Daan Robben

🌍🌱 Driving Resilience: Dutch Companies Tackling Climate Change Adaptation 🌱🌍 The climate crisis is at the forefront of many Dutch companies' agendas, as they actively work to reduce emissions. Yet, for many, adapting to climate change remains "uncharted territory," even though it plays a critical role in ensuring future business resilience. The new report by the Netherlands Red Cross, titled "Adapting to the Consequences of Climate Change: Touchpoints, Practical Tools, and Recommendations for Your Company," underscores this challenge. It provides invaluable insights and practical tools to help companies navigate this essential aspect of sustainability. A key takeaway? Embracing climate adaptation not only strengthens our businesses but also offers a pathway to support resilience efforts in the Global South. Let's lead the way in climate action and adaptation! 🌍💪 #ClimateAction #Sustainability #BusinessResilience #GlobalImpact #NetherlandsRedCross #ClimateAdaptation

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🌍 International Climate Coalition Calls for Climate Justice at COP29 This week, the Dutch International Climate Coalition (IKC), of which Cordaid is a proud member, presented its key recommendations to the Dutch government ahead of COP29 in Baku, taking place from November 11 to 29. In our joint position paper, we emphasise the urgent need for equitable climate solutions that prioritise climate justice, especially as vulnerable communities continue to bear the brunt of the global climate crisis. Our recommendations outline clear actions the Dutch government can take to support fair, ambitious climate policies at COP29.  📄 Curious to learn more? You can read the full statement below and discover our collective vision for a just and sustainable future.  #ClimateJustice #COP29 #InternationaleKlimaatCoalitie #IKC

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Earlier this year, my curiosity about Unity Effect 's Impact Garden Model led me to conversation and connection with Jannik Kaiser. I've found that the Impact Garden Model offers a more intuitive and grounded way of thinking about evaluation than your typical program logic model's boxes and arrows. With organizations in Hawai'i, I have found the regenerative ecosystem metaphor of the Model to be particularly resonant. I especially appreciate how the Model asks us to think expansively about what (and who) are resources and supporting conditions that feed and sustain the visible changes we seek. Curious to learn more? Check out the blog post or video linked below! (And thank you, Matteah Spencer Reppart, for supporting the introduction between Jannik and myself!)

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Last week we met with members of the Global Water Partnership-Caribbean to learn more about their work in Caribbean water resource management. During our exchange, we discussed an example of just vulnerable the region is due to hurricanes. Islands like Carriacou and Petite Martinique in Grenada depend almost entirely on rainwater harvesting. 91% of households there depend on their own cisterns as their main water storage. The rainwater flows from roofs, down the gutters and is channeled through a filter in a storage tank for later use. Hurricane Beryl destroyed a lot of that infrastructure. So how will they harvest water? #climateresilience #rainwaterharvesting #hurricanes

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Here's a great op-ed by my colleague Anita van Breda explaining why natural occurrences become "disasters", and how making nature a core part of recovery strategies can make communities stronger and more resilient. https://lnkd.in/eTcSeht3

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Currently, COP16 is in full swing in Cali, Colombia, where world leaders are gathering to shape the Global Biodiversity Framework. This framework, aimed at reversing biodiversity loss, requires substantial financial resources. One proposed solution is the introduction of biodiversity credits, a market instrument presented as a financing tool. However, this approach raises questions about its effectiveness and potential pitfalls. I recently wrote an article to critically examine the implications of such credits https://lnkd.in/eGhc5s2c

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If we are serious about the transition towards a nature positive economy, we need more finance for biodiversity! Thats why it's great to see the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development Origination Facility featured by Finance Resources (FIRE) for Biodiversity. The TA and Grant based Origination Facility of the DFCD is a mechanism to de-risk investible projects and make them more attractive to investors. Our worldwide economy is dependent on the services provided by healthy ecosystems, by mobilizing private finance for these critical ecosystems, we pave the way for a nature-positive economy. Bankable Nature Solutions

