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Action Plan for the Environment Initiative of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) AFRICAN UNION NEPAD NEPAD NNEEWW PPAARRTTNNEERRSSHHIIPP FFOORR AAFFRRIICCAA’’SS DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTT New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) PO Box 1234, Halfway House ((NNEEPPAADD)) Midrand, 1685 South Africa Tel: 011 313 3716 AACCTTIIOONN PPLLAANN FFOORR TTHHEE EENNVVIIRROONNMMEENNTT IINNIITTIIAATTIIVVEE International: +27 11 313 3716 Website: www.nepad.org UNEP AMCEN NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT (NEPAD) ACTION PLAN OF THE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE October 2003 CONTENTS ACRONYMS ACRONYMS ....................................................................................................................................... 3 AMCEN African Ministerial Conference on the Environment AMCOW African Ministerial Council on Water FOREWORD ....................................................................................................................................... 4 APAI African Protected Areas Initiative NEPAD: AN OVERVIEW ......................................................................................................................... 6 CILSS Permanent Inter-State Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... 9 Flora ECCAS Economic Community of Central African States INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................... 15 ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States I. THE ENVIRONMENT IN AFRICA: STATUS AND TRENDS .......................................................... 19 GDP Gross domestic product GEF Global Environment Facility II. AFRICA’S ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES............................................... 25 GHS Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals GIS Geographical Information Systems A. Overview of environmental challenges ................................................................ 26 B. Responses to environmental challenges .............................................................. 27 ICCP Inter-governmental Committee for the Cartegena Biosafety Protocal IGAD Intergovernmental Authority on Development III. ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLAN FOR THE FIRST DECADE OF THE 21ST CENTURY” ............ 31 IUCN IUCN/The World Conservation Union LMOs Living modified organisms A. Objectives of the Action Plan .................................................................................. 33 B. Programme areas and activities ............................................................................ 35 NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development C. Cross-cutting issues ................................................................................................... 82 OAU Organization of African Unity RIAA Regional Implementation Annex for Africa IV. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN OF THE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVE OF NEPAD ... 89 SADC Southern African Development Community V. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 91 TPN Thematic programme networks UNDP United Nations Development Programme Annexes UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change I. Strategic Plan to Build Africa’s Capacity to Implement Global and Regional Environmental Conventions ................................................................................................ 94 II. List of projects identified by the NEPAD thematic workshops ....................................... 103 III. Sustainable development for Africa (Chapter VIII (paragraphs 62-71) of the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg from 26 to 30 September 2002) .............................................................. 115 IV. Decision adopted on 10 June 2003 by the second special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment on the Action Plan of the Environment Initiative of NEPAD ............................................................................................................... 121 V. Major events related to the implementation of the UNEP/GEF medium-sized project on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development ......................................................... 124 VI. Decision adopted on 12 July 2003 by the Summit of the Arican Heads of States on the Action Plan of the Environment Initiative of NEPAD ................................................. 127 2 3 FOREWORD members of NEPAD, and supported by UNEP and GEF through the Secretariat of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment. The Action Plan relates to Africa’s common and shared sustainable development problems and concerns and it is integrated in the sense that it takes full consideration of economic T he New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), is a pledge growth, income distribution, poverty eradication, social equity and better governance as part by African leaders based on a common vision and firm conviction and parcel of Africa’s environmental sustainability agenda. The Action Plan is consistent with that African countries have a challenging task of eradicating poverty NEPAD’s emphasis on measures that will ensure that the continent is able to confront both its by promoting, both individually and collectively, sustainable growth short-term economic growth challenges and the long-term environmental, poverty reduction and development on the continent. NEPAD is anchored on the and social development imperatives. Furthermore, it takes cognisance of the related problems determination of Africans to extricate themselves and the continent of pollution, forests and plant genetic resources, freshwater, capacity building and technology from the malaise of underdevelopment and marginalisation in an transfer. increasingly globalising world. NEPAD recognises that the continent’s resources, particularly its natural and human capital are critical to launching a war on poverty Despite the enormous effort put into the process and the comprehensive nature of the and underdevelopment. These resources exist in abundance and are within our reach. What document, the Action Plan cannot, and should not, be expected to be a complete blueprint is required to mobilize these resources is bold, imaginative and innovative leadership on the that addresses the whole-range of the region’s environmental challenges. It provides a good African side combined with a new global partnership based on shared responsibility and framework that can be used as a foundation for the implementation of interventions aimed at mutual interest. sustainable development in Africa. It also provides the most appropriate framework for the establishment of a strong and fruitful partnership between Africa and its development partners NEPAD recognizes that addressing environmental issues is a pre-condition for achieving goals based on the commitments contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration and the of sustainable growth and development. Hence, environment has been identified as one of priorities identified in the Plan of Implementation of WSSD. the core priority initiatives of NEPAD. NEPAD further recognizes that a key objective of the Environment Initiative must be to combat poverty and contribute to socio-economic Finally, African countries are being called upon to take an active leadership in further development in the region. It also recognises that the range of issues necessary to nurture this developing implementation modalities at sub-regional and national levels taking this Action environment base is vast and complex, and that a systematic combination of initiatives is Plan as a basis. International development partners are also being called upon to support necessary to develop a coherent environmental programme. To this effect, the Environment the effective implementation of the Action Plan. Initiative of NEPAD identified eight sub-themes, which are of critical relevance to most African countries. NEPAD calls for the development and adoption of a coherent action plan and strategies to address the environmental priorities of the region. The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held from 26 August to 4 September H.E. Maître Abdoulaye Wade 2002, reiterates the common understanding, vision and shared conviction of the architects of President of the Republic of Senegal NEPAD. Coordinator of Environment Initiative In the Heads of State Implementation This Action Plan, which has been prepared through a consultative and participatory process, Committee of NEPAD is a response to this call. The action plan has been prepared in two phases. The first phase was the preparation of the framework for the action plan, which was endorsed by the First Summit of the African Union held in Durban in July 2002. During the second phase, eight thematic workshops and a consultative meeting with the civil society groups were organised in early 2003. This document is an outcome of the above activities and was guided by a Project Steering Committee, composed of the five members of the Bureau of AMCEN and the five founding 4 5 NEPAD: AN OVERVIEW 4. THE NEPAD PROGRAMME OF ACTION The