Nordeco addresses a range of governance issues and works with governance as an integral part of our sector work. We believe that addressing governance issues is a fundamental aspect of promoting good development and humanitarian assistance. Our work includes:

 

Human rights based approaches. Applying a human rights based approach is fundamentally about assisting people in realising their right to a better life. We work with human rights and rights based approaches to development and humanitarian assistance and we apply this approach across our specific sector work while seeking in practical ways to strengthen capacities of rights-holders to make their claims and of duty-bearers to meet their obligations. We undertake analyses on how human rights are best addressed and realised in development programmes and investments and we are skilled in applying the four PANT principles of participation and inclusion, accountability, non-discrimination, and transparency.

 

Indigenous peoples rights. We are working together with indigenous organizations and communities in order to promote their rights and realisation of international indigenous peoples conventions (UNDRIP and ILO 169). We work with indigenous organisations in promoting better and inclusive natural resource management and we undertake documentation and mapping of customary indigenous territories and provide technical assistance to demarcation processes and conflict resolution. An important part of our work during the past two decades has been networking and advocacy in favour of indigenous groups. Our work with indigenous peoples rights is undertaken in the Artic, in Latin America, in Asia and Africa

 

Rights to land, food, water. Rights to land and resources, and how such rights can be promoted, are subjects that we work with. This includes tenure issues related to rural development where we focus on ensuring equality and inclusion in the way tenure and related policies on land and natural resources is being applied. Related to this, we work with promoting rights to food and water in our efforts to enhance management of natural resources and smallholder agriculture.

 

Gender equality. We have experience in working with gender equality and in applying gender equality analyses in programme development, review and evaluations. Our gender equality work is undertaken so as to, in practical ways, promote women’s participation and benefits from development and humanitarian programmes.

 

Empowerment of local organisations. Strong local organisations are central to ensure better development. We support local farmer/producer organisations that can organise and speak up for the interest of local farmers, fishermen, livestock keepers and other producers; connect them to markets; and assist in making better bargains when selling their products.

 

Environmental governance. We work with government agencies, civil society, NGOs, indigenous peoples, and private sector on issues related to environmental governance. This includes working with rules, processes and behaviour that affect the way powers are exercised in the field of environmental policies. An important instrument for this is the Aarhus Convention.

 

Decentralisation. Supporting processes of decentralisation and devolution is bringing decisions closer to people and is a way of making development more inclusive, effective and sustainable. We work with supporting decentralisation processes and decentralised governance entities.

 

Conflict resolution. We are addressing conflict resolution mechanism in relation to rural development and humanitarian assistance. Our conflict resolution work has included water and land conflicts in pastoral and farming areas, where we have supported locally developed conflict resolution processes.