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Just over a week to go till I'm on stage in Amsterdam wrestling with big questions like: 1. What does a safe, liveable street look like? 2. How should we integrate faster bikes into urban transport? 3. Is there a right speed for moving through a city? Can't wait! #urbanism #slowurbanism #urbantransport #safecities #slowcities #slowcity #cittaslow #slowmovement

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On Tuesday, December 3rd, I am organizing an evening on green colonialism. The answer to global warming seems surprisingly simple: electric cars, wind turbines, and solar panels. But how green is this growth, and how clean is this energy, if a high ecological and social price has to be paid? Not only is there the question of whether these so-called sustainable solutions are too expensive for the average European, but above all, enormous amounts of lithium and cobalt are required for the batteries and magnets of electric cars and wind turbines. We will open the evening with Cobalt Rush, a short documentary about cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which shows how these minerals are extracted through polluting mining practices that also violate human rights. How sustainable is the green transition for people and nature? Is there an alternative approach to this green colonialism? We will discuss these and other questions with experts. This promises to be a fascinating evening. I don’t think I’m the only one who thinks so. Tickets are almost sold out. :)

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Today we are introducing you to the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD)! 🌳 About the DFCD Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD) was established in 2019 with the aim to support projects targeted at climate adaptation and mitigation and enhancing resilience of the most vulnerable communities and ecosystems. DFCD is managed by a consortium consisting of Worldwide Fund for Nature Netherlands (WWF-NL), SNV, the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO) and Climate Fund Managers (CFM). 🌺 About funding opportunities DFCD has several options available for interested applicants that have a commercially viable project. For newcomers to DFCD, the first step is 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 is the central funding mechanism of DFCD. - It is open to companies operating in one of the OECD DAC list of eligible ODA countries. - The main aim behind this grant is to offer funding and technical assistance to projects to enable them to become bankable for large-scale funding. - It is targeted at four high-impact sectors: for (1) agriculture, (2) environmental protection, (3) forestry and (4) water and sanitation. On average, the grants are around €150,000 – 300,000. - Some of the activities eligible for funding under the Origination Facility include technical and financial feasibility studies, environmental and social safeguard checks, pilot studies and development of business models. - Applications to the Origination Facility are accepted on roll basis.   Once projects reach to the desired level, the DFCD seeks to graduate them to 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, or 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝-𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 depending on their focus and suitability. - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 offers a selection of different financial instruments (such as grants, equity and loans) to sectors relating to agroforestry, sustainable land use and climate resilient food production. It is targeted at companies working on areas like resiliency in land use and food production. - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 offers grants and equity opportunities for the contributes to the development, construction and operational phases of projects related to water and sanitation infrastructure. - 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝-𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 are also engaged and can offer alternative funding pathways. 👉 Visit FIRE website for more information on the eligibility criteria and application process: https://lnkd.in/dScCGY6S 👈

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GOVERNING FOOD AS A COMMONS: A NEW OLD NARRATIVE FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL FOOD POLICIES If you happen to be in Amsterdam on Thursday, November 7, join us in this conversation around #foodcommons organised by the University of Amsterdam https://lnkd.in/dKq7bRwj Food is essential for humans, a cultural and religious determinant, a human right, a renewable natural resource, a medicine and a commodity that can be traded in the market. So, food has multiple dimensions important for human beings. And yet, the commodity dimension has become dominant and it has obscured others. Food as a commodity is the foundational pillar of the industrial food system, that prioritizes food for profit, having food poverty, food waste, biodiversity depletion, Nature pollution, exhausting wild food stocks, food poisoning, ultra-processed food and obesity as unavoidable consequences of letting the market rules govern food production and distribution. Valuing (or revaluing) food as a commons (human right and public good) would provide the normative pillar of different food systems, systems that prioritise food for nourishing people, produced in harmony with Nature and governed by people, eaters that have a stake on how food is produced, what food is produced and what is it for. The Food Commons approach suggests a new way of governing and distributing food, not exclusively as a commodity embedded in the market, but as a commons, public good and human right. In this conversation, Dr. Jose Luis Vivero Pol will discuss how seeing food as a commons can create transformational food policies that guarantee access to food for all. He will present multiple cases of customary and contemporary food commons (aka people governing their own food-producing systems) in Europe, both in cities and rural areas, and he will propose several actions that could be undertaken in Amsterdam to implement a tricentric governance of food systems, where collective actions, state institutions and private sector actors could collaborate to guarantee that every citizen has access to enough and adequate food, and where passive consumers become food citizens (politically responsible individuals who collectively shape their food system according to more democratic, participative, and ecological mechanisms).

