CESTA - Friends of the Earth El Salvador

History: CESTA, Friends of the Earth El Salvador, is the first environmental organization founded in El Salvador. It was constituted in 1980 although its formal registration was in 1987, as a non-governmental, ecological, autonomous, non-profit organisation, not dependent on any political party or religion. General Aim To contribute to the generation of awareness in the Salvadoran population so that they adopt and put into practice a system of social, environmental and spiritual values that strengthen the struggle for the sustainability of the country and the world. Specific Objectives 1. Promote the empowerment of communities and sectors in order to strengthen popular movements, to raise levels of sovereignty that will allow them to improve their quality of life in harmony with the environment 2. To promote changes in societies that lead to the construction of more just and supportive living systems between peoples and are compatible with the environment. 3. To protect human beings, species and habitats from deterioration and destruction, enhancing their existence by recovering the lost ecological balance. General strategies 1. Healthy, diverse and sovereign agriculture and food. 2. Sustainable waste management 3. Fighting for the rights of vulnerable groups (Youth, Women, Indigenous Peoples and People with Disabilities) 4. Resisting the power of the corporations. 5. Biodiversity and climate change 6. Promotion of bicycles as a means of transport