Address Regional Environmental challenges for sustainable development and poverty eradication

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September 3, 2012, Johannesburg, South Africa, The New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) Agency is hosting a joint meeting with international development partners and the African Union Commission, to review the effective management of the AU/NEPAD Environment Action Plan (EAP).

The two-day meeting in Johannesburg from September 3 -4, will bring together experts from the  United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Regional Economic Communities;  civil society organisations, UN Agencies and Academia as well as pilot countries of the  and Environment Action Plan( EAP)

The Plan was adopted by the Africa Union in 2003 to tackle Africa’s environmental challenges; while at the same time value environmental assets as a means towards poverty reduction, wealth creation and promoting social and economic development. The pilot countries of the EAP are Libya, Ghana, Cameroon, Mozambique and Ethiopia.. The Plan also aims at building Africa’s capacity to implement regional and international environmental agreements.

Speaking on behalf of the Director of Rural Economy and Agriculture at the AUC, Mr Almani Dampha, “commended NEPAD for the implementation of the Action Plan” while stressing the fact that “significant efforts were made specifically in the pilot countries’’.  Yet, a lot of challenges remains which the workshop aims to take stock of.

According to Mrs Estherine Lisinge Fotabong, Director of Programme Implementation and Coordination at the NEPAD Agency,”’ environment is a key component to achieve sustainable development bearing in mind that the African economy is strongly driven by natural resources’’. Therefore, the workshop outcome should be a ‘’robust document’’ which will” identify the implementation gaps and move forward to ultimately eradicate poverty and focus on economic growth’’

For the decade to come participants at the workshop are all in the agreement that there is a need for more inclusive and more collaborative approaches and efforts in order to efficiently implement the revised Africa’s Environment Action Plan.

As Climate change emerging as the latest threat to biodiversity in Africa, there is an imperative need to review and assess the progress made in implementation of the Environment Action Plan.

While most African countries are enjoying quite high economic growth, according to Mrs Cecilia Njenga, Head of the UNEP Office in South Africa, the review of the implementation of the Action Plan of the AU/NEPAD environment initiative comes very timely particularly after the recent + 20 Summit.  “It is time for all of us now to resolutely focus and implement the outcome of the revised AU/NEPAD Environment Action Plan”.

The two-day workshop will also address some key emerging environmental issues in Africa, such as the green economy, the Rio +20 outcomes while also identifying solid partnership for the creation of Africa’s environment Platform and, validate the Environment Action Plan.