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Q&A with Cécile Ndjebet: Empowering Women Is Key to Better Forest Management in Cameroon

By Stephanie Ratté (March 12, 2015) 

Roughly 70 percent of women in Cameroon live in rural areas, relying at least in part on natural resources like forests for their livelihoods. However, women often face particular challenges in accessing the forests they need. Differences in the ways men and women understand and use forests mean natural resource policies can result in significant gender-differentiated impacts that oftentimes put women at a disadvantage. Women’s lack of secure access to forests can lead to a variety of inequities, including limited decision-making power; more vulnerability for women who are unmarried, divorced, or widowed; and greater likelihood that forest conservation schemes like REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) will not benefit women and men equally. As new programs seek to tackle deforestation in Cameroon, it’s imperative that these initiatives are not blind to gender differences in forest use and access. Cécile Ndjebet, a partner of WRI’s Governance of Forests Initiative, is a leading voice on gender and forest governance, both in Cameroon and internationally. Ndjebet serves as the director of civil society group Cameroon Ecology, coordinates the National Civil Society Organization Platform on REDD and Climate Change and heads the African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests (Réseau des Femmes Africaines pour la Gestion Communautaire des Forêts or REFACOF). I recently caught up with her to talk about the challenges rural, forest-dependent women face in Cameroon, as well as solutions for overcoming these problems.

1. Why is it important for women to have secure access to forests in Cameroon? When women have clear and secure rights to forest land and resources, they are more likely to be able to access credit and technical assistance, manage resources sustainably, and are less dependent on marriage for security. Research on the link between gender and natural resource management demonstrates the critical and positive role that women can play in achieving environmental and development goals. In Nepal and India, for example, studies demonstrate that greater participation of women in forest management and decision-making processes at the community level are associated with better forest conservation.

2. What are the main challenges you face in your work? One is building the capacity of the government and other groups to recognize the importance of gender equality. I recently attended a workshop in Brazzaville and realized that people rarely understand why gender is important to consider in forest and natural resource management. Awareness is being raised now because of initiatives like REDD+. But we also need the political will of governments, greater capacity of civil society organizations and more resources for effective advocacy.

3. How can REDD+ help bring greater gender equity to natural resource governance in Cameroon? The government of Cameroon began developing its national REDD+ strategy in June of 2014 in order guide the implementation of incentives for the sustainable management of forests and the conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. Cameroon Ecology is playing a key role. So far, the government is open to our participation, and we are working to gather real information from communities and villages so that the contributions of rural women and men can be inserted in the national REDD+ strategy. We also need to ensure that REDD+ programs implement safeguards to avoid creating or exacerbating gender inequalities. What I see in REDD+ is that it is a good opportunity. We don’t yet know exactly what we will get with carbon offsets, but the REDD+ process has created a more inclusive space for promoting the equitable management of resources. I always say to the communities: If REDD+ cannot bring the scale of resources we hope for, at least it can help strengthen participation and improve natural resource laws and regulations for rural men and women in Cameroon.

4. How is your organization working to build capacity to address gender-related challenges? We are conducting trainings with other NGOs on gender and REDD+. We have just finished three training sessions to help men and women understand how gender is important to natural resource management, especially in relation to climate change and REDD+. We have also developed a policy brief on women’s participation in Cameroon’s REDD+ experience. In Cameroon, we are also coordinating the National Civil Society Organization Platform on REDD and Climate Change, a venue where I have been able to influence how women participate in decision making. The platform was established in 2011 to enhance collaboration on REDD+ and climate change issues between civil society in Cameroon and the government. We now have women represented at local, district and national levels of the platform’s governance. We also succeeded in getting gender focal points in at least eight ministries dealing with natural resource management. But there is still progress that must be made. The important point is to ensure that women are not just present in meetings, but that they can actually influence decision-making processes. The work we’ve done is a starting point, but we need to increase awareness, capacity and resources. By strengthening women’s networks and partnering with men so they can be advocates for gender equality, we can make it clear that inequitable situations are not favorable for any kind of development.

