Asociacion Ambiente y Sociedad
Information on the purpose of your organization
Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad is an organization conformed by professionals specialized in environmental matters which seeks to create positive changes in regulations, policies, processes and decision-making practices in environmental issues, promoting the full implementation of the participation rights, access to information of civil society and transparency of public and private entities and working primarily with affected communities, youth groups and women.
Our main objective is to achieve the effective implementation of regulations and policies by means of the access to information, participation in environmental affairs, obtaining a change in the standards of sustainable development.
Information on your programmes and activities in areas relevant to the subject of the Summit and in which country or counties they are carried out.
Programmatic Areas
1. Climate change, mitigation and adaptation mechanisms, and forest communities
Objective: To strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations towards the implementation of international and national institutional guidelines on climate change, risk reduction, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, poverty reduction and sustainable development.
Actions:
i. Promoting community for sustainable forest management alternatives, structured under REDD and REDD+ programs and monitor sectorial policies particularly hydrocarbons and mining policies impacting areas of natural forest.
ii. Enhancing research on the link between climate change and human rights and strengthening the participation of communities through the capabilities of these on climate change.
iii. Design strategies for participation in community projects identifying reduction and mitigation costs, risks, and benefits of implementation.
2. Citizenship, access to information and participation in environmental matters
Context: the Colombian Constitution is defined as an ecological Constitution therefore provides a framework of principles of the rule of law that meant a breakthrough for the protection of collective and environmental rights, such as access to information and participation in environmental matters.
Objective: generate greater and more effective participation of civil society in development from an environmental perspective at the local, national and international levels and in forums and decision-making bodies, including government institutions and international financial institutions.
AAS seeks to develop advocacy to guarantee individual and collective rights to information and participation and require public institutions and the multilateral banks fulfilling their obligations regarding the implementation of environmental standards, and the implementation and development of effective mechanisms that allow the participation of civil society.
Actions:
i. Follow the principles of access to information contained in the Declaration of Rio +20.
ii. Participate in rulemaking processes on consultation for black and indigenous people.
iii. Monitoring and advocacy on proposed laws and policies on the right of access to information.
3. Impacts of development projects and participation in decision-making spaces
Objective: to monitor sectorial policies, in particular the infrastructure that drive States with financial support from multilateral and national development banks, whose effects cause social, and environmental impacts.
Specific objectives:
i. Analyze the types of investments in infrastructure and energy generation projects that are ahead in regions that have strategic ecosystems from socially and environmentally.
ii. Help plan an advocacy strategy to political forums and regional funders.
iii. Disseminating the results of projects and alternative media.
Actions:
i. Development of a database mapping with road infrastructure projects.
ii. Preparation of a document analyzing the vision and foresight of the Latin American regional integration bodies such as Unasur and the Mesoamerica Project, against strategic territories.
iii. Development of virtual information bulletins on the BRICS group, position, political, economic, social and environmental impacts, financing, representative projects for each country and state of progress.
Information on activities at the national or international levels
-Leader organization of the Action 2015 campaign in Colombia: http://www.ambienteysociedad.org.co/accion2015
-Accreditated organization to participate in COP 21
-workshops about climate change negotiations with Afrocolombian communities
-Participation in the Citizen Participation Forum of Unasur, Cosiplan
-Part of The Access Initiative Network (TAI)
-Part of the regional negotiaqtion process of Principle 10 for Latin America and the Caribbean
Organization have an annual report? (YES/NO) (should contain financial statements and a list of financial sources and contributions, including governmental contributions)?
yes -
List of members of the governing body of your organization, and their countries of nationality
Diego Munera- Colombia
Jesus Anibal Suarez- Colombia
Margarita Florez- Colombia
Astrid Ulloa- Colombia
Copy of the constitution and/or by-laws of the organization (WORD or PDF only), or a weblink to it
STATUTESASOCIACIONAMBIENTEYSOCIEDAD1.pdf
