EARTH SUMMIT+5 Special Session of the General Assembly to Review and Appraise the Implementation of Agenda 21 New York, 23-27 June 1997 SUCCESS STORIES FROM AFRICA

	Mozambique's Capacity 21 Initiative, Phase 1
	Location	Mozambique.
	Responsible organization(s)	Ministry for the Coordination of Environmental Affairs.
	Description	The Initiative entails several stages and incorporates representatives from the national to the local levels. In the first phase, the initiative trained 136 people. As part of the exercise, they designed a project in their field of work. Three university training courses for decision makers, and two for 50 provincial directors from various sectors on how to analyse the impact of their activities on national resources, were organized. Another one was held on policy analysis of natural resources for 26 people from the Ministry of environment working at the central level. At the local level the Ministry supervised a course for 60 provincial directors who examined ways and means to better manage the resources by incorporating environmental issues in planning and budgeting for the administrative sector. It also implies the training of about 100 district administrators, and the course will be used as a model for future courses in sustainable development. The focus of the projects was on translating sustainable development into their reality to build capacity and develop skills and expertise to manage their environment and natural resources in order for them to last.
	Issues addressed	* Poverty eradication * Environmental awareness * Capacity building
	Objectives	Under the Capacity 21 Initiative the projects aims at building awareness of the environment and its relationship to sustainable development within the state and civil structures, carrying a series of training activities in environmental management entailing several stages and incorporating representatives from national to the local levels.
	Results achieved	In Marracuene (outside Maputo) a district administrator, who attended the course, developed a coastal erosion project to protect the coastline. The idea by installing measures to lessen the cutting of trees, along with an aquaculture project to build nurseries to increase population of fish and prawns. Another Administrator in Nacala (northeast) is also trying to develop a similar project. In Sofala (center) the Governor is voicing concern about the same problems; and in Gaza (south) the issue of slashing and burning trees to clear the land for planting is on the environmental fore. Another benefit, not originally foreseen, was a request from the President for a course for the Council of 15 Government Ministers, on how debt payment affects environmental issues because of the pressures on the natural resources which are exploited at the first level.
	Lessons learned	The training empowered the participants, who now begin looking at the main environmental issues when planning activities and preparing projects, and stimulated a series of needs. They now feel that they can stake a claim in protecting their environment by consulting on the issues, discussing and putting forth ideas. The central question remains how to get the resources to solve the problems. The Ministry for Coordination and Environmental Affairs wants to have representatives in the provinces with whom people who have been trained can discuss and present ideas, and the representatives can provide alternatives. But the main problem facing the Ministry now is that they are unable to give answers because they do not have enough people to respond to the need.
	Financing	The Initiative is financed by UNDP and coordinated by the Ministry for Coordination and Environmental Affairs.
	Contact	Ms. Henny Matos, Sustainable Development Advisor, UNDP Maputo, Mozambique, Tel. (258)-1-1492000; Fax (258)-1-491691 Email: henny. matos@undp.org