5. How does access to information factor in? Information and communication are challenges. It can be difficult to reach rural communities in Cameroon because many of these areas lack electricity. In rural areas, most people—especially women—understand the local language, rather than French or English. If you want to be effective, you have to translate information into the local language, so we recognize that this can be a significant limiting factor in our work. Capacity to understand forest governance and gender issues is another barrier. We need to produce documents that are nontechnical, affordable and accessible. Within the REDD platform, we are building partnerships with rural radio stations and media at the district level. The advantage is that most of the villages do have access to radio. Next year, we intend to expand partnerships with rural radio programs to publish and transmit information to a larger audience.

TAI Members Gather for a Successful Global Gathering in Bogota

By Carole Excell (Posted: February 10, 2015)

At the foot of the dark green mountains that surround Bogotá, Colombia, over 90 energetic access rights and forestry advocates spent three days learning from each other during the 2014 TAI Global Gathering. The Gathering created a space where new ideas mingled freely with established approaches, and veteran TAI members, new members and forestgovernance experts could build meaningful relationships. Held from October 29-31, 2014, the 2014 Global Gathering was the largest in TAI’s 13 year history and included participants from 42 countries. The event was sponsored by four WRI programs – The Access Initiative, Global Forest Watch, theGovernance of Forests Initiative and the Land and Resource Rights Program – as well as the Open Society Foundation. Hosted by Colombian TAI member organization Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad, the conference was centered around the theme of “Using Information, Data and Technology to Protect Forests and Strengthen the Rights of Forest-Dependent Communities”. The innovative facilitation style of the Gathering capitalized on the strengths of this unique combination of participants was accompanied by an innovative facilitation strategy. Allen Gunn of Aspiration guided the participants through interactive sessions, which encouraged meaningful discussion and collaboration focused on concrete outcomes. The event agenda was shaped by participants on the first day of the event, and reflected common areas of interest and desired outcomes from the Gathering. The agenda retained significant flexibility to allow for new sessions to teach participants the specific skills they identified as most important to their work. The constant teaching/learning that defined the Gathering involved a skill share, dozens of interactive sessions and a ‘science fair’ where participants demonstrated their tools for effective monitoring and advocacy for access rights. The following tools were presented at the science fair: 1. Sarawak GeoPortal – Bruno Manser Fonds (Simon Kalin) 2. Open Development Cambodia – Open Development Cambodia (Terry Parnell) 3. Sapelli Mobile Tool – ExCites UCL (Gillian Conquest) 4. Pollution and Illegal Logging Maps – Digital Democracy (Gregor Maclennan) 5. GFW Commodities – Global Forest Watch (Benjamin Jones) 6. GFW Fires – Global Forest Watch (Rachael Petersen) 7. Development Alert! – Jamaica Environment Trust and The Access Initiative (Danielle Andrade, Carole Excell) 8. Environmental Democracy Index – The Access Initiative (Jesse Worker) 9. Indaba – Global Integrity (Monika Shepard) 10. Release and Transfer Registers – Environment People Law (Viktor Yurochko) 11. EIA Resource and Response Center – LIFE (Ritwick Dutta) 12. STRIPE – The Access Initiative (Elizabeth Moses) While the sessions were open to any and all who wanted to attend, the regional sessions on the last day created a space for a more structured conversation about specific network priorities. Led by the TAI Core Team members, these sessions divided participants by geographic region and produced a short list of regional priorities that will define the TAI network in the coming year(s). The regional sessions were followed by a Core Team Accountability Session, in which TAI members could ask questions and share opinions about the past and future network policies and activities. While building and cementing relationships formed the core of the Gathering, the thematic focus highlighted valuable approaches to work on access rights. The Global Gathering offered an opportunity to test the proposition that technology can revolutionize natural resource protection. Many of the sessions provoked discussions about innovative data and technology use, but also reminded participants that access to these new tools isn’t enough. Communities of practice like TAI are essential to supporting the effort to ensure that technologies with great potential are implemented well and have a positive impact. To build on the momentum and excitement created in Bogotá, the TAI Secretariat collected the principal ideas and outcomes into the 2014 Global Gathering Outcome Report. Please read through it to find more about what was discussed at the Gathering and the network’s plans for the future!

