Fundación de Expresión Intercultural, Educativa y Ambiental

Email: fundaexpresion@gmail.com

CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC POLICIES

Influencing policy and decision makers, as well as establishing local users rights, are key to establishing good governance towards a sustainable society. By strengthening social organisation and empowerment, the peasant communities have been able to improve their lobbying capacity and political-standing to voice their interests and needs in public policies.

Although community - institutional dialogue is still deficient, in recent years it has been possible to achieve support and recognition for various community initiatives on behalf of the regional authorities and municipal governments. Project activities also include advocacy to mitigate negative impacts of large-scale development schemes, and facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogue and raising public awareness. At a national level, we are also active members and regional co-ordinators of the following civil society campaigns:

• National campaign - Water as a Fundamental Right.
• National campaign “Seeds of Identity” on Biodiversity and Food Sovereignty in 4 regions of Colombia (Santander, Caribbean coast, Valle - Cauca, Andean region).
• National campaign on Food as a Human Right in Colombia. + SALSA
• Civil society environmentalist movement in Colombia.
• WLOE – Women and Life on Earth / GenderCC - Women for Climate Justice (international women’s action networks).
• More and Better - International campaign for Food, Agriculture and Rural Development Aid to eradicate Hunger and Poverty.