 |
Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
 |
|
Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
|
 |
July - December 2001
* * *
Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands (CSI)
Seven major activities characterize the concluding semester of 2001, namely (i) two interregional, CSI field project leaders’ workshops on "wise practices for coastal conflict prevention and resolution in small islands" (Dominica, July) and the same "in continental coastal regions" (Mozambique, November); (ii) seven field projects and Chair assessments, using the 16 wise practices, in Cuba, India, Jamaica, Senegal (2), South Africa and Thailand; (iii) formal launch of the third interdisciplinary UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Coastal Development (University of Latvia, September); (iv) survey of all 6,025 people on the "Wise Coastal Practices for Sustainable Human Development" virtual forum (user name = csi, password = wise) as at September; (v) conclusion of the CSI evaluation by three external evaluators (Australia, Germany and the United Republic of Tanzania); (vi) drafting the remaining six summaries of the field projects in Latvia, Nigeria, Uruguay, the Russian Federation, South Africa/Mozambique and the Mediterranean Small Historic Coastal Cities network; (vii) preparations for the CSI-led cross-cutting projects Small Islands’ Voice 2004 (SIV’04) and Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) in a globalizing world.
The above-mentioned workshops also helped to promote linkages between CSI and other activities, advance project assessment procedures and develop concepts such as "wise practices agreements for sustainable coastal living" and an "ethical code of practice for donors/investors in coastal development". The workshops were organized in close cooperation with the UNESCO offices concerned. The survey revealed that the wise practices forum influences the understanding of coastal problems in 78% of the respondents, the opinion on wise practices in 73% and the application of wise practices in 44%. The interest, expertise and occupations of the 337 respondents, who reside in 86 countries, turned out to be extremely varied as it should be in such a forum dealing with interdisciplinary topics.
The external evaluation found that CSI has defined a niche for UNESCO as a provider of expertise in integrated coastal management science and practices based on an interdisciplinary approach and tested strategies for intersectoral collaboration. Through its activities in Member States, CSI has also been able – according to the external evaluation – to focus government attention on significant coastal issues, facilitate a broader debate, bring together stakeholders and attract funding towards the integration of field activities and wise coastal practices into mainstream management systems.
