gabuco
They will now do this in the context of blatant impunity for killings supported by the president’s War Against Drugs, the impending reimposition of Death Penalty, and the fascist and neoliberal amendments to the Philippine Constitution. The struggle for survival has become frighteningly literal. Contributed by Romel de Vera, LRC KSK
REQUESTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Food Sovereignty Programme coordinators need your agro ecology questionnaire to be filled up. For those who have not filled up, please fill them for the agro ecology map by 10 January 2016 and send them to your coordinators (Rebecca and Mohammed) and the RF. • Food Sovereignty Programme needs a factsheet prepared. The region needs a volunteer to work with Rebecca (CELCOR) on this. E2,000 is available for the production of the regional level factsheet. Deadline: Before the end of January 2017. • EU HRD project commences on 01 January 2017. Participating member groups should start looking out for their respective contracts soon. • All those who received funding for the BGM, kindly send your reimbursement forms and proof of expenses to Wieke and Loreto immediately. • Real World Radio has requested for stories from the region. They would like to hear about upcoming events, past and future activities and regional level discussions, please let your facilitator know if you have anything to contribute.
SEASONS GREETINGS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR ACKNOWLEDGMENT We wish to thank every member group who has contributed to this newsletter. This Newsletter was produced for and on behalf of Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific. Please contact Theiva Lingam, the regional facilitator for FoE APac at foeapacrf@foei.org should you have comments or queries.
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FOEI BIENNIAL GENERAL MEETING & ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL MEETING IN PHOTOS
Images: Theiva Lingam
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