Arnika & Nature University Fund
Jitka Straková, Arnika – Toxics and Waste Programme, Czech Republic
Mao Da, Nature University Fund, Beijing
Both exchanging organizations Arnika and Nature University have been cooperating on a joint project focused on strengthening the capacity of pollution victims and civil society organizations to increase chemical safety in China. The project was implemented under an umbrella of the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN). Within the mentioned project they were aiming to improve capacities and abilities of impacted communities and environmental groups for involvement in policy making; establish networks and collaborative advocacy actions that contribute to building long-term relationships among cross-cutting sectors of stakeholders; and to generate and distribute new data and information about pollution and pollution victims that contributes to better formulation and implementation of local and national chemical safety policies.
Twinning Report Arnika & Nature University
Let’s Do It & Wuhu Ecology Center
Anneli Ohvril, Let’s do It, Estonia
Yue Caixuan, Wuhu Ecology Center, China
With a common mission to resolve waste pollution, the two NGOs focused on community activities to promote Clean-Up Events, urban/countryside waste management, and activities around waste prevention, reuse and recycling. With the exchange they hoped to gain insight into each other’s working environments, strategies and plans. The exchange also involved skill-sharing and training on event organization and waste management best practices.
Twinning Report Let’s Do It & Wuhu Ecology Center
Central Eastern Europe Bankwatch & Global Environmental Institute
Wawa Wang, CEE Bankwatch, Czech Republic
Chris Dunn, Global Environmental Institute, Beijing
CEE Bankwatch & the Global Environmental Institute focus on monitoring the environmental and social impacts of major banks’ investment projects. During the exchange the participants wish to explore different social and environmental risk assessment methodologies that are applied by European and Chinese investment and development banks. They also hope to gain a better understanding of Chinese Investment in European countries, especially in high environmental and social impact industries. Another objective is to compare and develop working knowledge on European and Chinese regulations or policies governing energy consumption, investment, environmental measures and the participation of CSOs.
Twinning Report GEI & Bankwatch
Pro Bono Lab & Beijing Huizeren Volunteer Center
Antoine Colonna d’Istria, Pro Bono Lab, France
YE Ying, Beijing Huizeren Volunteer Center, Beijing
Pro Bono Lab and Huizeren share the mission of building NGO capacities through community involvement in so-called pro bono consulting missions. These missions help non-profits to strengthen their management and practices in support functions such as HR, marketing, strategy, web, design, etc. Pro Bono Lab and Huizeren’s leaders met for the first time in 2011 in San Francisco to gain inspiration from Taproot Foundation, at a time where pro bono was unknown both in France and in China. From this time, they have met several times and when they discovered the Twinning program, they decided to seize this opportunity to strengthen their relationship as social innovators in the pro bono field in their respective countries.
Twinning Report Pro Bono Lab & Huizeren
Sandbag Climate Campaign &
Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims
Alexandru Luta, Sandbag Climate Campaign, UK
ZHU Bingcheng, Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims, Beijing
Sandbag and the Centre for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims (CLAPV) collaborate on a detailed analysis of how the trial carbon markets will work in China, looking at available trading data and bringing together media and analysis on the topic. They wanted to then use CLAPV’s expertise on Chinese law, and Sandbag’s knowledge as a carbon market watchdog in the EU, to plan for further Non-Governmental Organisation involvement in ensuring China’s carbon markets run smoothly. As a concrete outcome they planned to plot out a structure for how NGOs across China can ensure that China’s carbon markets truly act to reduce emissions and protect the environment.
Twinning Report Sandbag & CLAPV
Save-our-Seeds & PEAC
Luise Körner, Save-our-Seeds, Germany
YANG Hongyan, Pesticides Eco Alternatives Center
The principle topics of this exchange were sustainable agriculture, genetically modified organisms (GMO), food safety and agriculture policies. The participants not only wished to develop joint solutions for global issues through comparing and sharing different cases, they also aimed to build a communication mechanism for European and Chinese farmers for the purpose of experience sharing
