Background and objectivities:

As a follow-up to the UN-HABITAT initiated assessment of insecurity in Antananarivo, and the development of initial local capacity, UNV has developed a project to support the development of crime prevention initiatives through volunteerism in Antananarivo.  The project has been implemented with technical support from UN-HABITAT in view of its institutionalization within the Municipality of Antananarivo.

The project is supporting the UNDP/UNV project ‘Volunteers against Violence in Antananarivo’, which is a continuation of UN-HABITAT, initiated diagnosis of insecurity conducted in 2003. UN-HABITAT support is aimed at: strengthening the capacity of the local and counterpart team in the municipality in view of the transfer of the project; developing a resource mobilization strategy and supporting implementation of projects tools.

Activities:
The main activities include:
Training of the local team by international experts during the year, with a focus on institutional mechanisms for sustainability of the approach at municipal level, and training of municipal staff and elected leaders on the crime prevention approach and tools.

• Participation by local counterparts in WUF III and Africities 2006;
• Design of a resource mobilization strategy;
• Formulation of a local toolkit to support volunteers and other actors in their work on violence prevention.

Results and impact:
The Project has mobilized civil society around concrete initiatives for crime prevention and has initiated the process of institutionalization within the City Council of Antananarivo.  In particular:

• Capacity has been developed among volunteers and the counterpart team at the Municipality;
• Contributions of local actors to international events and African network of Safer Cities (World Urban Forum and Africities);
• A resource mobilization strategy has been designed and agreed upon by local actors;
• A local toolkit has been designed to support volunteers and other actors in their work on violence prevention.