Arab Office for Youth and Environment (AOYE)
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Zahraa El-Maadi, Zahraa El-Maadi St.
Masaken Masr Lel-Taameer Building # 3 A
1st Floor Apartments # 1, 2
P.O. Box: 2 Magless El-Shaab Cairo, Egypt
Tel.: 20-2-5161519 / 5161245
Fax: 20-2-5162961
E-Mail: aoye@link.net
Website: http://www.aoye.org
Essam Nada, Executive Director
Description
The Arab Office for Youth and Environment (AOYE) was established in December 1978 to promote awareness of environmental issues and active stewardship for environment in Egypt, Arab Nations and beyond. Since its inception in 1978, AOYE has trained thousands of youth and adults through environmental camps, scientific symposia and special community projects.
AOYE is the Secretariat of the Arab Network for Environment and Development (RAED) in Cairo, Egypt which brings together more than 100 NGOs from Arab countries to share their experiences and exchange information on environmental and developmental issues in the Middle East. As the secretariat for RAED, AOYE publishes a monthly newsletter titled, "Montada El-Biah". AOYE is the Arab-speaking representative of the Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO/ECSDE) in Athens, Greece.
Its objectives include mobilizing the community to adopt new environmental patterns of life, increase environmental awareness among students and youth in different areas, prepare and implement programs and projects that aim at sustainable development. It also seeks to develop partnerships with different associations, organizations and institutions concerned with the environment and sustainable development, locally, nationally, regionally and internationally.
AOYE seeks funding from governments, international organizations, civil society organizations and private individuals. For example, LIFE Program Agency funded the project on environmental upgrading and community development in the Ein Helwan area.
Track Record
Through the Environmental Education and Awareness Program, AOYE has increased environmental awareness of Egyptian youth by initiating an educational program targeting students of all ages in the greater Cairo area. AOYE has also launched the 'Annual Meeting for University Youth Leaders' in universities throughout Egypt bringing students together to address environmental issues. The program facilitates students’ involvement in fieldwork dedicated to environmental improvement.
On solid waste management, AOYE and its partner organizations in Tunisia, Morocco and Lebanon, through the ‘Community Solid Waste Management Program’ (CSWMP), founded the 'Regional Community Solid Waste Management Program' (RCSWMP). The purpose of this program was (1) to create a network between the countries to facilitate collaboration in solving the solid waste issue and (2) to create a model solid waste disposal and recycling program that could be effectively implemented throughout the world. Currently in Egypt, the Helwan district is most notable in terms of their RCSWMP program and the local university works with AOYE in gathering and disposing off their solid wastes to AOYE’s recycling plant.
Moreover, AOYE is the main partner of Clean Up the World (CUW) incepted in 1993. The campaign has been implemented in over 24 Egyptian Governorates over the past eight years. On the other hand, the organization established the first Environmental Hotline Service in 1998 to receive environmental complaints from stakeholders in many areas of Egypt linking decision makers, executives and media on one hand and community on the other. The organization availed the environmental hotline service to Egyptian citizens in the Greater Cairo area at no cost. This hotline, targeting community organizations executing environmentally friendly projects, has solved environmental problems, increased environmental awareness and familiarized the average Egyptian citizen with current environmental laws. It has also become an essential tool in getting and analyzing Greater Cairo residents’ calls and complaints. It has highlighted the destruction of the environment in Egypt and especially in Greater Cairo and showed the absence of any effective solutions at the country level.
AOYE has also contributed to the community through a project named the ‘Environmental Street I’. This has networked several different community organizations in one district of Cairo and aided in creating an environmentally friendly street in that district. The first phase of this project was executed in six districts within Cairo with the funding of the LIFE Program. The purpose of this project was to create a model street that exhibited characteristics of an ideal environmental situation. The second phase, 'Environmental Street II' involved five other districts each collaborating with a community organization in their area. The sixth community organization involved in this project was a central organization supporting the other five and responsible for establishing environmental service hotlines for each street. AOYE monitored and provided capacity building activities for these organizations.
AOYE was the first NGO that implemented The National Community Water Conservation Program (NCWCP) in three Egyptian Governorates (Cairo, Suez and Ismailia) between 1994 and 1997. 147 demonstration projects were implemented to secure the water access and conservation of various types of buildings. This project was nominated for the Kyoto Grand Water Prize in Mexico in 2006.
In addition, AOYE currently plays a crucial role throughout the ten countries in the Nile river basin with particular action on all governorates located on the Nile Basin in Egypt. It has headed the Nile Basin Discourse and Nile Discourse Forum since 2003 and will continue until 2009. AOYE is the umbrella organization for tens of NGOs working all over the country including South Sinai in applying renewable energy concepts and techniques. Over the last ten years AOYE has hosted the Small Grants Program (SGP/UNDP) responsible to fund renewable energy projects for NGOs in Egypt to effectively tackle climate change.
Through AOYE’s various fora and information dissemination, partner organizations have benefited from occupational and subject training which has increased their capacity on environmental issues.
AOYE has successfully conducted advocacy by the youth to the youth on various environmental issues, which has impacted on their families, neighborhood and local communities.
Challenges
In spite of these achievements, the organization faces several challenges. In 2004 the fruitful hotline service started a new approach in tackling air pollution. It began receiving calls from car owners about to renew their car licenses seeking advise on how to fix their cars according to the new traffic law in Greater Cairo. The starting of law enforcement was great and the hotline passed hundreds of calls but when the traffic units failed to follow up the process of checking the cars, the number of callers and visitors reduced dramatically. This showed that the organization’s work was affected by the government’s failure to maintain standards. Other than this, the HLES has faced challenges in its work like on youth activities and awareness programs and media coverage.
The fear of foreign interference in ‘sensitive’ issues, hidden agendas and political manipulation have made foreign funding for civil society the object of much controversy in Arab societies. Many states will not hesitate to prohibit or at least tightly control any foreign funding of civil society organizations. In any case, sources and sustainability of funding remain a major issue for most Arab organizations including AOYE.
Opportunities
Although some of the challenges are external and cannot be addressed by the organization, there are several opportunities to improve the organization. The good reputation of AOYE and its extended work and actions in Africa, Mediterranean, Arab and international regions gives it leverage to participate in environmental issues. Its wide base of contacts and activities enables its sustenance.
The partnership with local NGOs and CSOs as well as the government is evident in almost all activities of AOYE and there is opportunity for the organization to diversify its base of partnerships and collaboration to become more competitive.
The organization can take advantage of the energy, enthusiasm and creativity of the youth coupled with the availability of advanced technologies and means of communication to empower the youth’s engagement in solving environmental problems.
AOYE recognizes that the youth should be part of the solution in any strategy that addresses them or affects them. A central basic principle of good governance is the participatory approach in decision-making by which all sectors of the society are involved and consulted. Participation gives people a stake in the decision and confidence that this decision will preserve their personal and property rights.
Governments, youth organizations such as AOYE and NGOs should collaborate in developing awareness programs targeting sustainable production and consumption behaviors. This presents opportunity for collaboration with the government in formulating relevant policy. Universities and research institutions should establish research and development programs targeting environmental issues and provide funding for students to conduct research on sustainable development issues at the local and national levels. NGOs and research institutions should collaborate with international organizations to create communities of practice around pertinent environmental issues and discuss ways and means of tackling them.
Finally, the youth who constitute the majority of those with access to IT technology should exchange their views, creativity and concerns on environmental issues. AOYE recognizes the need to encourage environmental blogs with careful monitoring and better information sharing.
