Sustainable Guidelines for Mozambique - Research Paper Example

? SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES al Affiliation) Introduction Formulation and implementation of sustainable development guidelines plays crucial role in any development project in the contemporary society. One of these essential roles is that, such guidelines are usually applied to provide a direction on development in a manner that available limited resources are properly utilized without causing any harm to the surrounding environment. Moreover, research has indicated that developing nations are more vulnerable to various environmental impacts that emerge from unsustainable development processes. In his respect, sustainable guidelines would not only act as a direction to guide development processes but also as a tool to improve the capacities of such nations to counteract effects of unsustainable development activities. Sustainable Development Guidelines In order to ensure sustainability for any project geared towards the development of above regions; it is of great importance to formulate and implement appropriate guidelines that would act as a direction for the project developers. The appropriate guidelines are inclusive of: (A) Development of Synergies For any successful and sustainable development project, the aspect of working in synergies plays a crucial role. Synergies can be conducted in various ways depending on the suitability or the type of development project to be conducted; this includes collaborations with different stakeholders as well as encouraging the participation of different stakeholder. The importance and of these forms of synergies are discussed below: (i) Encouraging Stakeholder Participation Development partners need to determine the roles played by local communities when undertaking massive development projects that will impact on their lives. Participation of local communities essential in any development project for instance: Construction of road networks since it creates a sense of ownership of such projects among the local communities. This can be achieved by engaging the local communities in the project development process from the planning stage to the project phase out stage. The sense of ownership enables the community to contribute ideas that could be applied to facilitate the development processes promoting its sustainability. Reduction of future conflicts that may affect sustainability of the development projects can also be achieved through promoting the participation of the local communities is such projects. During the planning process, the communities may assist in identification and elimination of any activity that may lead to future conflicts hence promoting the sustainability of the project. Cases of public participation have proved successful for most non-governmental organizations in Africa such as in: Tanzania and Kenya where the African Medical and Research Foundation has undertaken myriad community development projects through encouraging public participation hence leading to project sustainability. (ii) Application of a Collaborative Approach This is also another method of operating in synergy that has been used by most successful development organizations. There are various organs that may play important roles as collaborators this includes but is not limited to: The Mozambican Government, other organizations, donors and the local communities. The importance of such collaborations which each development partner encompasses: Access of adequate funds to undertake sustainable development processes; such funds may be provided by the Mozambican government, donors like the World Bank and in some case the development of some projects i.e. water resources, the local communities may act as collaborators by providing locally available construction materials. This is pertinent for the success and sustainability of the projects. An example of a successful collaboration occurred in the year 2011 between the World Bank and the Mozambican government through donation of funds geared towards promoting development of Water Resources. A study by the World Bank in the same year, indicated that Mozambique was in need of 120 million USD for the development of water resources; however, Len Abrams, the head of the World Bank Development project asserted that the World Bank was focused towards offering a portion of the required amount while the remaining to be contributed by the Mozambican Government and other development partners. (iii) Establishment of a Public Private Participatory Approach (PPP) An appropriate establishment of this approach is essential in various facets of sustainable development. To begin with, this approach is important in the decision making processes in that; it brings in dynamic ideas from different stakeholders concerning effective methods in which the intended projects may be implemented for instance: Political leaders, development experts as well as the local communities. This approach engages local communities who may be the ultimate beneficiary of the implemented projects (Vulnerable groups) hence facilitating the decision making processes leading to reduction of conflicts. Additionally, the PPP approach promotes the comprehension of the different kinds of relationships between various stakeholders i.e. relationship between communities and the local government. However, the major challenge in this process is that; stakeholders or project developers are required to ensure that engagement of the public is not only meant for data collection but also provide a platform for effective and efficient decision making. Therefore, it is pertinent to ensure that the stakeholders involved are selected in relation to the