GREENCODE gets Another Project Vehicle.

Concern Universal (CU-Uk), GREENCODE long standing partner has donated a

Toyota Hilux SUV vehicle to us for use in our Mangrove Forest Conservation Project.

We are grateful to the entire team of Concern Universal for this donation and we promise to put the vehicle into good use in the course of achieving GREENCODE's mission.

INVITATION TO GLOBAL WORK PARTY (10:10:10)

Date: 2^nd Oct, 2010.

Dear Sir/Madam,

INVITATION  TO GLOBAL WORK PARTY (10:10:10) 

Greetings from Climate Cool  Nigeria (CCnaija) to you. We pray this mail meet you well.

According to former Secretary General of UN, Kofi Annan, “People everywhere deserved not to suffer because of climate change; people everywhere deserved a future for their children. People everywhere deserved to have leaders who find the courage to achieve a solution to these crises”.

Climate Cool Nigeria an online social network sharing information with global citizens on climate change, renewable energy, peace building, environment/sustainable development is  joining the international train of organizers to organize a GLOBAL WORK PARTY (10:10:10). The theme chosen by the Network is ‘Don’t Go beyond 350 for Humanity Sake’. The event is organise to raise public awareness on Climate Change, the science of 350  and Practical session Construction of Simple Solar Lighting system for Home and Office Use.

The following activities will be held to mark the day:

i).  Talk on the Science of 350  

 ii).  Showing Video clip of Impact of Climate Change and some views of world leaders on climate change.

iii). Practical Session on the Construction of  Simple Solar Lighting System for Home/office.

The events is scheduled as follows;

Time: 2.30pm

Venue: GREENCODE office at 43/48 Mayne Avenue, by Webber street, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

Date: 10/10/2010.

You are by this letter invited to Global Work Party, 

For more information on the event contact Comrade Edem Edem (email: edemgreen@yahoo.com or Phone: +234 803 7114 770).

Also log on to www.350.org for more details about the event and what others around the world are doing.

Lets join hands together in contributing our quarter in making the planet a better place for all.

Signed

Comrade Edem Edem

CCnaija-Moderator.

REDD Communique from GREENCODE, ERA and RRDC in Nigeria

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT A ONE-DAY ROUNDTABLE STRATEGY MEETING ON REDD,

 CALABAR, NIGERIA.

18-AUG-2010.

PREAMBLE

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) in collaboration with Rainforest Research Development Centre and Green Concern for Development (GREENCODE), organized a one day strategic meeting on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) as pursued within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The thrust of the meeting was to build the capacity of critical stakeholders to understand, analyze, criticize and as necessary resist the REDD scheme prior to its adoption in Nigeria. Participants were drawn from non-governmental organizations, representatives of civil society groups, forests communities and students from Calabar.

OPENING

In his opening remarks, the Executive Director ERA/FoEN and Chair, Friends of the Earth International, FoEI, Nnimmo Bassey  said that forests in Cross River State have been targeted for the REDD in Nigeria hence the need for participants to examine the process embarked upon by government and what the impacts will be on community forests and the environment.

Presentations and positions articulated by the resource persons, actions and reactions from the representatives of CSO’s, forest communities and individuals, during the incisive brainstorming session, formed the basis for observations which were made and articulated thus:

OBSERVATIONS

• Forests in Cross Rivers State including some of the few remaining tracks of mangrove and rainforest reserves in the world targeted for REDD are in grave danger due to lack of critical engagement in the scheme.
• Carbon trading/market mechanism promoted by the REDD are false solutions to climate change. 

• REDD does not aim to stop deforestation and may in fact promote deforestation and conversion of forests into plantations. 

• REDD could become a vehicle for corporate land grabs in the country. 

• Nigeria’s forest dependent poor may be forcefully evicted from their land and denied access to the forests that form basis of their culture and livelihoods by the REDD. 

• Forest-dependent communities that have been the original custodian of native forests have not been engaged or incorporated by government in the REDD negotiation process. 

• Awareness on REDD is very low at all levels of engagement in Nigeria as there are obvious capacity gaps among government negotiators who are principally looking at the financial potentials in the REDD processes. REDD attraction for the Nigerian government is the huge funds involved not the devastating environmental and socio-cultural implications. 

• There are no known Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) on all REDD targeted forest communities in Nigeria. 

• The World Bank and other financial institutions are positioning themselves to act as climate banks to the detriment of our forests and environment. They should be kept out of REDD and all climate finance processes. 

•  African, particularly Nigerian forests and environment are in crises and require urgent action to rescue them from the path of grave degradation and attendant consequences. 

RESOLUTIONS

Recognising that our forests play key role in our lives, protection of our forests and environment is a duty we all owe the earth and humanity hence the forum resolved and recommended as follows: 

·         Forests and REDD must be out of carbon markets.

·         Our forest is not for sale! It is our life and source of livelihoods for millions of forest-dependent peoples in forest-bearing communities in Africa. 

·         Government at all levels in Nigeria should take honest and practical steps aimed at stopping deforestation and tackling climate change instead of gambling and trading with our forests. 

