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News
NF Italy and the Srebrenica’s Project
NF Italy is working to support a noble project which aspires to bringing the message, concerning sustainable tourism and the prospect of a prolific union between different cultures, in the Bosnian city of Srebrenica; city that has become sadly famous worldwide for the genocide happened in 1995. Before the war, Srebrenica was a place full of life, characterized by the many flourishing touristic activities linked to its renown thermal resources; with the advent of the war everything changed and still up to these days neither an economical nor a cultural rebirth has really begun. Thanks to the meeting held on the 25th of October in Bozen, with the presence of the association Adopt Srebrenica, made possible by the Alexander Langer Foundation, NF Italy got the inspiration to provide support to the enthusiastic Bosnian youth, met in such occasion, to open a NatureFriends house in their city and to help them to build the NatureFriends Bosnian federation. Also Irvin Mujicic, another fellow Bosnian, who had emigrated in Italy in 1993 during his infancy together with his mother, has recently joined the project with great enthusiasm, thanks to the group of Naturefriends based in Saviore dell’Adamello which has introduced him to the Naturefriends’ network. The trip to Srebrenica undertaken by the Italian delegation of NatureFriends, which took place in mid June 2016, really consisted in a first step in an exploratory attempt aimed to evaluate in loco the conditions and prerequisites necessary for the opening of a new NatureFriends house. We decided to invite to join our Italian delegation In this experience two other persons in particular, each of them as representative of another group of people that, like the Bosnians, has lived the horror of the genocide: Cecil Cross, prestigious elder representative of the Lakota tribe (from South Dakota – USA) and Geshe Lha Tenkiong, an exiled tibetan monk, who is currently living in Italy. Unfortunately the latter, was forced to renounce due to bureaucratic issues related to his own VISA permission. After this trip the shared positive impression of Bosnia among the group of delegates was that of a country where green spaces prevail: countryside, mountains and plateaus, with very few highways and, with the exception of the capital, Sarajevo, and few other cities close to the border, a country composed by rural villages. However, the group is also seriously worried about a forthcoming phase of “apparent” development which is based in reality on an aggressive land consumption plan; it is in this perspective that we think the nascent Bosnian NatureFriends could and should be taking a strategic role for the preservation of the environment. The prospect of the realization of a NatureFriends house in such territory seems to be promising, given that there already are three buildings which have been identified as available options: An apartment located in Sarajevo. A chalet immersed in the woods of Zilici (small village between Sarajevo and Goradze) called “EkoSfera”. A house situated in Srebrenica. The first two structures are owned by a private citizen who has expressed a strong interest in joining the NatureFriends network; especially with regard to the aforementioned chalet, “Ekosfera”, this person could seize the opportunity to promote also cultural activities, through the local association specialized in archeology (close to the house there is a Bougumil necropolis) which he is member of. The third house, the one situated in Srebrenica, belongs to Irvin Mujicic. This building needs strong maintenance works, which could be managed by Irvin himself and the Adopt Srebrenica group that expressed the willingness to share its own venue as center for historical war documentation. On a positive note, the initiative to build, with the knowledge and the guide of Cecil Cross, a tipi (the traditional native Indians conic tent), in a central zone of Srebrenica, that not only increases the number of people that can be hosted but also leaves a concrete sign that something new has come to the city, revealed to be a good idea. Our hope is for this place to represent a concrete symbol of dialogue and connection between people of different...