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At the opening of the World Cocoa Conference, we are presenting our research on the cocoa trading system, conducted by Friedel Huetz-Adams. The study focusses on the learnings from the "Living Income Differential" that was introduced by Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire in 2019 to obtain higher prices for cocoa farmers. Insiders had expected that this would lead to the lowering of origin (quality) differentials. They turned out to be right. The mechanics of the cocoa sector, with its particular focus on the futures market doesn't allow for sustainability premiums and fair prices. Cocoa traders will never take responsibility for higher prices if they are not covered by companies or futures market. Chocolate companies and supermarket hide behind "laws of the market" and ignore the laws of human rights. It's ironic to see cocoa prices hitting 13.000$/ton today as a result of failed harvests. It turns out that companies are able to pay fair prices, but only willing to do so when they are cornered by the market. Personal thought: This crisis could have been averted if companies would have paid fair prices these past years, along with their commitments for living incomes. Farmers would have been able to invest in climate resilient farms. Farmers would have been very happy with a price of 5.000$. I hope that this study contributes to constructive conversations on market reform and effective regulation. https://lnkd.in/eadkj4ec Oxfam-Solidariteit Koen Van Troos Evelyn Bahn Antonie Fountain Charles Snoeck Liesbeth Van Meulder Anouk Franck Julia Christian

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Climate action isn’t niche. Suggesting otherwise is undemocratic. ⚖️ ⚖️ Last week, Yvonne Hofs wrote two stories for de Volkskrant just a couple of hours apart, the first analysing the newly sworn in government coalition's plan to prevent advocacy organisations “of an ideal nature” from suing the Dutch government because they don't represent the views of the Dutch public. The second announced an independent review of the plan by the Raad voor de leefomgeving en infrastructuur (Rli) had concluded that the government owes such lawsuits to itself for failing to fulfil its own agreements. In the week since these stories came out, many other news pieces have been written about how such a proposal is a dangerous attack on #democracy and how it obstructs justice. From our perspective as environmental psychologists, what has not yet been said enough is that #climateaction is very much representative of people’s values and concerns. The stated logic behind the proposal is that idealistic organizations like climate action groups are somehow a niche interest, insinuating that they are not broadly socially relevant and only reflect the beliefs of a small group. The suggestion that groups advocating for faster climate action are on the fringes of society is completely false. Many people, worldwide and in the #Netherlands, are concerned about the consequences of climate change, not only in the future, but right here, right now. https://lnkd.in/eCZEbmR8

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Netherlands Public Sector Market #NetherlandsPublicSector #PublicSectorNetherlands #NetherlandsGovernment #DutchPublicSector #PublicSectorMarket #NetherlandsPolicy #GovernmentServicesNL #DutchEconomy #NetherlandsGovernance #PublicSectorInnovation #NetherlandsPublicServices #PublicSectorGrowth

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Another mat leave day, another walk with a sleeping baby and a podcast… found this great episode with the Chief Economist and Director of Impact & Economics (what a great title) Hans Stegeman at Triodos Bank. If you work in #sustainablefinance and are looking for inspiration on how to have real positive impact, give this a listen 🎧 https://lnkd.in/gZ4T8CZB And check out their very comprehensive #impactreporting (not just for reporting’s sake but used to drive continuous improvement) - https://lnkd.in/gMSsRNyk)

