Solidarity for water: Emmaus International on the UNESCO "Citizens for the Planet" platform

In light of the climate emergency, UNESCO is spotlighting a range of innovative and duplicable citizens’ projects on its Green citizens 2020 platform. These projects all have a specific, local impact on the population in the area of sustainable development and ecology. Emmaus International has been contacted to participate in this project by sharing its Solidarity for Water on Nokoué (PCSEN) project on this collaborative platform. This project was initiated in 2006 in Benin at the request of a fishermen’s association on Lake Nokoué.

Capacity-building of local stakeholders is at the heart of this participatory management project to ensure sustainable access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. The idea was also to enable the most excluded to take ownership of their rights and be actors of change, a specific feature of the work of the Emmaus international movement.

Currently, several development possibilities are being studied. One of the key ways to develop this project lies in transitioning to solar power. This would lead to both a reduction in the cost of electricity, which is supplied by generator, and the environmental footprint. This is of vital importance given the high levels of pollution in the lake.

Through this collaborative platform, UNESCO invites donors, the media and volunteers to discover all of these projects and support the desire for change of many civil society actors. The inclusion of PCSEN on this tool is a great recognition of the action led by Emmaus International, thanks to all the groups involved. And it’s an opportunity to make this action more sustainable, so it can keep bringing about social change!

Discover this platform and find out more about the Solidarity for Water on Nokoué project on this link: https://www.unescogreencitizens.org/ (in English and French only)