Read more...Srebrenica – Sunday 25th October 2015
Support to the people committed to bringing back life and dialogue in the town of Srebrenica (BiH) NF Italy NF Italy (Gruppo Italiano Amici della Natura), given the interest shown on the management of its NF houses and the socio-cultural implications, calls for a meeting with the “Alexander Langer Stiftung” foundation and the “Adopt Srebrenica” association to be held in Bolzano (Italy) on Sunday 25th October 2015. The aim of such meeting is to touch base with the “Adopt Srebrenica” (BiH) association regarding their preliminary conditions and intention to open a centre for soft, sustainable tourism in Srebrenica (Bosnia) which could give a significant contribution to restarting the dialogue and improving life conditions in the town. Srebrenica is now an impoverished town that used to have a thriving, internationally-oriented economy before the war, thanks mostly to its high-quality spa’s and the beauty of nature. Should the meeting give positive results we could schedule an exploration trip to Srebrenica in order to assess the situation on the spot. Considering the complexity of the situation and the poor financing by governmental bodies, NF Italy asks for the collaboration of other NF Federations starting from this very first stage of exploration and project-making. Historical background Srebrenica is the town in Bosnia and Herzegovina that the UN committed to protecting in 1993. The town was besieged and underwent ethnic cleansing and aggression from 11th July 1995 by the army of the self-proclaimed Republika Srpska that perpetrated a massacre here, described as a genocide by the Hague Tribunal. Here 8372 men aged 12 to 77 were killed and buried in mass burials in just 5 days, after being separated from women, children and elderly people. Houses, infrastructures, mosques, public buildings and spa’s were destroyed during the war; of the 37,000 people living in town at that time (2 thirds of which were Bosniaks) only 7,000 people live in Srebrenica today, most of whom in the mountain villages where life is slowly but promisingly coming back to normal. The works to rebuild the spa were started but have now been stopped for three years due to a litigation on water utilization rights between the Srebrenica municipality and the Republika Srpska government. The Adopt Srebrenica project Two meetings were held in November 2014 and July 2015 with the patronage of Bolzano’s Alexander Langer Stiftung Foundation, that has been supporting Srebrenica on the spot for 10 years now together with Tuzla’s Tuzlanska Amica association, Tuzla being the town that received the highest number of refugees; during these meetings we met a mixed group of young people really attached to Srebrenica, who created the Adopt Srebrenica association thanks to their interest in the town and their commitment. In time this association has built a strong relationship with other associations – not only local – promoting the town and an information Centre on the history of this territory before the war, visits of students and other interested groups, cultural events and peace initiatives. At the time of war the youngsters we met in Bolzano were between 2 and 5 years old and today they are going through a difficult time. Their aim is not only to promote knowledge and meeting opportunities but also to turn Srebrenica into a welcoming place, as it used to be, where different cultural and human identities can be revived thanks to new relationships, exchanges and work activities. Within the Adopt Srebrenica association both the President Nemanja Zekic (nemanjazekic2@gmail.com, cell 00387671103822, English speaker) and the Member Assembly President Bekir Halilovich (bekirhalilovic@yahoo.com, cell 0038765370432, English and German speaker) are willing to coordinate the project. Other associations involved Tuzlanska Amica, a non-governmental organization established in 1992 in Tuzla (BiH). It provides first aid, medical care and psychological support to families in need. It hosts an information centre and promotes research on the condition of women, dialogue, understanding and tolerance between people of all ages. It actively cooperates with at least 20 Italian associations and gives its contribution to Adopt Srebrenica through supervision and orientation activities. Tuzlanska Amica – Tuzla (BiH), Hasana Kikića 1, tel/fax 00387...
Read more...Naturefriends Climate Fund
Climate change is one of the most dangerous threats of our time and it has a direct impact on people’s lives, the global ecosystems and biodiversity. However, this impact is especially intense for people living in poorer countries of the South – who, however, contribute comparatively little to the causes of climate change. Climate change and climate justice have been key issues of the Naturefriends movement for many years. During the 22nd Congress of Naturefriends International, which was held on 13 June 2015 in Olomouc, the decision was taken to establish a Climate Fund to benefit climate protection projects of African Naturefriends organisations. The means of the Climate Fund are to directly feed projects of the African Naturefriends Network which mitigate the consequences of climate change and / or contribute directly to the fight against climate change. The projects are chosen by an international expert committee, they are supervised and evaluated. Regular documentation of the project progress enables constant insight into how the funds are used and what results are achieved. Argumentation of the project Tourism and the continually increasing greenhouse-gas emissions it causes significantly contribute to climate change (UNEP and UNWTO, 2007: Climate Change and Tourism: Responding to Global Challenges). According to current studies and forecasts, the tourism industry will continue to grow, and increase by 179% until 2035. The sector’s contribution to greenhouse-gas emissions will also grow by 188% over the same period (World Tourism Organization and UNEP, 2008: “Climate Change and Tourism – Responding to Global Challenges”). NFI is the pioneer in pushing for an environmentally and socially fair tourism and environmentally friendly mobility. Airborne traffic makes up approximately 40% of tourism-related greenhouse-gas emissions (World Tourism Organization and UNEP, 2008: “Climate Change and Tourism – Responding to Global Challenges”). Thus, avoiding and compensating greenhouse-gas emissions is and has always been a main objective for NFI. Since 2011, participants in events organised by NFI are requested to make a compensation payment when arriving by plane. The decision taken by the NFI Congress