·         Plantations are not forests. REDD should reward community people who protect the forests and not drivers of deforestation and degradation like plantation merchants and unsustainable logging contractors.

·         The Nigerian Government should actively engage forest community dwellers; civil society groups in the ongoing REDD negotiation process and adopt Community forest management practices as one of the concrete solutions to climate change. 

·         All civil society groups on environment in Nigeria and Africa must deepen their struggles against environmental and climate injustices by building alliances, solidarity and sharing experiences on REDD and its versions. 

·        Government should conduct Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on REDD-targeted forest communities. 

·         Governments should engage civil society groups and forest community people in the entire REDD process. 

·         Allowing rich Annex 1 countries to keep polluting in the North while claiming to offset their emissions in the south through plantations such as those for rubber, palm oil, agro fuels, and palm oil is not the answer to climate change. This is unacceptable. They owe us a climate debt as a result of inequitable use of global commons and disproportionate contribution to emissions that have resulted in climate change. 

·         Awareness should be raised at all levels on the implications of REDD.

We stand together for our planet and for our future!

Who We Are

BACKGROUND:

Green Concern for Development (GREENCODE) was founded by Comrade Edem Edem in collaboration with other youths from the area as a youth based NGO, called Abgremo for Development in 1997.

Over the years the organisation has grown and engaged with other development partners. In 2007 the organisation undergone a strategic development and change her name with a mandate to carry out humanitarian services national and internationally.

Presently, we are  registered with Federal Government of Nigeria thro the CAC as Green Concern for Development (GREENCODE),but our business name till remain Abgremo for Development. 

  

VALUES: Transparency, Members/staff integrity, Mutual trust,  Accountability and commitment. 

  

VISION:

We envisage rural communities in Nigeria that are environmentally conscious, where is poverty eradicated and social rights upheld.  

MISSION:

To work for the promotion of environmental and human rights protection in and around the coastal communities of Niger-delta, aimed at poverty alleviation through education, information sharing, research and direct intervention actions.

TARGET GROUPS:

Women, Youths, Children, Policy Makers, PLWH, Physically Challenged persons. 

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE/MANAGEMENT:

The management and Administration of Greencode/Abgremo  is guided by a Constitution and other administrative policies.

As membership organisation, it has the following structures in place.

International Board of Advisers, 

Board of Trustees/Directors,

Executive Management Committee, 

Secretariat Staff/Volunteers.    

PROJECTS  IMPLEMENTED.

1) - Carried our Community Needs Assessment in Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa state respectively

2) - Conducted Training in Mangrove Forest Management

3) - Campaign for Environmental Impact Assessment of Major projects in the state, e.g Oil Development projects.

4)- Engaged in Governance projects  in the areas of Budget Monitoring and Advocacy, Constitutional/Electoral Reforms, Legislative Advocacy

5) - Implemented direct poverty reduction/community development project with EU/MPP6

6) - Empowering  rural communities with  Sustainable  Livelihood Alternative  projects/activities.

7) - Mainstreaming  Gender, HIV/AIDS and Peace Building into all our projects.

8) - Human Resource Development for NGOs, CBOs, Private and Public firms.

NETWORKS:

GREENCODE/Abgremo belong to several networks of CSOs including;

     i.          African Mangrove Network (AMN)

  ii.            Civil Society Coalition of Poverty Eradication (CISCOPE).

iii.             Civil Society Action Coalition on Education For All (CSACEFA).

iv.             Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN).

  v.            Civil Society on HIV/AIDS In Nigeria

vi.             Publish What You Pay (PWYP-Nigeria).

vii.            Budget Transparency and Accountability Network (BTAN)

viii.           West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP-Nigeria).

PARTNERSHIP/COLLABORATION:

GREENCODE/Abgremo partners and collaborate with other organisations in order to achieve her mission, some of them are;

ü i). Mangrove Action Project (MAP)------------------ USA

ü ii). Concern Universal (CU)----------------- UK/Nigeria

ü iii).British High Commission (BHC/FCO)--------------Nigeria

ü iv).European Union MPP6- ---------Nigeria

ü v). PACT/USAID------ Nigeria

ü vi).Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD)---------Nigeria.

ü vii).United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP)-------New York and Nigeria

ü viii).Global Greengrant Fund (GGF)----- USA

ü ix).ERA/Friends of the Earth Nigeria.

ü x). Oxfam GB--------------- Nigeria

ü xi).Cross River Forestry Commission ---------------------Nigeria

E

ü xii).Cross River state Budget Monitoring and Evaluation Office.

PLANS FOR THE NEXT 3 TO 5 YEARS.

Ø Establishment of Community Mangrove Resource Centre

Ø Research into Economic use of Nypa Palm and Mangrove Resources

Ø Establishment of sustainable/renewable energy projects

Ø Scaling up engagement with Stakeholders on Good Governance/Human Rights Issues

Ø Scaling up engagement with Vulnerable groups and mainstreaming Gender and HIV/AIDS into all activities.

Ø Climate Change  Education and Adaption.

Ø Mapping for Micro Credit scheme for Women, Youths and single mothers.