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LINKAGES AFRICA
Reporting on Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa
Issue # 4: 7 June, 2007
KEY EVENTS
AFRICAN WATER MINISTERS ADOPT BRAZZAVILLE DECLARATION
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SECOND AFRICA FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT DISCUSSES ENERGY SECURITY
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AFRICAN BANKERS FORUM ADDRESS CLIMATE INVESTMENT
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WORLD CELEBRATES AFRICA DAY
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AFRICA PARTNERSHIP FORUM AGREES ON AFRICA CLIMATE MESSAGE FOR G8 SUMMIT
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AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK CONCLUDES ANNUAL MEETINGS: ADDRESSES CLIMATE CHANGE
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8TH EU-AFRICA MINISTERIAL TROIKA MEETING ADDRESSES CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY
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PAN AFRICAN PARLIAMENT DISCUSSES CLIMATE CHANGE, DESERTIFICATION AND TOXIC WASTE
14th May 2007: The Seventh Ordinary Session of the Pan African Parliament dedicated a component of its work to the issues of desertification, toxic waste and climate change. During the discussion a number of MPs spoke about environmental issues, with many agreeing these issues need to be mobilized at the continental scale. Members also stressed the need to set-up national, regional and continental action plans which must hold account of the non-governmental organizations involved in this challenge. At the conclusion of its work the Parliament adopted the report of the Committee on Rural, Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment.
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Desertification: The Committee also presented a report on a workshop on desertification held in Algiers, where it was recommended that on the national level, an appropriate budgetary item be included in national budgets for actions to fight against desertification and poverty as well as strengthen national organs and coordinating action programmes to combat desertification and make sure that decentralization measures are improved to guarantee their efficiency at the local level. It also urged African countries to better involve themselves in the research and monitoring of the desertification phenomenon and improve communication between scientists and political decision makers so as to better promote the results of scientific research. On the Regional level, the Committee recommended the establishment of a synergy between African scientific research institutions related to protecting the environment in general, and combating desertification in particular, as well as to implement the Sirte Declaration on the creation of centres of excellence on the environment and their networking. Among other recommendations, it also called for the strengthening of regional and continental cooperation to face up to the serious environmental phenomena through the establishment of an African Environment Protection Observatory (AEPO) and support regional initiatives. At the world level, the Committee recommended for improved cooperation in the framework of implementing the Convention on Desertification by granting sufficient and foreseeable financial resources to combat desertification, notably as regards the Global Environment Facility (GEF). It also called for increased investments in favor of the rural population in the fight against desertification and poverty to turn the present tendency around and also to strengthen international cooperation in scientific research and technology transfer, relating to the use of clean and renewable energy, as well as the use of space tools to help in making decisions to fight against desertification and climate change.
Source: Pan African Parliament <http://www.pan-africanparliament.org/Documents/PR5.pdf>
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AFRICAN MINISTERS PLEDGE SUPPORT FOR ACTION AGAINST LAND DEGRADATION AND FOR NEPAD PROGRAMMES
25 April 2007: A special session of the African ministerial conference on the Environment (AMCEN), held in Burkina Faso from 24-25 April 2007, concluded with the endorsement of the Global Environment Fund/TerrAfrica Strategic Investment Programme (SIP) in support of NEPAD’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, the NEPAD Environmental Action Plan and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The conference, attended by 40 members of AMCEN and a host of development partners, engaged key decision makers in a constructive dialogue regarding the country-level interventions which the SIP will be implementing, in line with the approaches developed under TerrAfrica. The high level of country and partner ownership for TerrAfrica and the SIP, and strong support for the strengthening African leadership of the SLM agenda, were also demonstrated through the signing of both a ministerial and a partner declaration of support. These can be found below:
Source: TerrAfrica <http://www.terrafrica.org/>
KEY REPORTS
INAUGURAL UN INTERAGENCY PUBLICATION ON ENERGY POLICY OPTIONS FOR AFRICA LAUNCHED:
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AFRICA AND THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS, 2007 UPDATE:
6 June 2007: The Deputy Secretary General, Asha-Rose Migiro, launched the “Africa and the Millennium Development Goals, 2007 Update” at the noon press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York. This four-page publication is an advance brief released this week to feed into the Africa-focused discussions taking place at the G-8 Summit in Germany. It is based on new statistics coming out at the end of June in the MDG Report 2007. Africa and the MDGs Update report <http://www.uneca.org/eca_resources/news/2007/Africa-MDGs07.pdf>
Source: UNECA <http://www.uneca.org/>
OPINION PIECE: SPECIAL PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UN: AN AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE: In this opinion piece, Patrick Hayford, Director of the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, outlines his view on the relationship between the UN and Africa. Full text: UN Chronicle <http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/issue1/0107p14.htm>
AFRICAN ECONOMIC OUTLOOK 2007:
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