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Yesterday, I went to Amsterdam to commemorate my main motivation for wanting to tranform the food system: the animals. This is how many animals we will kill today for food: 900,000 cows 1.4 million goats 1.7 million sheep 3.8 million pigs 12 million ducks 202 million chickens Hundreds of millions of sea animals (It's difficult to give an accurate number for sea animals). The majority of these animals will have been factory farmed. So would have suffered a terrible life as well as an unwanted death. So, it's only right that yesterday I took the time to give remembrance to all the these deaths on National Animal Rights Day. Unfortunately, we humans see big numbers as statistics rather than a tragedy but each animal was innocent yet was sentenced to death from birth. Fortunately, plant-based eating also greatly reduces greenhouse emissions, has health benefits, massively reduces resource use. If this weren't the case, I would still not eat animals. I would not want to be in their situation so why would I put innocent animals in that situation? If you're a vegan, thank you for being part of the change to make a just food system that considers non-human animals too. If you're still eating animals, please take a moment each time you do to consider how neccesary it was for an animal to be killed to feed you. If we all did that, I think a lot fewer animals would be killed for food.

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Today, I want to wear my social scientist and rural development expert hat. Sharing a different perspective of history around famous founders of nations: When we think of historical figures like Christopher Columbus, James Cook, David Livingstone, or Jan van Riebeeck, we often celebrate their "discoveries" and founding of nations. But let's pause and acknowledge a different narrative—one that recognizes the indigenous peoples who were already inhabiting these lands long before the arrival of explorers or settlers. For instance, when Captain Cook landed in Australia in 1770, indigenous Australians had been thriving on the continent for over 65,000 years, developing intricate cultures, languages, and social systems. Similarly, Livingstone's exploration of what is now Malawi in the 19th century overlooked the presence of various indigenous ethnic groups who had long called the region home. These groups had established sophisticated societies with complex political structures, economies, and belief systems. In South Africa, the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck in 1652 is often depicted as the founding moment. Yet, the land was already home to numerous indigenous groups, including the Khoikhoi and San peoples, who had lived there for thousands of years, with their own rich cultures and ways of life. This broader perspective challenges the Eurocentric view of history and emphasizes the need to prioritize indigenous perspectives in our understanding of the past. As we reflect on history, let's strive for a more inclusive narrative that honors the sovereignty and rights of indigenous peoples, and acknowledges their enduring legacies in shaping the world we live in today. #History #Colonization #IndigenousRights #SocialScience #RuralDevelopment

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IMPACT-FIRST INVESTMENT | We are excited to share that Triodos Regenerative Money Centre has joined FMO - Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, Good Energies Foundation and Form International, in supporting Treevive to facilitate the restoration and protection of tropical forest landscapes. With this support, Treevive can strengthen its role as forest carbon accelerator, help more communities, NGO's, and businesses in the global South develop their forest carbon projects, and connect these projects to investors and markets. Did you know that: 🌳 Halting deforestation and restoring degraded lands account for about 30% of what is needed to keep global warming below 2 degrees. 🐦 More than half of the world's land-based biodiversity lives in tropical forests. 👫🏽 Over 800M people - of which many Indigenous communities - depend on these forests for their livelihoods and well-being. Treevive's integral approach aligns perfectly with the mission of Triodos Regenerative Money Centre. Thanks Bianca Boelema, Judith Bastiaans, Mareike Hussels, Wouter Soetaert, Michalis Kyriakos, and the broader TRMC team for making this possible! 👉 Learn more about this partnership: https://lnkd.in/eGj9e7AQ. If you also want to support regenerative action, do get in touch with us. #Treevive #TRMC #ImpactInvestments #ForestRestoration #ForestConservation, Liesbeth Gort, Michel Schuurman, Paul Hol

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