levels of their vulnerability that is; selecting the most vulnerable groups. Consequently, the PPP approach ensures that the consultation processes due to the fact that various stakeholders are engaged in decision making by taking each and every stakeholders ideology in to consideration. This method is recommended in this project owing to the fact that most of the Mozambican Communities may not have the access to modern methods of communication such as internet. (A) Application of Environmental Protection Guidelines and Policies Various regions and countries possess different policies and guidelines that are meant to protect the environment as well as humanity from harm in the case of any development project. In this respect, governments and policy makers require that any development project undertaken should adhere to the local environmental protection guidelines in order to ensure that sustainability is achieved. These guidelines in the context of Mozambique include Environmental Impact Assessment and Life Cycle Assessment guidelines. (i) Environmental Impact Assessment This is one of the Environmental Assessment Tools applied in any local development project undertaken in Mozambique and therefore any external development partner with an interest to implement any development project has to follow these guidelines. The Environmental Impact Assessment is a collection of guidelines majorly stipulating procedures undertaken to predict and prevent any potential economic, social as well as negative environmental impacts. Environmental Impact Assessment is an effective tool that has been applied globally and many majority of developing nations for example in Tanzania, Kenya, Seychelles, Mauritius and South Africa. On the other hand, Strategic Environmental Assessment is also applicable in Mozambique; however, this assessment tool is usually applied in huge projects with impacts that are cumulative in nature. A good example of a successful mega project undertaken through the guidelines of Environmental Impact Assessment is the construction of super highway in Kenya, one of the countries located in East Africa. The super highway connects Kenya’s Capital city, Nairobi to an industrial city known as Thika. The EIA, led to the sustainability of the road construction project in that: It led to the elimination of possible conflicts that could have occurred in the course of project implementation whereby some members of the society living along the road were displaced and resettled in other places. The EIA facilitated the formulation of conflicts resolution strategies which was a major challenge for the project. (ii) Undertaking a Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) Cumulative Impact Assessments is an integral part of environmental assessment tools; it focuses on the assessment of wider implications of various dimensions of a project that in most cases may not be captured by the Environmental Impact Assessments for instance: Impacts that may arise from operations undertaken in synergies, cumulative as well as the aggregate impacts the of the impacts. The cumulative impacts may alter the general conclusion of any assessment conducted hence affecting the project plans. (iii) Poverty and Social Impact Analysis This form of analysis will be essential towards promoting the sustainability of the project; it guides the examination of the various impacts of development projects, policies and governance systems of the rural communities. It will act as a guideline towards identification of various challenges faced by the rural communities in Mozambique in relation to government policies and other development projects. The results of the Poverty and Social Impact analysis will be applied by the development partners to formulate and implement strategies geared towards the reduction of poverty and improvement or the development of infrastructure and other social amenities. This information can also be used in the SWOT analysis as a guideline to identify challenges facing the rural communities. (iv) Life Cycle Assessment This will be important in promoting environmental protection and management through the assessment of any product and process used in the construction by examining it from ‘cradle to grave’. It will also ensure that any negative potential environmental affect is prevented thereby enhancing the sustainability of the project. However, a higher consideration will be given to the guidelines stipulated in various environmental laws stipulated by the different environmental stakeholders in Mozambique. Specifically, the life cycle assessment will entail the examination of various facets employed in construction of roads as well as other social amenities such as schools and hospitals. (C) Community Capacity Building This is the third development guideline that will be taken into consideration in order to ensure sustainability of the project. Capacity building among the local communities has several advantages; the first advantage of capacity building is the development of human capital, a process that is important for the success of any development project. Additionally, the transfer of any basic project management knowledge, skills and capacities gives the local communities an upper hand of managing such projects in case the external project developers pull out or after the project phase out hence promoting sustainability of the project. Transfer of knowledge is also important as it strengthens the local communities and gives them a sense of ownership of such projects hence increasing the overall sustainability of the project. However, before conducting a capacity building exercise, the project developers should conduct as SWOT analysis that will majorly