Engagement in Switzerland

We support organisations and political initiatives in Switzerland if they have a goal or a subject matter that is central to our projects and our work. These are, for example, social and ecological goals or, in general, the fight against socially unjust structures in Switzerland and worldwide. By supporting local social organisations with membership fees we also aim at networking within the region with regard to relevant themes.

Social Economy Association Basel – NetzBon

The Social Economy Association Basel develops life-securing, integrated and grassroots democracy-based forms of economy, work and living at local and regional levels. It promotes local markets with the credo: “local work for local people using local resources” and is guided by the principles of ecology and sustainability. 

EcoSolidar is a member and supports the alternative payment method NetzBon, which has been used as an alternative currency in the region of Basel since 2005. The members of NetzBon, i.e. shops and companies from very different business areas in the region of Basel, accept NetzBon as payment and can use it themselves. We find this idea worthy of support since, on the one hand, a local solidary network is being created and because, on the other hand, money in the form of the NetzBon works directly and independently of the monetary economy.

www.netzbon.ch

Contact point Sans-Papiers Basel

The contact point “Anlaufstelle für Sans-Papiers Basel” is a counselling centre for people without valid identification and residence permission. It offers a place where Sans-Papiers can exchange information and feel safe. The contact point supports people with professional advice, offers assistance in various areas of life and helps them organise their daily routine. At the same time, the Swiss population is encouraged to show solidarity for the situation of the Sans-Papiers. The aim is to create better living conditions for people without the right of residence in Switzerland.

We support the contact point for Sans-Papiers in Basel, because we consider their work for people on the edge of society to be very important. After all, these people work here and contribute a lot economically but have no rights. The help offered at the contact point is low-threshold and based on the needs of the people concerned. Our support is destined for the organisational development sector, because we are convinced that the strength of an organisation is central to doing good and important work in the long term.

www.sans-papiers-basel.ch

SAG – Swiss Alliance GMO-free

The SAG – Swiss Alliance GMO-free is a platform of discussion, information and action for organisations and individual members who are critical of genetic engineering. It is the umbrella organisation for a total of 25 Swiss associations from the fields of environment, nature conservation, animal protection, medicine, development cooperation, organic farming and consumer protection. 

EcoSolidar has been associated with the Swiss Working Group on Genetic Engineering since its beginnings in 1990 and we have supported the Swiss Alliance GMO-free SAG for many years with a membership fee. In our projects, e.g. in Africa, we see what genetically modified seeds mean for smallholder families, namely high costs for fertilisers and pesticides and the risk of the soil becoming infertile. In Switzerland, too, we stand for protection against genetically modified products. 

www.gentechfrei.ch

Biorespect

Biorespect, formerly “Basler Appell gegen Gentechnologie” (Basel Appeal against Genetic Engineering), campaigns for the preservation of biodiversity and a high quality of life in an intact environment free of genetic engineering risks and for a fairer world free of patented natural goods. To this end, the association makes critical and factually sound analyses of genetic, biotechnological and reproductive technologies. The focus is on the effects of these technologies on humans, animals and the environment. We support the work of Biorespect with an annual membership fee. 

www.biorespect.ch

Agrecol Germany

Agrecol is an association for the promotion of site-specific and ecologically sound land use in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. It consists of an association of people who are professionally active in various areas of agricultural development cooperation. The focus is on the exchange of ideas and knowledge, public relations work and networking among themselves and with international organisations. With the new open-source seed license, the association advocates for seeds as common property. We support Agrecol with an annual membership fee. 

www.agrecol.de/en/

Swiss Coalition Right to Seeds

The Swiss Coalition Right to Seeds is committed to ensuring that farmers in countries of the Global South do not lose control over their seeds. The diverse seed systems of farmers guarantee food security and biological diversity. This is why it is essential that rights to seeds are recognised in the long term and are not restricted or destroyed by free trade agreements.

EcoSolidar supports this request because the right to seeds is also an issue in all our organic farming projects. We know from India how great the dependence on seed companies can be and how quickly farmer families can be ruined buying seeds, fertilisers and toxic pesticides. In our organic farming projects in Malawi we can see the alternative: Small farming families use local seeds and can achieve good yields and eat healthier food by means of home-made compost and pest-repellent plants.

www.recht-auf-saatgut.ch

Multiwatch

MultiWatch is a broad coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), trade unions, parties and organisations of the anti-globalisation movement. MultiWatch was founded in March 2005 with the aim of monitoring multinational corporations based in Switzerland, documenting and reporting on human rights violations committed by them and of supporting the struggle for justice of the people who are affected.

We have been supporting MultiWatch because we are convinced that multinational corporations must respect human rights and be held accountable for human rights violations. We are aware of such violations in our project work when, for example, mines of large corporations contaminate rivers in Peru and people no longer have clean drinking water. Or when multinational corporations in Cambodia grab indigenous land for their rubber plantations, land which for the indigenous people is both a source of food and a spiritual place.

www.multiwatch.ch

March Against Bayer & Syngenta

The March Against Bayer & Syngenta is organised by committed people from different organisations in Basel. The participants stand up for a worldwide ecological and small-scale agriculture as well as for food sovereignty without dependence on the power of a few corporations over seeds and pesticides. We support these demands and the March in Basel with a donation for its annual execution. 

www.marchagainstsyngenta.ch

The Climate Alliance

The Climate Alliance is a broad alliance of the civil society consisting of Swiss organisations from different sectors. It supports a fair and sustainable climate policy in Switzerland that agrees with the goals of the international climate agreements. It is committed to the preservation of livelihoods, in Switzerland and worldwide, as well as to the conservation of biodiversity. EcoSolidar supports the work of the Climate Alliance as a member organisation with an annual membership fee. In our project countries, our partner organisations have been feeling the effects of the climate crisis for a long time and have to deal with them in addition to social problems. We believe it is necessary to achieve a climate policy that protects our livelihoods as well as those of the people in the Global South.

www.klima-allianz.ch

Association of Corporate Responsibility

The association consists of various member organisations and campaigns for a responsible and sustainable economy. It requires legal foundations so that corporations based in Switzerland must respect human rights and environmental protection worldwide. The EU’s planned Corporate Responsibility Law should also be implemented in Switzerland. EcoSolidar supports the association as a like-minded organisation with an annual contribution.

www.konzernverantwortung.ch