2014 Global Gathering Outcome Report

Published: 2014

At the foot of the dark green mountains that surround Bogotá, Colombia, over 90 energetic access rights and forestry advocates spent three days learning from each other during the 2014 TAI Global Gathering. The Gathering created a space where new ideas mingled freely with established approaches, and veteran TAI members, new members and forest governance experts could build meaningful relationships. Held from October 29-31, 2014, the 2014 Global Gathering was the largest in TAI’s 13 year history and included participants from 42 countries. The event was sponsored by four WRI programs – The Access Initiative, Global Forest Watch, the Governance of Forests Initiative and the Land and Resource Rights Program – as well as the Open Society Foundation. Hosted by Colombian TAI member organization Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad, the conference was centered around the theme of “Using Information, Data and Technology to Protect Forests and Strengthen the Rights of Forest-Dependent Communities”. The innovative facilitation style of the Gathering capitalized on the strengths of this unique combination of participants was accompanied by an innovative facilitation strategy. Allen Gunn of Aspiration guided the participants through interactive sessions, which encouraged meaningful discussion and collaboration focused on concrete outcomes. The event agenda was shaped by participants on the first day of the event, and reflected common areas of interest and desired outcomes from the Gathering. The agenda retained significant flexibility to allow for new sessions to teach participants the specific skills they identified as most important to their work. The constant teaching/learning that defined the Gathering involved a skill share, dozens of interactive sessions and a ‘science fair’ where participants demonstrated their tools for effective monitoring and advocacy for access rights. The following tools were presented at the science fair: 1. Sarawak GeoPortal – Bruno Manser Fonds (Simon Kalin) 2. Open Development Cambodia – Open Development Cambodia (Terry Parnell) 3. Sapelli Mobile Tool – ExCites UCL (Gillian Conquest) 4. Pollution and Illegal Logging Maps – Digital Democracy (Gregor Maclennan) 5. GFW Commodities – Global Forest Watch (Benjamin Jones) 6. GFW Fires – Global Forest Watch (Rachael Petersen) 7.Development Alert! – Jamaica Environment Trust and The Access Initiative (Danielle Andrade, Carole Excell) 8. Environmental Democracy Index – The Access Initiative (Jesse Worker) 9. Indaba – Global Integrity (Monika Shepard) 10. Release and Transfer Registers – Environment People Law (Viktor Yurochko) 11. EIA Resource and Response Center – LIFE (Ritwick Dutta) 12.STRIPE – The Access Initiative (Elizabeth Moses) While the sessions were open to any and all who wanted to attend, the regional sessions on the last day created a space for a more structured conversation about specific network priorities. Led by the TAI Core Team members, these sessions divided participants by geographic region and produced a short list of regional priorities that will define the TAI network in the coming year(s). The regional sessions were followed by a Core Team Accountability Session, in which TAI members could ask questions and share opinions about the past and future network policies and activities. While building and cementing relationships formed the core of the Gathering, the thematic focus highlighted valuable approaches to work on access rights. The Global Gathering offered an opportunity to test the proposition that technology can revolutionize natural resource protection. Many of the sessions provoked discussions about innovative data and technology use, but also reminded participants that access to these new tools isn’t enough. Communities of practice like TAI are essential to supporting the effort to ensure that technologies with great potential are implemented well and have a positive impact. To build on the momentum and excitement created in Bogotá, the TAI Secretariat collected the principal ideas and outcomes into the 2014 Global Gathering Outcome Report. Please read through it to find more about what was discussed at the Gathering and the network’s plans for the future!

