SUSTAINABILITY The Newsletter of the Center for Communication and Sustainable Development for All (CECOSDA) HEADLINES EDITORIAL:

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LET’S BE ECOFAVORABLE IN AN ECHOFAVORABLE

ENVI’NEWS:

2

2015 : CECOSDA OVER THE RADIO 3

REHABILITATE THE ENVIRONMENT IN MINING SITES CAPACITY BUILDING CLIMATE

4

CHANGE,

FOOD SECURITY INTEGRATING GREEN ECONOMY

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FOCUS ON PROJECTS

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IMAGE-MESSAGE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WATER DIVERSITY 7 CAMEROON (WADIC) CAMEROON ELECTRONIC WASTE CHALLENGE

C4D FOCUS! SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION (SCP) EDITING CREW: FLABERT NKWELLE GERMAIN ELOUNDOU MABEL TSANGA ALAIN BRICE KATEU

EDITO…Let’s be ECOFAVORABLE in

an ECHOFAVORABLE context

WORLD WATER DAY

ENVI’NEWS

JAN– JUN 2015

8

disruptions resulting from mining activities. In the Center region, cocao farmers The number « 3 » symbolises the three were educated on the consequences of the priority thrusts of CECOSDA, which use of highly hazardous pesticides. are: access to water resources, food security, and protection of the environ- Currently, CECOSDA is working on the ment. For CECOSDA, number « 3 » following projects: the Image-Message-for also refers to the fact that this newslet- sustainable Development (IMD-Cecosda), ter is the third of a series of publication the Cameroon pollutant watch project, the showing our engagement in promoting Water Diversity Cameroon (WADIC proa sustainable world. As the validation ject), the E-waste challenge and the Comof Sustainable development goals munity media network for sustainable de(SDGs) gets closer, the stakes and the velopment. challenges are higher. To guarantee the While hoping to get continuous support impact of its activities, CECOSDA has from the beneficiaries and funding institubeen working in partnership with the tions, CECOSDA calls for more ECOMinistry the Environment, Protection FAVORABLE citizens in an ECHOFAof the Nature and Sustainable Develop- VORABLE context. ment (MINEPDED), IPEN international, the Global Water Partnership (GWP), IUCN and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC- international). During the reporting period of this newsletter, the activities of CECOSDA OUR COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES focused on behaviour change communiFOCUS ON : cation (BCC), notably sensitizing and training the population on water issue • CLIMATE CHANGE; in the Adamaoua and the far North re• FOOD SECURITY; gions. Dear readers and partners,

The team also worked to promote the rehabilitation of the environment through educative talks and practical exercises with workers of artisanal mining sites in the Admaoua region, particularly in Fell and Legal Goro. They were sensitized on water pollution and ecological

• WATER RESOURCES.

Communicate for a sustainable future

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ENVI’NEWS

WORLD WATER DAY 2015: CECOSDA SENSITIZES OVER

“RADIO ENVIRONNEMENT”, IUCN

SPONSORED RADIO In order to reach out to more people and sensitize the population on water related issues, CECOSDA communicates over radio. In order to reach more people and sensitize the population on water related

“Potable water issues, CECOSDA communicates through radio. On the occasion of the World is the key to Water Day of March 22, 2015, the communication expert of CECOSDA was

invited by “Radio Environnement”, a radio station sponsored by IUCN. This good health was the occasion for CECOSDA to talk of its actions to increase access to potable water in the North part of Cameroon. The main message given to listeners condition.” was: Potable water is the key to good health condition.

CECOSDA is a partner organization to the Global Water Partnership (GWP) MAJORITY OF MINING VILLAGES SUFFER FROM WATER POLLUTION

1. Water requires energy and energy requires water. Water is required to produce nearly all forms of energy. Energy is needed at all stages of water extraction, treatment and distribution. 2. Supplies are limited and demand is increasing. 3. Saving energy is saving water. Saving water is saving energy. Choices concerning the supply, distribution, price, and use of water and energy impact one another. 4. The “bottom billion” urgently needs access to both water and sanitation services, and electricity. 5. Improving water and energy efficiency is imperative as are coordinated, coherent and concerted policies. Better understanding between the two sectors of the connections and effects on each other will improve coordination in energy and water planning, leading to reducing inefficiencies.

