Communities and Livelihoods
This programme promotes understanding of the economic and social value that environmental services and renewable natural resources provide for communities and livelihoods, and a wider appreciation of the importance of science and technology in underpinning sustainable development at all levels.
A clean and healthy environment is a basic human right and underpins communities and their livelihoods. Managing pollution, waste, migration to cities and climate change are central themes, as is sustainable use of renewable natural resources such as forests and fisheries. Understanding the links between natural resources, environmental services, urbanisation and planning is also a priority in a world where city-dwelling communities have more people than those in rural areas.
In 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government committed to the Lake Victoria Commonwealth Climate Change Action Plan . The Foundation will play its part in the shift to sustainable low-carbon economies by mobilising the resourcefulness and expertise of civil society organisations. It will raise awareness and support planning for adaptation to climate change, particularly with socially marginalised communities living in vulnerable locations.
The Foundation will work with CSOs to raise awareness of the economic, social and environmental consequences of degradation of natural resources, profile good practice in managing natural resources and provide a platform for CSOs to communicate related concerns to governments. It will help civil society to engage in improved management of the world's coastal and marine fisheries, optimising the contribution that fisheries can make to sustainable livelihoods. This will entail support to institutional arrangements, policies and capacities that deliver more effective governance of fisheries, and direct support aimed at empowering vulnerable fisher communities.
The Foundation will help civil society organisations to strengthen community management of forest resources and promote the economics of ecological and environmental services. In this context it will contribute to the Commonwealth's Iwokrama International Rain Forest Programme.
The Foundation will work with CSOs to improve understanding of the challenges brought by the mass movement of people towards cities. Through participation in the ComHabitat partnership the Foundation will promote capacity-building and learning in sustainable urbanisation with a view to improving human settlements in Commonwealth countries.