The Access Initiative: Priorities for 2015

Carole Excell (Posted: February 9, 2015)

It can be very hard sometimes to set down hopes, dreams and resolutions in writing. This year, the Access Initiative decided it was time to illustrate the network’s hopes and wishes for 2015.

The Access Initiative is a network of civil society organizations working all over the world to ensure that decisions being made about the environment are open, participatory and fair. We collaborated with one of our amazing members, Margaretha Quina from the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law, to come up with images that represent 8 priorities for 2015.

We believe the achievement of this vision will help ensure the protection of people and a healthy planet.

View the full image here.

COMUNICADO: Latinoamérica y el Caribe iniciaran en el 2015 la negociación de un convenio regional sobre los derechos de acceso

By Daniel Barragan (Posted: November 19, 2014)

El inicio de esta negociación es una buena noticia para la región ya que significa que en el mediano plazo los países de América Latina y el Caribe (ALC) contarán con un instrumento para garantizar un ejercicio efectivo de los derechos de acceso y para una mejor canalización y resolución de los crecientes conflictos socio-ambientales, con el consiguiente mejoramiento de la gobernabilidad democrática.

Con el compromiso asumido el pasado 6 de noviembre en Santiago de Chile por parte de los Gobiernos de Latinoamérica y el Caribe, y que da vida a un comité de negociación de un instrumento jurídico internacional, la ciudadanía de la región está cada vez más cerca de contar con una herramienta de carácter internacional que garantice la aplicación efectiva de los derechos de acceso a la información, participación y justicia en asuntos ambientales. Los llamados derechos de acceso, esenciales para la protección de nuestros recursos naturales, la garantía de los derechos de las comunidades y el desarrollo sostenible de nuestros países.

Representantes de 19 países de América Latina y el Caribe firmantes de la Declaración del Principio 10 -que promueve los derechos de acceso a la información, participación y justicia en asuntos ambientales-, junto con representantes de los países observadores y actores de la sociedad civil, se congregaron en la Cuarta Reunión de los Puntos Focales designados por los gobiernos de los países signatarios de la Declaración sobre la aplicación del Principio 10 de la Declaración de Río sobre el Medio Ambiente y el Desarrollo en América Latina y el Caribe realizada del 4 al 6 de noviembre en la sede de la CEPAL en Santiago, Chile. Como resultado de esta reunión se aprobó la Decisión de Santiago, en la cual se incluyeron puntos fundamentales para la continuación de la negociación regional, entre ellos la adopción de los contenidos de San José (provenientes de la anterior reunión de grupos de Trabajo en Costa Rica), como índice de temas para la negociación del instrumento, la creación de un comité de negociación en el que se reafirma la importancia de la participación del público, y la inclusión de nuevos países en la Mesa Directiva encargada de dirigir el proceso.

Photo Essay: A Global Gathering for Environmental Rights

Article by Alisa Zomer, Yale F&ES ’14 (Posted: November 10, 2014)

The murals and graffiti that define public space in Bogota give an impression of the country’s creativity, diversity, and struggle. Emerging from a period of political and social unrest, Colombia is enjoying a period of economic growth and positive international attention. As an example of what is possible, Colombia is the perfect place for civil society to gather from around the world to learn from one another, share strategies, and get energized to move on important environmental rights. This year’s gathering, hosted by Colombian Asociacion ambiente y sociedad, had 95 representatives from over 40 countries. It focused on the intersection between technology and forest management. A defining moment of diversity and group-think was during the exercise “Agree, Disagree, Unsure.” Participants came up with controversial statements (i.e. ‘using technology is necessary for environmental protection,’ ‘democracy does not work for the environment,’ ‘business must be part of the solution,’ ‘there is no sustainable mining,’) and were asked to take a position and discuss. It was valuable to see the wide range of positions on seemingly simple issues and especially interesting experiencing participants persuade others to join their side – all with appreciation and respect.

