Source: EXPADD in Ivoirebusiness, Dec. 2021<\/p>\n
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What is sustainable development ?
\nSustainable development, the concept of development according to which economic growth should strengthen social solidarity and the quality of the environment, was defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development known as Brundtland in 1987.
\nIn 1987, in fact, the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission) de \ufb01 ned the concept of sustainable development in its Our Common Future report, as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the capacities of future generations. to respond to theirs “. This concept consists of three (3) objectives:
\n\u2022 Economic efficiency (economic axis)
\n\u2022 Social equity (social axis)
\n\u2022 Preservation of the environment (environmental axis)\u2026
\n\u2026 And the means to achieve this pertaining to governance and management.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ivorian cities<\/p>\n
According to UVICOCI (Union of Cities and Communes of C\u00f4te d’Ivoire) the country has 201 towns and municipalities in 2021, in which more than half of the Ivorian population resides.
\nThe Ivorian city is mainly a tertiary city, a service center. It is also an administrative and political relay between the capital and the whole country. Its exchange activities have developed and diversified since the 1960s. Industries remain limited to the main cities and the share of agricultural activities remains significant there. The functional distribution of Ivorian cities is correlated with their geographic environment: the forest zone has a high density of well-differentiated cities, while most cities in the North are more administrative centers. (AM Cotten, 1972)<\/p>\n
For most of the Ivorian cities, the environmental issue remains secondary and this is perceptible via objective indicators: absence of serious public gardens, persistent insalubrity despite the “big cleaning” project, anarchic constructions …<\/p>\n
This is why we must welcome all initiatives, even minor ones, which contribute to sustainable development. For example, (1) the BVDM project (Bassam Ville Durable model – 2016), funded by the Francophonie and which was able to make for the UNESCO world heritage city, a socio-economic-environmental diagnosis and also identify actions with rapid impact; (2) the town of Cocody which is making efforts to green its urban space and (3) the town of Tiassal\u00e9 which has electrified a solar axis\u2026 (non-exhaustive list).<\/p>\n
\u2022 What is Agenda 21?
\nThe concept of Sustainable Development (SD) was adopted in 1992 in Rio (Brazil) thanks to the United Nations during the Earth Summit; summit during which most of the States of the world voted for a program translating sustainable development into concrete actions to be taken at the start of the 21st century: AGENDA 21. The aim of Agenda 21 is therefore to promote sustainable development within local authorities.
\nIn C\u00f4te d’Ivoire, the process of developing an Agenda 21 began with the establishment of the PNAE-CI (National Environmental Action Plan in C\u00f4te d’Ivoire). This plan, adopted in 1995 for the following 15 years (1996 – 2010), by the Council of Ministers, aimed to provide the government with an effective instrument for the management of natural resources and the preservation of the environment.
\nToday, however, no Ivorian local authority has a local Agenda 21!<\/p>\n
Concretely\u2026<\/p>\n
EXPADD offers to support local authorities who so wish in their local Agenda 21 initiatives (from diagnosis to project execution, including fundraising). With our experience in many urban development projects, we will support you throughout your socio-economic and environmental development project.
\nWe offer you, for important themes such as urban transport, energy, waste management, agriculture and food, solutions adapted to your context.<\/p>\n
By Dr Christophe GBOSSOU
\nEXPADD coordinator<\/p>\n