Transition from Poor to Better Stewardship of the Environment

The Problem

A large body of available and emerging evidence suggests that deterioration of the environment and natural resources is seriously undermining the development prospects of African countries. Land degradation is widespread throughout the continent, mainly due to soil erosion and impoverishment, and this is directly or indirectly leading to desertification. There is increasing concern over the rapid depletion of the natural resources base through deforestation, loss of biological diversity and unsustainable utilisation of fresh water. The most recent evidence on global climate change indicates that African countries are in the throes of yet another major emerging environmental and development challenge. These issues are even more critical when viewed in light of the need for countries to achieve their overall food security and sustainable development goals.

It is estimated that about 500 million hectares of land in Africa have been affected by soil degradation over the last 50 years, and over 20 % of the world’s areas prone to desertification are located in Africa. The rate of deforestation on the continent over the same period has been worrying.  For example, in the 1980s, the continent lost on average 3.8 million ha of forest cover per year, which rose to about 5 million ha per year in the 1990s. The problems of environmental degradation are further exacerbated by reduced and uncertain levels of rainfall, extreme climatic events, armed conflicts and civil strife, inappropriate land tenure and land use and, the use of technologies. Thus, the challenge for Africa is to halt and reverse the current trend in environmental degradation so as to maintain a productive natural resource base as the foundation for sustainable agriculture and industry, essential for sustained economic growth.

Goal

The goal of the Environment Team is to encourage decision-makers in Africa to consciously integrate environmental concerns into mainstream economic thinking and to reflect these concerns in the design and implementation of sustainable development programs.

Strategy

• Building capacity at the national, sub-regional and regional levels in order to strengthen the analytical, decision-making, legal and institutional capacities;

• Advocacy, awareness raising and policy advice on halting, preventing and reversing trends in environmental degradation, and for the promotion of the sustainable exploitation of natural resources;

• Compilation of best practices and indicators on environmental issues and production of comparative studies in this area;

• Policy and programs formulation, monitoring and evaluation;

• Monitoring the implementation of UN sustainable development programs;

• Networking and exchange of experiences with partners.

Highlights of 2000 Activities

1. Meetings

• High Level Stakeholders Meeting on Sustainable Development (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 17-19 January 2000): the meeting was convened to set-up a preparatory process for the review of the implementation of Agenda 21 in Africa. The meeting adopted a Regional Agenda and the modalities and means to undertake Africa’s preparation. To this effect an Expanded Joint Secretariat (EJS) for the Forum was set up and was entrusted with the responsibility of organizing the preparatory process. The meeting adopted the following workplan and schedule of activities

1. First Meeting of the Expanded Joint Secretariat, African Development Bank Headquarters, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, June 2000.

2. Working Session of the core members of the Expanded Joint Secretariat (ECA, UNEP, OAU, ADB, UNDP/Capacity 21 – Africa) held at UNEP Hqs. from 12-13 February 2001.

3. Second Meeting of the Expanded Joint Secretariat, The UNDP/Capacity - 21/Africa, Dakar, Senegal 12-13 March 2001.

4. Sub-regional preparatory meetings, May to July 2001.

5. First regional preparatory meeting, 28-31 August 2001.

6. Finalisation of relevant reports and drafting of the regional common position and perspectives on the issues before the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, September - December 2001

7.  World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa, June 2002.

• First Meeting of the Expanded Joint Secretariat for the Rio+10 Preparatory Process (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 19-21 June 2000): the meeting considered modalities for the preparatory process and defined strategies for resource mobilization.

• Regional African ministerial conference on the implementation of the Habitat Agenda (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 6-8 November 2000): the meeting was organised in collaboration with the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS) after a review of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda in Africa. The conference adopted the Addis Ababa Declaration on Human Settlements in the new millennium.

2. Other substantive activities

• A Poster on the theme: “The Environment Millennium – Time to Act” was prepared and disseminate to member States for the World Environment Day, June 2000.

3. International co-operation and inter-agency co-operation and liaison

• The team collaborated with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) through its Division on Sustainable Development (DSD). The ECA held regular consultative meetings within the preparatory process for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development.

• Team members attended the First Session of the Preparatory Committee for the Special Session of the UNGA for Habitat II+5 which discussed the scope of the review and appraisal process for Habitat II+5.

• Team members attended also the Eight Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). The conference initiated urgent policy change to address the growing environmental degradation in the region, and to enhance the ability of African countries to defend their interests in international environmental negotiations, especially in such new and complex areas as biological diversity and climate change.

4. Technical Co-operation, Training and Field Projects

• A resource person was provided for a training workshop for PEDA in EASRDC, Kigali, Rwanda.

• Provision of a resource person in the Second Training Workshop on Environment and Natural Resources Accounting for countries of eastern and southern Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.

• Provision of a resource person in a training workshop on Population, Environment and Development for senior policy level staff Zambian Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOPED), Kabwe, Zambia.

• Technical input into the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) for the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN).

• Technical input in the preparation of the African Common Position at the fourth session on the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF4), the fifth Conference of Parties (COP5) of the Convention on Biological Diversity and, the second African-Latin American -Caribbean Forum on cooperation in the implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

Highlights of 2001 Activities

1. Meetings

• Committee on Sustainable Development (CSD): the environment team will prepare a report on the follow-up of the national implementation of Agenda 21 and another one on the Habitat Agenda.

2. Other substantive activities

• Study on the State of the Environment in Africa: the study will be the ECA’s input into the African regional perspectives of the third Global Environment Outlook (GEO3).

• Follow-up to World Conferences

3. International co-operation and inter-agency co-operation and liaison

The team will continue to collaborate, co-operate and liaise with UNEP, UNCHS, UNDESA/DSD and various inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations.

4. Technical Co-operation, Training and Field Projects

• Advisory services will be provided to ECA member states and their intergovernmental organisations as requested and warranted.

• A resource person will be provided for PEDA training workshops in SRDCs.

• Subregional training seminars on environment and natural resources accounting (2): the training will be undertaken in eastern and southern Africa.

Major Publications

Publications in 2001

• The State of the Environment in Africa

• Compendium of best practices in population-environment-agriculture in Africa

Some recent publications

• Integrated Water Resources Management: Issues and Options in Selected African Countries

• Soil Erosion and Destruction of Land Resources: Issues and Trends in Africa

• The Environment and Water Resources in Africa (Briefing Paper Series)

Staff Members

Mr. Ousmane Laye, Physical and Town Planner, Team Leader
Mr. Kwadwo Tutu, Environment and Natural Resources Economist
Mr. Evans Mwangi, Environment and Natural Resources specialist, Adviser