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THE

AUSTRALIAN

GOVERNMENT

SUPPORTS

3

THE

PROJECT TO “REHABILITATE THE ENVIRONMENT AND PROMOTE EDUCATION IN MINING VILLAGES”

The project targeted close to 950 traditional miners for behaviour change towards youth education and e c o l o g i c a l sustainability. EducaƟve talks and sensiƟzaƟon on environmental rehabilitaƟon in the mining villages of Fell, Meloum, and Legal Goro (Adamawa region)  Some communities living in the mining sites of the Adamawa region of Cameroon have gained from a sensitization for Environmental rehabilitation project sponsored by The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of the Australian Government. The Centre for Communication and Sustainable Development for All (CECOSDA Cameroon) in partnership with Mr TONANG ZEBAZE ARNAUD (beneficiary of the grant from the Australian Government) from the Regional delegation of the Ministry of Mine, Industry and Technological Development of Adamawa, marked its presence on the field through educative talks, donation of materials to curb ecological disruptions, and capacity building activities on how to fill the holes in the mining sites. The field visit was from 11 to 15 March 2015 in the mining sites in the villages of Fell (Subdivision of Meiganga), Legal Goro (Subdivision of GalimTignere) and Maloum (Subdivision of Banyo). Sensitization activities were carried out by a team of expert made of officials of the Adamawa Regional delegation of the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Developments of Cameroon, the local team of CAPAM, the focal point of CECOSDA, which is a specialist in Education and Communication.

Representatives of the branch of ANAFOR in Ngaoundere, security forces from the Cameroon Gendarmerie, students in Geology from the University of Dschang and EGEM, and many administrative and local authorities participated in the activities. The project, whose main objective was to “Rehabilitate the Environment a n d p r o m o t e e d u c a tion in the Mining villages for a Sustainable Development” targeted close to 950 traditional miners for behaviour change towards youth education and ecological sustainability.  

The ultimate objective of communication is to change behavior !

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CAPACITY BUILDING

The

FAO

learning attended

online event by

the

programme team of CECOSDA was a great

opportunity

for

capacity

building.

Climate change, Food Security and Nutrition

CECOSDA takes part in the FAO online learning event on Climate change, Food security and Nutrition On Wednesday the 31st of March 2015, the team of CECOSDA participated in a pilot online learning event on climate change, food security and nutrition via an online forum and a webinar jointly organized by The Global Forum for Food Security and Nutrition (FNS Forum) and the Mitigation of Climate Change in Agriculture (MICCA) Programme. Since Food security, nutrition and climate change are interconnected, the objectives of this event is for experts and practitioners involved in the online event is to explain exactly how and why climate change is making it harder to feed the world’s growing population and take a look at action already underway preparing farmers globally to face the impacts of climate change. Green life festival: “CLIMATE CHANGE AND NEW SECURITY CHALLENGES IN AFRICA”

The Collective for Nature and Culture organized the second edition of the festival called the Green life Festival under the theme “Climate change and New security challenges in Africa” (07/04/2015) The project initiated and implemented by many students’ associations and clubs of the Central African Catholic University (UCAC) of Nkolbison is a yearly ecological, cultural, artistic and scientific festival whose first edition took place in April 2014. For this second edition, the Collective for Nature and Culture organized a press conference at the Cameroon French Institute (IFC) at 10:00 a.m. on April 7, 2015. The Center for Communication and Sustainable Development for All (CECOSDA) took part in this press conference whose objective was to clarify the activities of the Green Life Festival and mostly to discuss about the upcoming challenges with regards to Climate change. The Green life Festival aims at analyzing the current environmental issues and to make proposals in order to curb the impact of climate change on the environment. SUSTAINABILITY

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TRAININGS

IntegraƟng Sustainable Development and Green Economy 

THE AUDITOR OF CECOSDA TAKES PART IN THE 9TH CONGRESS OF THE NATIONAL ORDER OF CERTIFIED ACCOUNTANTS OF CAMEROON (ONECCA)

PromoƟng a favourable context for Sustainable development and Green economy in Cameroon

The 9th congress of the National Order of Certified Accountants of Cameroon (ONECCA) was held at the Yaounde Congress Hall from the 24th to 26th of June 2015 under the theme: Quality of Financial Information in Cameroon and Normalization of Public Sector Accounting. With the current growth objectives, the quality of financial information given to partners of Cameroon, and with key issues like sustainable development of public institutions, public accounting should be reformed. Public accounting reforms should following the models applied in private sector accounting. Given this new trend and engagement of different partners, the Center for Communication and Sustainable Development for all (CECOSDA) joins the motion for more advocacy activities aiming at promoting a favourable context for Sustainable development and Green economy in Cameroon.

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ZOOM ON OUR ROJECTS

IMAGE-MESSAGE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

This project aims to promote Sustainable Development in Cameroon and Africa at large by taking and showing pictures of Environmental unfriendly acts for them to be denounced. This will promote Environmental friendly activities and foster long term The IMD-Cameroon Project

Environmental Sustainability Projects.

