Global Assembly Dialog

Mission

Both ENDS strives for a more sustainable and fairer world by supporting organisations in developing countries to fight poverty and to work towards sustainable environmental management. They know their own problems like no other and they often come up with alternative solutions that work in the real world.

Strategy

Both ENDS*) supports organisations from developing countries via a three-pronged approach, consisting of direct support via the service desk, strategic cooperation and policy influencers:

Service Desk: Local organisations approach Both ENDS' service team with a variety of questions regarding the environment and development. This service gives Both ENDS a feeling for the issues in the field. Quite often questions that come in via the service desk end up resulting in a strategic partnership with a local organisation.

Strategic Cooperation: Members of this team keep in contact with strategic partners that Both ENDS works with in the areas of land usage, water management or international capital flows. Important activities include facilitating the exchange of expertise; building networks and alliances; collaborating on political analyses and developing sustainable policy alternatives for lobby- and advocacy activities.

Policy Development: The policy team observes and analyses national, regional and international policy processes that affect sustainable development. Local partners' experience gives insight into how policies and economic change affect things locally. The policy team process their experiences into policy analyses. Where necessary, the policy team uses the analyses in various advocacy projects. The team of policy influencers also tries to involve local organisations in the decision-making process in the Netherlands concerning sustainable land usage and water management.

*) “ENDS” stands for “Environment and Development Services”