Local key to sustainable development
Local key to sustainable development
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali
The ones who know the best about what is good for the people are the people themselves. The ones who know the best about the environment are the people who have lived on the land for millions of years, according to Princess Basma bin Talal of Jordan.
In creating a successful partnership program for the interest of sustainable development, it was important for the local community to be involved, Princess Basma said on Wednesday in her keynote speech at the United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) side event to the preparatory committee (prepcom) IV meeting here.
"Each local community has their own sets of values in managing the sustainability of their lands, and these should be involved to share, learn and create partnerships that promote sustainability," she said.
The participation of women in the management of water, for example, was of utmost importance because when women see water and sanitation problems they instinctively understand the direct effect the problems have on hygiene and health, Prema Gopalan, executive director of India's Swayam Shikshan Prayog, said.
Therefore women's participation in determining the improvements of operations and maintenance in water management were important and could form a force that could work together with local governments, she said in the dialog entitled "Communities make the difference" organized by UNDP.
Kenya's Minister of Agriculture, Edward Owango, said that the African experience in involving local communities in the management of soil and water had so far been successful because of the wealth of knowledge that indigenous people possess.
He said that ideas generated from the people themselves caught on easier than those from foreign sources, and with it there was a lot more enthusiasm by the people to try new innovations.
Owango said that there should be a paradigm shift in which local indigenous people were involved, but that to unlock the knowledge that these people own, guidance was needed.
Meanwhile, Susan McDade, manager for UNDP's Sustainable Energy Program, said that women should be involved when making public policies on energy, explaining that more than two billion people in developing countries had to work and live without the benefits from energy such as illumination and refrigeration.
Not so long ago, this lack of energy also was common in developed countries, she said, explaining that her grandmother had to get up every morning to light the wood-fire stove to boil water in which to clean and wash.
"I am sure that there are other grandmothers in developed countries that have the same experiences, all this not so long ago," McDade said, explaining that developed countries had come out of the dark by getting organized and raising the people's awareness on the importance of energy.
However, the magnitude of the task to provide basic energy sources to about a third of the earth's population is getting bigger, she said.
The UNDP has launched a series of initiatives that focused on the participation of local communities in decision-making processes for sustainable development, including those on water, energy and agriculture, UNDP's director for environmentally sustainable development groups Alvaro Umana said.