Project “Reinforcement of Civil Society for the sustainable development of Island Territories for a shared governance (RESTILE)”

Location: islands of Brava (Cape Verde), Nosy Hara (Madagascar), Principe (Sao Tome & Principe) and Gorée (Senegal)

Duration: 3 years

Financial and institutional partners: French Development Agency (AFD), Global Island Partnership, Conservatoire du Littoral

Local partners: members of the Island Committees, Tourism Information Center of Gorée, Regional Association for the socio-environmental preservation of Principe, Association of the Friends of the Principe Reserve, Biflores Association, Madagascar National Park

Global budget: 574,960 € (including 400,000 € from AFD)

Project presentation

Small islands, especially in Africa, face local governance challenges. Not all actors are equally involved in the governance of their territory. Civil society is still often excluded from decision-making bodies. An innovative multi-stakeholder approach must be encouraged to tend towards effective preservation of these territories.

This project aims to support small African island territories in the establishment of shared, multi-stakeholder governance for a better conservation of the island’s environment and encouraging human development. This will involve strengthening the participation of civil society in the sustainable and autonomous management of their territory. The project will financially support CSOs in the implementation of sustainable development projects in their territory, and will help to strengthen their local capacities for setting up, monitoring and managing projects, but also for advocacy. Finally, the networking of island territories will allow the exchange of good practices, and will strengthen the visibility of small island territories as actors of sustainable development on the international agenda.