Mauritius Council for Development Environmental Studies and Conservation (MAUDESCO)
From TrustAfrica wiki - African Regional Organizations
Rajen Awotar
Mauritius Council for Development Environmental Studies and Conservation (MAUDESCO)
Beeltah Building, St Jean Road, Quatre-Bornes
P.O. Box 1124, Port Louis, Mauritius
Tel: + 230 425-2417/4672565/9479333 (ED Mobile), 4659883 (RES)
Fax: +230-230- 4543900
Email: maudesco@intnet.mu
Description
Mauritius Council for Development, Environmental Studies and Conservation (MAUDESCO) was established in 1985 as a nonprofit, voluntary nongovernmental organization following publication of the Brundtland Report. The spirit of the Brundtland Report and Agenda 21 was to create linkage between environmental protection and sustainable development. MAUDESCO’s mission is to promote the protection of the environment, sustainable development through awareness campaigns, capacity building, education and lobbying. In pursuant of its mission, MAUDESCO conducts sustained awareness raising campaigns, capacity building and advocacy. Its target change agents include women, youth, students, teachers, CBOs, and NGOs.
MAUDESCO is set to upscale its work as it launches a series of activities in the year around the theme ‘1 Billion Tree Campaign of UNEP’.
Track Record
Following the publication of the Brundtland Report, MAUDESCO undertook a series of activities to popularize it and participated in various regional and sub-regional activities on the report.
During the Pre-Rio Summit, MAUDESCO played an active role in Mauritius and at the sub and regional levels in raising awareness on issues due for consideration at the summit.
After the Rio Earth Summit, MAUDESCO launched a series of activities at the local level to popularize the contents of Agenda 21 among its target groups as well as among local, national and regional politicians. This project is still ongoing.
Further, the organization undertook a 6-month research project on the impact of climate change on the small planters and the small fishermen communities with a view to preparing a long-term project on mitigating the impact of climate change. A follow up project is planned for Rodrigues Island, which is part of Mauritius, this year.
Drawing from its strengths in summit preparations, MAUDESCO played a leading role in organizing several local, national and regional level consultation activities in the production of a national NGO document submitted to the UNCSD for consideration at the summit. In recognition of its active participation and especially as an initiator of several preparatory activities leading to the WSSD, it was selected to serve on the NGO steering committee set up to steer the process and facilitate the participation of African NGOs in the summit.
At the regional level, the organization has managed to gain the trust of SADCC and African NGOs and CBOs. Today, it is the regional coordinator of SADCC Climate Action Network International, which coordinates climate related activities in the 14-member country bloc. It is also the Friends of The Earth International Africa Coordinator of climate as well as the Indian Ocean Coordinator of the Earth Charter Initiative.
Its Executive Director was recently elected the chair of the UNEP African Civil Society Steering Committee and MAUDESCO also serves as a member of the Executive Board / Treasurer of the Environment Liaison Center International.
Though MAUDESCO has partnered with several organizations it views partnership between African NGOs as very low even though it holds a lot of promise. MAUDESCO has successfully partnered with UNEP, SADCC, SARDC and a wide range of NGOs and CBOs.
Challenges
MAUDESCO needs to plan activities to tackle in a systematic and long term manner emerging environmental issues like climate change on which it needs to develop institutional capacity. It also recognises the challenge of enhancing partnership with other civil society groups in Africa. The task ahead is developing a better understanding on how to frame such partnership.
Most of MAUDESCO’s focus has been on coordinating the participation of NGOs in critical environmental and climate related issues. In championing this cause it has faced four main challenges including: insufficient and unsustainable financial support; inadequate institutional capacity to enhance the great scope of assignments of MAUDESCO; insufficient coordination tools (including communication media) and inability to retain competent and qualified personnel needed in achieving its goals and objectives.
Opportunities
There is a general feeling among African NGOs that donors support is drying up. This was apparent during the 2002 Johannesburg WSSD. Since practical action will have far reaching results in confronting environmental challenges, assistance to organizations facing challenges such as MAUDESCO’s to develop long term and sustainable financial support is critical.
Further, strengthening collaboration between south–south organizations working in similar fields offers a great opportunity to accelerate progress on the many environmental related goals.
