OPERATION SDZ
In partnership with Grandfather Hill Foundation, Starboard and Worldview International Foundation we are creating a Sustainable Development Zone to support the coastal communities in Thinithayi District, Myanmar using a sustainable development model which will preserve the natural habitat.
At the Sustainable Development Summit on 25th September 2015, UN Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030.
The new Global Goals, and the broader sustainability agenda, go much further than the MDGs, addressing the root causes of poverty and the universal need for development that works for all people. The Global Goals will now finish the job of the MDGs, and ensure that no one is left behind. In the spirit of Thinking Globally and Acting Locally – our Vision 2030 is to implement these SDGs locally in the Sustainable Development Zone (SDZ) in Myanmar.
Based on the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) work done by Mr. Svein Rasmussen from Starboard Company in the villages surrounding Pho Pho Kyauk beach, the Sustainable Development Zone (SDZ) project was created as a unique mechanism for engaging all the villages to work in collaboration with Starboard and Worldview Impact Foundation (WIF) for guidance in project design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation at the community level at part of the developing the SDZ.
The Vision 2030 Sustainable Development Zone (SDZ) Project Design Document (PDD) was made based on the conclusion and recommended interventions of the two Feasibility Reports (FR) which were prepared by WIF in February 2015 and the Ecosystem Assessment Report prepared in partnership with Myeik University Team in April 2015. After consultations with the Starboard Team we have elaborated our timeline and methodology of monitoring and evaluation for efficient implementation in partnership between the WIF Team in the UK and the Grandfather Hill Foundation Team in Myanmar.
Objectives of the Vision 2030 Sustainable Development Zone:
To assess, develop and implement projects related to the environment such as water resource management, waste management, reforestation, and sanitation and improve rural well-being.
To enhance the capacity of the community through sustainable livelihood opportunities for the distinctive local population and in keeping with the character of their surroundings, with a full range of good quality local services, also to enhance their local landscapes and biodiversity while meeting the challenges of socio-economic and climatic changes.
To provide crucial services like the market linkage between communities, businesses, non-profits, academics, and policy leaders to facilitate the implementation of best sustainable practices.
To provide a sustainable development model by uplifting the population with sustainable methods while maintaining the beauty and natural resources for the future. The target is to increase household income by 100% in 5 years for the local population living within the SDZ.
To provide an active education program that will create a knowledge platform for all the residents of the target villages on the benefits and responsibilities of living in an SDZ.
To facilitate clean energy generation from non-fossil renewable sources except for critical emergency support. The SDZ will have an embargo on all materials proven to be toxic.
Your support will go towards protecting the fragile marine ecosystem and creating livelihoods for the people living in the target villages.