View the full story here: http://epi.yale.edu/the-metric/photo-essay-global-gathering-environmental-rights

Meet Allen Gunn, Facilitator of the TAI Global Gathering

By Elizabeth Moses (Posted: September 30, 2014)

The 5th TAI Global Gathering, taking place in Bogotá, Colombia, October 29th-31st, 2014 is fast approaching. This year’s event, Using Information, Data and Technology to Protect Forests and Strengthen the Rights of Forest-Dependent Communities,” will bring together over 90 civil society organizations, community members, and indigenous groups from around the world to explore new innovations for using technology to share information about forests, encourage government transparency and participation, and improve accountability of natural resources decisions. The Gathering will be facilitated by Allen Gunn also known as “Gunner”, Executive Director of Aspiration Technology. Aspiration Technology has a long history working with civil society and has hosted almost 300 interactive and collaborative events in more than 40 countries across the globe. We met with Gunner to ask him some really important questions about what to expect from the Global Gathering, his “unconference” facilitation philosophy, and the important role he will play in ensuring a successful Global Gathering. Tell us about yourself and the work of Aspiration Tech?. I’m a recovering Silicon Valley engineer and Chief Technology Officer who has worked in the nonprofit sector for almost 15 years now. Aspiration is a United States NGO that works to help other NGOs and foundations make more effective use of technology. We describe ourselves as working across the NGO technology supply chain, advising those that fund and develop technology solutions, collaborating with those who deploy and train, and supporting those who adopt and use various technologies. Collaborative knowledge sharing events are a core component of our program offerings. You specialize in participatory events. How do you see your role at the Global Gathering? We work very hard to create safe and creative space for strategic sharing to happen and for trust relationships to develop and grow. To us, traditional conferences represent a tragically large opportunity cost; people travel great distances and burn lots of carbon to sit still in dark rooms and stare at projected slides while being lectured at. We work to create an environment you can’t watch on YouTube; each participant has an active role in shaping the agenda, each person has a voice in sessions and those sessions are rarely larger than 10 people. We encourage facilitators to focus on outcomes rather than just covering topics. Overall, we work to invert normal power dynamics where so-called “experts” talk at “non-experts” in static formats, and instead establish a more co-equal ethos where each person’s experiences and perspective are important to the proceedings.

We work to create an environment you can’t watch on YouTube

Why is using technology so important for social change? What are the challenges civil society faces in utilizing technology for advocacy? I would distinguish between the importance of technology for social change and the importance of appropriate technology for social change. I think tech is over-hyped, over-sold and over-relied upon in many NGO efforts, without adequate thought and design effort put into addressing non-success scenarios. We advocate a philosophy of technology minimalism, coupled with a mantra of “technology last”. NGOs should think first about their strategic goals, develop concrete strategies to achieve the same, then whenever possible select simple, stable technologies proven to support realizing such goals, and design and document replicable processes to employ those tools. We like to say “when in doubt, leave it out.” Used appropriately, technology can scale both reach and visibility, drive richer engagement and attract new allies, and have a multiplier effect on programmatic activities. But NGOs also need to consider how the tech they employ and depend upon can be used against them, either via compromise or deprivation, as well as how data they acquire and manage can create new types of risk for those whose personal information is being recorded, stored and analyzed. (This is more fully addressed in our loving rant of a manifesto) How can these types of events advance the dialogue and capacity building of groups working in the area of Transparency and Accountability? We model events primarily to strengthen relationships. You can only consume a finite amount of information at live events, and the shelf life on tech knowledge varies widely. But having knowledgeable allies and ambient awareness of those employing similar technology in their work is a gift that keeps on giving. You can go to them when need dictates, and you can compare notes at various point in your technology journey. Events also provide a forum to articulate shared needs and visions solutions that address the same. And you can never overstate the value of sharing of strategic learnings and practices amongst peers. Our own activism at these events is focused on moving away from gatherings where participants feel they need to passively listen to others with more experience, and toward peer sharing and peer learning approaches. We emphasize learning by doing and by dialogue, with participants shaping that discourse and practitioners sharing knowledge within that framework. Done well, these types of events are movement building moments that invert power dynamics, lift up new leadership, and build stronger networks of practice. That’s our goal for the TAI Global gathering.

