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Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
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Environment
and development in coastal regions and in small islands |
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Coastal region and small island papers 12: papers
THE UNESCO
PLATFORM FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IN COASTAL REGIONS AND SMALL ISLANDS
by Dirk
Troost
Introduction
The Environment and Development in Coastal Regions and Small Islands (CSI) platform for intersectoral action was initiated in 1996 to contribute to environmentally sustainable, socially equitable, culturally respectful and economically viable development. The following three complementary and mutually reinforcing modalities have been adopted:
Field-based projects, which provide a framework for collaborative action on the ground.
UNESCO Chairs and University Twinning (UNITWIN) arrangements, which support and enhance the field project activities through training, capacity building and awareness raising.
A multi-lingual, Internet-based forum (user name csi, password wise) on 'Wise Coastal Practices for Sustainable Human Development’.
Today 21 field projects are in operation worldwide. Three university chairs have been formally established, and others are being set in place. The Internet-based discussion forum (www.csiwisepractices.org with user name csi and password wise), which now includes some 6,500 participants from around the world, representing a wide range of domains, has developed a series of 55 example wise practices which guide sustainable development action on the ground. Through continuing interaction between field projects, university chairs/twinning and the Internet-based discussion forum, the CSI initiative will continue to develop tested wise practices addressing priority coastal and small-island concerns. These practices will provide guidance as to ‘what can wisely be done under the prevailing circumstances’. They will also contribute to the improvement of: (a) interaction between local-global levels, (b) harmonisation between top-down and bottom-up approaches, (c) integration among institutional domains, and (d) complementarity between societal sectors.
Main
lines of action
Build
up and implement wise coastal practices for sustainable human development
addressing priority concerns: e.g. coastal urbanization, biodiversity loss, erosion
enhancing
effective interaction between local and global levels
harmonization between top-down and bottom-up approaches
complementarity among societal sectors
through
intersectoral field projects
interdisciplinary university chairs
multi-lingual Internet-based forum
Provide
support to the priority problem areas identified in the Programme of Action
for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
adapting to climate change and rising sea levels
improving preparedness for and recovery from natural and environmental disasters
preventing worsening shortages of freshwater as demand grows
protecting coastal ecosystems from pollution and over-fishing
developing solar and renewable energy to lessen dependence on imported oil
managing tourism growth to protect environmental and cultural integrity
Lead role in cross-cutting projects
Local and indigenous knowledge systems in a global society (LINKS)
‘Traditional’ knowledge is a key resource for sustainable development that empowers local and indigenous communities in their struggle against marginalisation and impoverishment. Focal areas for action through intersectoral field projects include:
strengthening dialogue between elders and youth to revitalise local and indigenous knowledge transmission
reinforcing synergies between science and local knowledge in natural resource conservation and governance
identifying novel strategies to protect this intangible cultural heritage from improper appropriation
Small Islands Voice seeks to overcome the isolation of small islands by building capacity and strengthening local, regional and inter-regional communication, by:
obtaining islanders’ views on environment and development issues
encouraging young islanders to discuss environment and development issues among themselves
debating these views regionally and globally through Internet-based discussions
identifying key issues and
channelling them back to the local level for action on the ground
forwarding these views to the review of the ‘Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States’ in 2004.
‘The world’s small island developing states are front-line zones where, in concentrated form, many of the main problems of environment and development are unfolding. As such, they are the big tests for the commitments made at the 1992 World Summit’
United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, at 'Barbados +5', September 1999.