Blog online

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION/INTRODUCTION The project IMD – Cameroon was conceived with the aim to carry out sensitization in the domain of Sustainable Development in the field of Environment, Water Resources Management, and Food Security. It intends to use images to raise awareness amongst Cameroonians so as to cause behavioural change. To realize this project we would lay down four main strategies which would include: 1. 2. 3. 4. 

Strategy of image/picture collection & storage; Strategy of picture exploitation; Strategy to treat and publication of images; Legal strategy/property rights and legal preoccupations.  

SUSTAINABLE FUTURE PROJECT Promoting Sustainable Behaviour Many communication initiatives have succeeded in enhancing public awareness, but have failed in going beyond awareness, to stimulate positive changes in attitudes and practices toward creating lasting social change. Communication, to impact on sustainable behaviour change among individuals and groups on a large scale, needs to be strategic, participatory, based on evidence from the field and results-oriented. CECOSDA therefore take communication for Behavioural Change (CBC) as a strategy to reach out to the public to promote sustainable development, and encourage sustainable consumption and production. 

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OUR PROJECTS

WATER DIVERSITY CAMEROON (WADIC)

WADIC (Water Diversity Cameroon) is a project designed and implemented by the Center for Communication and Sustainable Development for All (CECOSDA). The inspiration for this project came from the practical works of by the different problems that are encountered in the domain of water Resources; and theoretical plans, CECOSDA was inspired by the work of Hoekstra (2006), who, in his research, emphasized the importance for a coordination of water governance. Indeed, the WADIC project as implemented by CECOSDA promotes an integrated approach for a better Water management in Cameroon. It is our belief that better Water governance in Cameroon will tremendously contribute to the sustainable development of the Country. The WADIC project sees water as a broad issue with regards to the way people use and maintain water resources. The project focuses on three main dimensions of water: Water for landscape, Water for households, Water for agriculture. Finally, the objective of this project is to promote practices, research results, experience and knowledge sharing among water professionals. CAMEROON ELECTRONIC WASTE CHALLENGE

Electronic Waste (E-waste) is any refuse created by discarded electronic devices and components as well as substances involved in their manufacture or use. The disposal of electronics is a growing problem because electronic equipment frequently contains hazardous substances. In a personal computer, for example, there may be lead in the cathode ray tube (CRT) and soldering compound, mercury in switches and housing, and cobalt in steel components, among other equally toxic substances. E-waste is growing exponentially simply because the markets in which these products are produced are also growing rapidly as many parts of the world cross over to the other side of the ‘Digital Divide’. Cameroon just like India and other African developing countries is being used by Europe and the United States as a dumping ground for Electronic waste. About 29.38 Metric kilo tonnes of E-waste was deposited in Cameroon in 2012 in the form of perused electronic devices ranging from computers, mobile phones, refrigerators, TV sets and others (UNU Jaco Huisman). Electronic Waste dumps in Yaounde, Cameroon

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C4D FOCUS

SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION (SCP)

Sustainable production and consumption is the use of goods and services that respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life, while minimizing the use of natural resources, toxic materials and emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle, so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations

Sustainable consumption implies that the consumption of current generations as well as future generations improves in quality. Such a concept of consumption requires the optimization of consumption subject to maintaining services and quality of resources and the environment over time. Concept

Sustainable production and consumption involves business, government, communities and households contributing to environmental quality through the efficient production and use of natural resources, the minimization of wastes, and the optimization of products and services.

Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a defined species that a given environment can support over the long term. The notion of limits is fundamental to the concept of carrying capacity. However, our limited understanding of complex, non-linear systems leads to uncertainty in calculating carrying capacity in relation to humans. Some argue that the concept is meaningless as free market conditions and technological innovation can extend limits indefinitely.

The emphasis of sustainable production is on the supply side of the equation, focusing on improving environmental performance in key economic sectors, such as agriculture, energy, industry, tourism and transport. Sustainable consumption addresses the demand side, looking at how the goods and services required to meet basic needs and improve quality of life - such as food and health, shelter, clothing, leisure and mobility - can be delivered in ways that reduce the burden on the Earth's carrying capacity. Head Office : CAMEROUN-Yaounde PO. Box : 30975 Biyem-Assi TEL : 222 311 875 Website : www.cecosda.org Email: [email protected]

Communicate for a sustainable future

For more information on sustainable development in Cameroon, please visit the webpages of the following organizations: CECOSDA, FAO, UNDP, UNEP, IUCN, MINADER, MINEPDED, CIFOR.