6 - 14 January 2005

Introduction

UNDP is a proud partner to the Community Vilaj, an innovative showcase for community sustainable development successes  at the Barbados Plan of Action+10 meeting in Mauritius. Held at the Freeport Exhibition Centre in Port Louis from 6-14 January 2005, the Community Vilaj incorporated three dynamic components intended to advance local sustainable development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). These components are: The Community Vilaj Dialogue Space, The Institute@SIDS, and The Island Resilience Technologies Fair.

Complete coverage of activities that took place in the Community Vilaj can be found on this site. Daily Journals and Photo Diaries present grassroots photos and stories from this global gathering and capture some of the remarkable local experiences shared in the Vilaj. Please explore this section to see how local action is charting a more sustainable future for SIDS and to read outputs from the dialogues and deliberations. Local Voices, Global Impact

The Community Vilaj at SIDS Mauritius 2005 incorporated an innovative dialogue space designed to recognize and support the vital role of local voices in sustainable development. The Community Vilaj Dialogue Space served as a home-base for community representatives attending this critical international meeting, present cutting-edge discussions and dialogue, and showcase concrete examples of local efforts to achieve sustainable development and livelihoods in SIDS.

Community Led and Focused Dialogue

Participants from community-based initiatives formed the core participants in, and constituency for, the Community Vilaj Dialogue Space. These community participants represent sustainable development initiatives from around the world, including recipients of UNDP's Equator Prize. This core group acted as the overall host/organizing body for activities at the Vilaj, supported by a small group of facilitators. Events at, and outcomes from, the Community Vilaj Dialogue Space reflected the needs, and respond to the concerns, of local communities in SIDS.

Objectives:

• Celebrate Success The Community Vilaj Dialogue Space will be a dynamic, but comfortable, space for hosting community discussions, celebrating culture through performance, and presenting the work and successes of grassroots and community organizations from SIDS. A significant media presence will ensure that the messages and concerns of communities are communicated and shared openly and accurately.
• Share Knowledge The Community Vilaj Dialogue Space will serve to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, information and experiences and enhance the profile of local-level issues in the SIDS meeting. By fostering peer-to-peer learning, the Vilaj encourages participants to present local initiatives and discuss how lessons learned can be applied in other communities facing similar challenges.
• Inform Policy Recognizing the importance of partnerships to sustainable development, the Community Vilaj Dialogue Space connects locally-based development practitioners and networks that share common perspectives and goals with government officials, NGO representatives, academic experts, policy-,makers and other stakeholders at all levels.
• Build Resilience Given the economic and environmental vulnerability of SIDS, the Community Vilaj Dialogue Space will focus on building resilience through shared innovations in technology and resource mobilization.

Key Themes

The Community Vilaj Dialogue Space addressed issues critical to the mobilization and scaling up of local sustainable development initiatives in Small Island Developing States. Foci included the role of communities in reducing poverty, mitigating vulnerabilities, preventing disasters, and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Community representatives had the opportunity to examine these topics in depth, while engaging with each other and the full range of meeting delegates on a host of other issues of relevance to local and community actors in SIDS.