Capacity 21 project launched<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali<\/p>\n
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) launched here on
\nThursday evening its Capacity 21 project to empower the people in
\nfulfilling their own basic needs for water and energy, and in
\nfighting against poverty.<\/p>\n
UNDP administrator Mark Malloch Brown said that dealing with
\nlocal communities was the best way forward for sustainable
\ndevelopment as the local community or people served as \"the front
\nline of the battle.\"<\/p>\n
\"That is why we have to invest in the fundamental line. The
\nlocal community is the frontline in turning around natural
\ndegradation,\" Brown said during the launching of Capacity 21 here
\non Thursday.<\/p>\n
The project goal is to deal directly with the local
\ncommunities in empowering them to build partnerships with other
\ngroups in the effort to provide access to water and energy, and
\neradicate poverty.<\/p>\n
Capacity 21 is designed to support developing countries in
\nmeeting the Agenda 21 on sustainable development that was agreed
\nat the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro ten years ago.<\/p>\n
The project is also meant to achieve the Millennium Goals,
\nagreed in 2000, of halving the number of people lacking access to
\nclean water and energy by the year 2015.<\/p>\n
Over the past ten years, the UNDP had been working with 2,600
\nNGOs in 35 countries in carrying out various sustainable
\ndevelopment programs.<\/p>\n
It would continue to work with those NGOs in implementing its
\nCapacity 21 projects so that sustainable development projects
\nwould continue to improve the world even if the upcoming World
\nSummit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg failed to
\nproduce something beyond the Rio declaration.<\/p>\n
\"The real application happens at the local community level.
\nThe people are the means to win the battle of sustainable
\ndevelopment,\" Brown said.<\/p>\n
Separately, the UNDP environment and sustainable development
\ngroup chief, Alvaro Umana, told The Jakarta Post that the
\nCapacity 21 project would educate the people so that they could
\norganize themselves in obtaining their basic needs of energy and
\nwater.<\/p>\n
He underlined that when people had the knowledge, they could
\naddress their own problems with water or energy access and
\nimprove the quality of their lives.<\/p>\n
Umana stressed that although the program promoted
\npartnerships, it would not encourage any privatization of water
\nand energy supplies for the ordinary people.<\/p>\n
\"This partnership is not something that considers
\nprivatization as we all agree that energy and water should not be
\nfor making profits,\" Umana said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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