aims to enable participants to pay this compensation directly into the NF Climate Fund. Objectives Specific information and educational activities by NFI and its member organisations aim to raise awareness for the causes and consequences of climate change and for climate justice within the Naturefriends movement. Furthermore, all members are to be provided with the possibility to offset their air travels within the NF Climate Fund. However, the most important issue remains the motivation to travel environmentally friendly, choosing means of transportation consciously and avoiding air travel where possible. Additionally, public relation work also aims to promote environmentally friendly, responsible and fair forms of travelling beyond the Naturefriends movement, thus making a contribution to raising the awareness of the population on climate change and climate justice. Furthermore, this initiative aims to strengthen Naturefriends’ image as social and ecological, solidary international movement. Calculation Calculation similar to atmosfair, but simpler and staggered: short haul, medium haul, long-distance 1, long-distance 2 (kilometres indicated) Operational implementation NFI a) Provision of PR material and media Folder for members (in 3 languages) as setting copy, including the possibility to add an individual contact address (presentation of the Climate Fund, introduction on climate change, climate justice and impact of airborne travel, possible projects of NF Africa). Printing costs are not born by NFI! Pre-prints for posters for NF Houses and other Naturefriends institutions (e.g. climbing gyms, environmental education centres etc.) Banners for websites Establishment of a project website Info sheet every six months for all interested individuals b) Public relations work Promotion of the initiative within Naturefriends networks Regular reports in NFI media, including social media Provision of text modules as basis for coverage of member organisations and their media Organisation of events with representatives of NF Africa Organisation of journeys into project regions, during which the participants gain an insight into the implementation of the projects. Download...
Read more...21st UN Conference on Climate Change
Dear friends, The 21st UN Conference on Climate Change will take place in Paris from 30 November to 11 December 2015. This conference will be of great importance, as a new international climate protection agreement is to be adopted to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. There is an urgent need for such an agreement. In its report in 2014, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that current efforts will not be sufficient to achieve the “two-degree target”, i.e., limiting global warming to no more than 2°C. The consequences of climate change are already disastrous; throughout the world, millions of people already suffer from droughts, storms or inundations. On 29 November and on 12 December, major public demonstrations will take place in Paris and Naturefriends should participate in these rallies. Naturefriends France will take over the coordination so that Naturefriends will be able to participate all together in one block. During the NFI Board meeting on 19 August, we decided on the following measures to prepare a joint campaign on the Climate Conference and we would like to ask you for your support and participation: 1. Five central requests for fair and effective protection of the climate, signed/supported by the chairpersons of NFI member organisations 2. Preparation of NFI’s international Climate Fund as adopted by the Congress in Olomouc 3. Publication of the five central requests and a short article in our member magazines together with information on the Climate Fund and an invitation to join demonstrations and events on the climate conference 4. Organisation of an international seminar “Climate change and climate justice a social issue” with Naturefriends representatives in Vienna (on the condition that an external sponsor can be found more information on this shortly) 5. Active participation in local demonstrations and rallies in Paris on the subject of the climate conference (It will not be reasonable for Naturefriends to travel all across the continent to take part in these events in Paris, but NF in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and south-west Germany will hopefully call on their members to attend these events in Paris.) The Board’s idea was that our strength is in mobilising our members via member magazines and local groups. If we manage to raise awareness for the necessity of climate protection within our 500,000 members and to motivate them to be active (e.g. by donating to our Climate Fund or to joint projects of Naturefriends in Africa), we have achieved the maximum of what Naturefriends can contribute. In order to get our members’ attention, our central requests need to be simple and concise: The Board’s suggestion for these five central requests: Five Naturefriends requests regarding the climate negotiations: • Protection of the climate needs to be enhanced immediately: unless there are massive investments into climate protection over the next five years, the two-degree target cannot be achieved and the consequences in many parts of the world will be disastrous. Until 2050, the worldwide emission of carbon dioxide needs to be reduced to zero! • Protection of the climate needs to be fair: the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide have to make the biggest contributions to climate protection, regardless of whether they are industrial nations or emerging countries. No economic sector can be excepted air, road and ship traffic, the main emitters, also have to assume their responsibility. • Measures for the protection of the climate need to be financed in a socially just manner. • The consequences of climate change have to be fought on an equal footing: countries and people which have been exposed to climatic stress for decades without emitting considerable amounts of carbon dioxide need to receive massive support in alleviating the consequences within their countries preferably by an international climate fund to which all countries contribute according to the extent of their emissions. Development aid, which only serves national economic interests, is no longer suitable. • The protection of the climate is also an opportunity: we need more innovation and research in order to create a low-emission transport system, energy self-sufficient buildings or sustainable energy generation from renewable resources. We...
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