act a Terms of Reference for the development of a capacity building guideline. The content of the SWOT analysis document entails the Strengths of the communities, who will benefit from the project, their weaknesses in relation to development, and opportunities for improvement or development as well as threats facing the community that may hinder them from development. (D) Seeking Local Materials for Construction (i) Data collection In relation to materials for construction (Roads and other social amenities), a baseline data shall be conducted with an objective of determining the costs of materials that will be used in the project development. This process shall also play an important part in formulation of the project implementation budget for instance: The costs of associated man-power; costs of construction materials; costs of transportation; capital value of the social amenities and the road networks et cetera. (ii) Materials for Road Construction In order to improve the lives of the local communities and promote a sense of ownership of the project among the local communities, the development partners will try and access local construction materials from the local communities as a method of strengthening and boosting local economic facets. Such materials include; sand, stones water resources as well as man-power. However, in the event that exploration of some materials will be needed, the Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines will be strictly taken in to concern. This will not only lead to sustainability of the project but will also protect the environment and improve the lives of the local communities. (iii) Materials for Construction of Hospitals and Schools In this case, various resources will be acquired locally for instance; sand, water, cement, man-power, stones et cetera. The acquisition of local materials is an appropriate method of boosting the economies of the local markets hence improving the livelihoods of the local communities. Additionally, the participation of the local communities through provision of locally available construction materials promotes project sustainability through creation of a sense of ownership among the local communities. (D) Long Term Vision and Use The sustainability of the project will majorly depend of the vision and goals of the project; that is, the ultimate outcomes that are desired by the project developers which will benefit the local communities. In order to ensure that the local communities are aware and support the project various actions will be implemented in various ways as in: (i) Awareness Creation To begin with, the local community will be informed of the activities of the project and the ultimate outcome; this will be important in seeking support of the local communities towards the development projects and at the same time gathering information concerning their views on the development project. The awareness creation may also form part of the project especially when the results of the SWOT analysis indicate that there is a need to undertake a serious awareness campaign among the locals in relation to potential environmental and health risks. Basically, the local communities shall be informed appropriate intervention measures as well as preventive measures that may be applied to avoid the impacts of natural disasters. (ii) Adherence to Development guidelines and Community Participation Additionally, the vision will be formulated in relation to the available development policies while engaging the local communities and relevant stakeholders in the formulation process. (iii) Monitoring and Evaluation Thirdly, monitoring and evaluation shall be undertaken to ensure that various project activities are in compliance with the applicable law and are conducted in accordance to the laid down plans in order to ensure that the overall project vision and goals are achieved. (iv) Improvisation and formulation of new development opportunities In order to ensure that development goals and visions of the project are achieved according to plans, a systematic research and exploration of new development opportunities shall be undertaken in with an objective of identifying and implementing new ideas for improvement and development. However, it should be noted that this activity is a continuous process that begins from the planning process to the project phase out process. Summarized Environmental Impact Assessment Process Process/Step Activity Undertaken Screening Involves the determination of whether an EIA is required before implementation of a project. Scoping Entails the identification of key issues i.e. social and scientific matters, parties concerned, levels at which no changes may be made during the project implementation project. Assessment and Selection of best available options Assessment and selection of best available options through the use of baseline data and other data collection techniques Identification of mitigation measures Identification of appropriate mitigation measures Report Writing Production of a report of the outcomes of the EIA and recommendations Review and Decision Making Review by Policy makers and provision of a decision that will either permit the commencement of the project or cancellation Monitoring and Evaluation Generally involves the cross-checking of the project activities or mitigation measures to ensure that they are in compliance with the guidelines or the recommendation in the EIA report References Field, B., & Hamilton, D. (2002). Pragmatic Guidelines for Determining Road Investment Priorities in Developing Countries. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 9(3), 223-231. Metschies, G. (2005). 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