Forests for a Just Future Programme – Green Livelihoods Alliance

Given the deteriorating state of forests in Ghana coupled with the harsh effects of climate change, it is becoming more and more clearer that natural resource governance needs to be sustainable and inclusive. This calls for collective action where all stakeholders have a role to play and no one is left out. However, even though that practice is widely spread nowadays, efforts are still not enough to overcome the central governance system which has long been an obstacle to achieving inclusive resource governance. It is in this vein that the ‘Forests for a Just Future Programme’ was created to address some of these challenges.

Forests for a just Future Programme

The ‘Forests for a Just Future programme’ of the Green Livelihoods Alliance (GLA) aims to ensure that tropical forests and forest landscapes are sustainably and inclusively governed to mitigate and adapt to climate change, fulfil human rights and safeguard local livelihoods. The GLA on the other hand aims for gender-just inclusive and sustainable governance of forested landscapes, assuming that this contributes to safeguarding international public goods (clean water, stable climate and biodiversity etc). Being implemented in 12 countries mainly in South America, Africa and Asia, the different alliance members intend to work with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Indigenous People and Local Communities (IPLCs) and social movements. The goal is to increase the participation of IPLCs in policy and decision-making regarding land rights and forest governance and strengthen lobby and advocacy to hold governments and agro-commodity, extractives, energy and infrastructure industries accountable for deforestation and human rights violations.

Long-term Strategic Objective

To ensure that tropical forests and forest landscapes are sustainably and inclusively governed to mitigate and adapt to climate change, fulfil human rights and safeguard local livelihoods

Underlying Assumptions

• Well governed forests provide a large range of services to humans, thereby fulfilling human rights;
• Well governed forests store carbon, sequester carbon dioxide and provide basic livelihood needs that increase the resilience of IPLCs to the effects of climate change;
• Through improved understanding of their rights, strengthening their organisations for collective action and engaging with other actors, IPLCs will increase their agency and the likelihood of policies and practices that favour them, reduce land grabs and ensure the long-term maintenance of forest landscapes.

The Ghana Programme and DI’s Role

The project will be implemented in Ghana as a partnership amongst four organisations, namely: The Development Institute, Arocha Ghana, Tropenbos Ghana and Friends of the Earth, Ghana. With several years of experience on issues related to gender, we (The DI) are coming on board as the gender experts to provide strategic technical assistance to the Green Livelihood Alliance ‘Forests for a Just Future’ programme through strengthening the gender lens and supporting gender-responsive implementation of the programme objectives in Ghana.

We are expected to achieve the following specific objectives:

• To provide overall technical advice in the field of gender to the partner groups of the Green Livelihoods Alliance ‘Forests for a Just Future’ programme in Ghana, including facilitating/mentoring the implementation of the gender baseline and providing advice and capacity building on the implementation of an organisational self-assessment (incl. on SEAH) and gender assessment at field level

• To organise local and national trainings and movement building of feminist and women’s groups on forest conservation and restoration, including the organisation of skill sharing events

• To attend country coordination meetings and facilitate knowledge sharing between GLA partners and women and feminist groups on the gender dimensions of forest conservation and restoration, including coaching and assistance according to the consortium partners needs on gender and intersectionality

• To conduct feminist analysis and document women’s stories/achievements regarding struggles to address the drivers of deforestation, including the analysis of biodiversity loss, tree monoculture plantations, unsustainable livestock and land grabbing. The analysis also comprises the state of the local and national (inclusive) forest governance.

• To organise a joint policy dialogue with women’s and feminist groups on gender justice and the inclusive forest governance, including climate justice, at local and national level.

• To implement a media outreach campaign, including to showcase findings on gender justice and feminist priorities in forest conservation and governance

Expected Outcomes

We hope to achieve the following outcomes at the end of the entire programme:

• Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) sustainably govern increased areas of forests
• ·        IPLCs implementing gender inclusive and sustainable forest governance and livelihood strategies
• Government and agro-commodities, extractives, energy and infrastructure sectors no longer drive deforestation
• Citizens enjoy human and women’s rights and to safely participate in social movements

Duration of project

From 2021 to 2026

Funding Organisation

Global Forest Coalition (GFC)