Capacity Building for Environment

Environment is a bedrock on which our survival lies. Any global programme of development created without taking the environment into account will truly be a house built on sand. Says the Klaus Topfer, Executive Director UNEP. He further states that as the international community prepares to face the challenges of sustainable development in a globalised world capacity building work will be essential if we are to successfully attain the goals of a peaceful, prosperous and secure future for humankind.

The three pillars of sustainable development social progress, economic growth and environmental protection are inextricably linked & depends on each other to support a sustainable future for humankind. But the the environmental issues are being undermined & neglected over the economic growth and social progress says the UN Report on Capacity Building for Sustainable Development. It is suggested to consider environment, economic & social issue in making short- and long-term development plans. However, the special attention should be given to the development of of up-to-date information, knowledge, tools and skills to address the environmental & development issues. And hence capacity building should be central to the sustainable development agenda.

Definition

UNEP defines capacity building in a broader & holistic term considering the multitude of activities associated with it.

"It means building abilities, relationships and values that will enable organisations, groups and individuals to improve their performance and achieve their development objectives. It includes strengthening the processes, systems and rules that influence collective and individual behaviour and performance in all development endeavours. And it means enhancing people’s technical ability and willingness to play new developmental roles and adapt to new demands and situations". In practical terms it means

• Facilitating and supporting environmental institution building by governments at regional, sub-regional, national and local levels.
• Developing and testing environmental management instruments in collaboration with governmental and non-governmental partners, organisations & major groups.
• Promoting public participation in environmental management and enhancing access to information on environmental matters.

Capacity building approaches in environment sector

Developing & disseminating environment knowledge products

The intellectual leadership can galvanise action to address environmental challenges by developing appropriate environmental policy instruments & knowledge products:

1. Scientific assessments of man nature relationship and its impact on the environment.
2. The translation of such understanding and knowledge into environmental action and policy implementation.
3. To ensure that customised and targeted environmental information products deriving from assessments are readily available and accessible to policy makers and other interested parties

In first kind of knowledge products we assess the environmental conditions so as to influence the local and global community. In second types of products the emphasis is on the development of network of national, sub-regional, regional and global partners.

Building capacity by enhancing environmental knowledge

The intellectual leadership can be maintained by development of environmental knowledge products and policy implementation tools &

• Extending the application of its knowledge products as widely as possible
• Assessing the performance and effectiveness of these knowledge products regularly &
• Giving a high profile recognition to environmental knowledge products by publishing it on internet, social media and in other places to ensure their wider utilisation contributing to better environment management.

Media & Civil Society Engagement:

When the civil society is aware about the environment, certainly the members will take the action to keep it neat, clean, safe & also press the government to take the positive steps to protect the environment. The dissemination of environmental information which is simple to understand by the general public plays vital role in mobilising people & changing behaviour. Hence creating public awareness is not only central to capacity building, but is a capacity building exercise in itself. The messages can be spread through:

• Press releases
• Television
• Newsletter
• Working with civil society organisations to communicate the environmental message.
• Working with the youth & civil society on various environment campaigns.

Capacity needs in natural resource management

The human population growth, increasing industry-economic growth & improving living standards are changing consumption & production patterns leading to rise in demand for land for crops, livestock and human settlements, clean water, more energy, minerals and timber. The United Nations warned that the over-exploitation of the earth’s natural resources is so severe that it threatens the balance of many ecosystems around the world. Forests are rapidly being cleared for timber and human settlements, waterbodies are polluted, the intensity of droughts, degradation and desertification of the land is increasing due to climate change. Biodiversity is being threatened.

Further more the major question is how we are going to ensure the aaccess to reliable, affordable, economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sound energy services is integral to sustainable development. most of our population depends on the fossil fuel energy and to some extent the hydro-energy. How we protect our natural resources, how we maintain them for our better health, how we shift from non-renewable to renewable energy & deal with energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, energy finance & policy issues that has the greatest potential area where we can build capacities.

Following areas are identified by UNEP where there is high scope of building capacities, generating employment, protecting environment & ultimately achieving sustainable development goals:

• Capacity building for sewage treatment and management
• Biodiversity conservation
• Land-based pollution management
• Integrated coastal & river basin management
• Protection of coral reefs
• Water resource management
• Capacity building for conflict management
• Capacities for public engagement and action
• Combating desertification and land degradation
• Awareness raining & information exchange