Comunicado de Prensa: Gobiernos se reúnen en Costa Rica para importante decisión sobre derechos de acceso

By Daniel Barragan (Posted: September 10, 2014)

Gobiernos de América Latina y el Caribe se reúnen en San José de Costa Rica para tomar importante decisión que se espera fortalezca el respeto a los derechos humanos y la protección del medio ambiente. Gobiernos de 18 países de América Latina y El Caribe se reúnen en San José de Costa Rica los días 10 y 11 de septiembre para avanzar hacia un instrumento que asegure a la ciudadanía acceder a información de interés público, participar en las decisiones de desarrollo, y tener acceso ala justicia en materia ambiental. Estos tres pilares (información, participación y justicia) son los llamados derechos de acceso y se encuentran contemplados en el Principio 10 de la Declaración de Río de la Cumbre de la Tierra de 1992. Esta cita de gobiernos puede parecer distante de cualquier persona, sin embargo, tendrá un gran impacto sobre la vida de millones en el mediano plazo. La decisión que los Gobiernos acuerden en San José establecerá la naturaleza del instrumento y los estándares mínimos sobre los derechos de acceso a la información, la participación y la justicia en asuntos ambientales que los Gobiernos deberán cumplir. Muchas personas en América Latina y el Caribe sufren hoy las consecuencias e impactos de grandes proyectos industriales, extractivos y de infraestructura que ocasionan trastornos en sus formas de vida y de subsistencia, contaminación del aire y las aguas, cambios en el uso de la tierra, sin haber tenido la posibilidad de informarse oportunamente de estos proyectos. La falta de respeto a los derechos ambientales ha desencadenado un aumento significativo en los conflictos socio-ambientales en los países de la región, lo cual amenaza la gobernabilidad democrática y la paz social, además de la pérdida y deterioro de los recursos naturales de la región. Frente al aumento del nivel de conflictividad y ala necesidad de avanzar hacia un desarrollo sostenible debido a la crisis ambiental de la región, resulta necesario contar con un tratado internacional con obligaciones claras y robustas, fundado sobre los siguientes elementos claves:

  1. Sin la garantía del derecho ala vida, a vivir en un medio ambiente sano, al agua y la salud no habrá desarrollo sostenible posible.
  2. Los derechos de acceso (los tres pilares del Principio 10) son esenciales para la democracia. El desarrollo sostenible no es un proceso vertical de toma de decisiones, sino que exige la participación informada de la sociedad para lograr una ciudadanía activa y comprometida con el desarrollo.
  3. El instrumento sobre el Principio 10 debe establecer estándares mínimos que los Estados deban cumplir para fortalecer progresivamente cada uno de los derechos de acceso, así como mecanismos efectivos que aseguren su cumplimiento.

Confiamos que los Gobiernos signatarios de la Declaración sobre el Principio 10 que atenderán esta Reunión, organizada por la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe CEPAL y el Gobierno de Costa Rica, acordarán un contenido mínimo que esté acorde con los desafíos que hoy enfrenta la región para fortalecer los derechos de acceso y la democracia ambiental, y así avanzar hacia un desarrollo sostenible. Esperamos que este resultado anime a otros Gobiernos a sumarse a esta iniciativa regional. Las siguientes organizaciones de la Iniciativa de Acceso apoyan este comunicado:

  • Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. Argentina
  • Artículo 19. Brasil
  • Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad. Colombia
  • Centro de Derecho Ambiental y de los Recursos Naturales (Cedarena). Costa Rica
  • Fiscalía del Medio Ambiente. Chile
  • Centro Ecuatoriano de Derecho Ambiental. Ecuador
  • Unidad Ecológica Salvadoreña. El Salvador
  • Instituto de Honduras de Derecho Ambiental. Honduras
  • Cultura Ecológica. México
  • Comunicación y Educación. México
  • Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental. México
  • Centro de Incidencia Ambiental. Panamá
  • Andrea Sanhueza. Miembro individual. Chile

Socios TAI de contacto: Daniel Barragán.Centro Ecuatoriano de Derecho Ambiental. Ecuador. dbarragan@ceda.org.ec Andrea Sanhueza.andreasanhuezae@gmail.com

5 Cool Things to Know About The Global Gathering! October 29-31, 2014

By Carole Excell (Posted: May 30, 2014)

The Global Gathering is The Access Initiative’s bi-annual event to promote action learning, capacity building and change at the national and international level to improve transparency, citizen engagement and accountability in environmental matters.

5 Cool things to know about this years Global Gathering

  1. It will be held in Bogota Colombia and supported by our amazing Colombian partners Asociacion Ambiente Sociedad http://www.ambienteysociedad.org.co/en/home/

  2. It will feature exciting sessions organized by leading partners on diverse topics such as protecting community land rights using technology, the Open Government Partnership and the environmental movement, the Environmental Democracy Index, Using the Global Forest Watch and Big data to save protected areas; the Latin America and Caribbean Principle 10 Regional Instrument Process; REDD + and accountability!!

  3. Leading groups working on how to use technology to promote transparency and accountability have been invited to join. The Gathering this year will be facilitated by Aspiration Technology https://aspirationtech.org/ which helps nonprofits and foundations use software tools more effectively and sustainably especially those trying to make more impactful use of information technology in their social change efforts.

  4. We plan to have more fun and sharing than ever before. While we will not be an “unconference” we plan to experiment with new ideas to build a stronger and more active network, welcoming new individual and organizational members to the TAI network.

  5. Our event is called the “Global Gathering” and so we gather to conjure amazing new ideas for how to bring partners together and use our collective strengths to launch and support campaigns across the network. We will reunite to support collective action at the regional and international level.

To obtain more information contact:

Carole Excell ( Mrs.) Senior Associate , The Access Initiative (cexcell@wri.org)

Welcoming New Members to The Access Initiative

By Carole Excell (Posted: May 22, 2014)

About TAI

The Access Initiative (TAI) is a network of over 200 civil society organizations and individuals from around the world dedicated to ensuring that local communities have the rights and abilities to gain access to information, to participate in decisions that affect their lives and environment and to access justice mechanisms when laws are not enforced.

Benefits of Membership

TAI has been in existence for 14 years, and we are now looking to expand our membership to include like-minded organizations and individuals who believe that transparency, participation and accountability are fundamental to saving our planet for future generations. Our new membership rules make it much easier for people to become members. By being part of this network, you can have access to:

  • International Advocacy: Gain opportunities for international advocacy as a network
  • Learning: Have the ability to learn about the work of other activists within the network
  • Assessment Tools: Develop new tools and use existing TAI-developed assessment tools like the Environmental Democracy Index and Rapid Institutional Analysis for Adaptation (ARIA)
  • Capacity: Expand your abilities and capacity through utilization of tools and the network
  • TAI Website Postings: Profile your work through tools such as blogs on the TAI website

We believe reaching out to gain new members is important for:

  • Expansion: Continue renewing our network with fresh views and ideas
  • Impact: Scale our impact at the national and international level
  • Retention: Ensure we do not lose champions when they change jobs
  • Improvement: Build a more effective, sustainable and action-oriented network

How to Gain TAI Membership

Prospective members must be nominated by an existing TAI member or by the TAI Secretariat. To express interest in joining the network, you can also fill out a quick form using this link. The information provided in the form will not be made public; it will be used solely by the TAI Secretariat to keep track of interested individuals.

Let us know if you are interested in joining TAI!