AFRICAN ENVIRONMENTAL NEWSLETTER OF NESDA - ISSUE No34 - OCTOBER 1996

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This electronic newsletter is a publication of the Network for Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa (NESDA). Contributions, suggestions, comments and articles should be addressed to Abou Bamba, Editor, NESDA, BP 95, Guichet Annexe BAD, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, tel: 225 20 52 23, fax: 225. 20 59 22, email: bambaa@nesda.org

Material contained in this newsletter may be freely reproduced provided that acknowledgement of the source is made. Subjects of special interest to our readers, information ongoing and upcoming events and conferences on ESD in SSA, letters to the editor or any other contributions are welcome.

This newsletter is also available in French.

In this issue:

1. NESDA Is Organizing Its Sixth Regional Workshop.

2. NESDA And The Earth Council Organize A Regional Workshop To Assess And Operationalize Sustainable Development.

3. Cote D=92ivoire Organized Its NEAP Donors Roundtable.

4. Cameroon Prepares For Its NEAP Donors Roundtable .

5. 2nd Preparatory Meeting Of The Regional Environmental Information Management Project (REIMP).

6. Managing The Environment Locally In Sub-Saharan Africa (Melissa).

7. Kenya Has Launched An Environmental Newsletter

8. Forthcoming Events...

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@HEADLINE =3D NESDA IS ORGANIZING ITS SIXTH REGIONAL WORKSHOP

NESDA is preparing its its sixth regional workshop in Cotonou, Benin, from November 11-13, 1996.

The purpose of this meeting is to enable the members and management of NESDA to address pertinent issues raised last year at the Cape Town meeting and take decisions based on these comments and suggestions, on the following specific issues related to the administration on the network.:

1) governance - Board of Directors, International Advisory Commitee, Support Group

2) accountability and transparency - review and adoption of NESDA=92s= Statutes and By-Laws.

3) membership criteria and definition of members rights and responsabilities

4) communication and information exchange, Inter Connectivity.

FLASH will report on the outcomes of this meeting on the next issue.

@HEADLINE =3D NESDA AND THE EARTH COUNCIL ORGANIZE A REGIONAL WORKSHOP TO ASSESS AND OPERATIONALIZE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

Five years after the Earth Summit, there is a need to form effective partneship among all key actors in society to make sustainability work. The Earth Council in colloboration with a number of NGOs Networks and National Councils for Sustainable Development, is co-hosting a number of regional workshops to evaluate progress since the Earth Summit and assess future prospects for sustainable development.

NESDA (Network for Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa). is among the NGOs Networks and National Councils for Sustainable Development selected by the Earth Council to conduct the sub-regional workshops in Africa.

NESDA will organize the workshop for Western and Central Africa countries. The workshop will take place in Cotonou, Benin, from 14-16 November, 1996. The purpose of this workshop is to promote multi-stakeholder participation in the RIO+5 assessment process focussing on policies, best practices, values, and mechanisms for cooperation in Western and Central Africa region.

The RIO+5 process is an independant review by civil society including National Councils for Sustainable Development (NCSD) and the private sector to assess past performance and highlight future prospects for sustainability. This process will complement the preparatory activities of the UN commission for Sustainable Development for the Special Session of the U.N. Assembly for a Five Year Review after the Earth Summit.

@HEADLINE =3D KENYA HAS LAUNCHED AN ENVIRONMENTAL NEWSLETTER

The Kenya National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) has produced the first issue of Kenya NEAP Newsletter.

According to the NEAP Secretariat, this newsletter will enhance networking in the area of environmental management , policiy and information sharing. This informative bulletin on environmental activities in Kenya is the first

in a series of many intented to inform the general public, and public awareness on national efforts towards improved environmental management in Kenya.

This fisrt issue includes among others the following themes: - Government Guidelines and targets for the environment
- Highlights of Proposed Environment Bill
- Implementing Environmenal Laws
- What is Environmental Impacts Assessment?
- The Story of NEAP
- Focus on NGOs

..... This NEAP newsletter laucjing in preceded by Benin, Gambia, Nigeria, Mali and Senegals publication, etc..., it is now the turn of Kenya to produce its environmental newsletter. NESDA encourages all country members to publish their own environmental newsletter as a means to foster public awareness of environmental issues and to inform the international community about national and local initiatives being developed for environmental management.

Information from the Kenya NEAP Newsletter can be obtained from:

Prof. Michael K. Koech, MBS
National Coordinator
NEAP Secretariat
UNIAFRIC HSE
KOINANGE STREET
P.O. BOX 30126
NAIROBI, KENYA

@HEADLINE COTE DIVOIRE ORGANIZED ITS DONORS ROUNDTABLE The donors community, the civil society and the Government of Cote dIvoir e (GOCI) met from 15-17, October 1996 to discuss the NEAP, implementation and funding.

The needs expressed by the GOCI are 155 billions FCFA (the GOCI will contribute for 25 billions) for the first phase of the implementation from 1996-2000 and FCFA 350 billions for the second phase from 1996-2010. In a joint declaration, the GOCI and the donors community recognized the importance of the immediate implementation of the NEAP since it has been prepared to be integrated in the national development program. The donors community registred interest to support the program. The GOCI assured that it will take continue its efforts for a better enforcement of the laws and rules regarding environmental protection. The donors community and the GOCI will meet again in three months to discuss the most important issues.

@HEADLINE 3D CAMEROON PREPARES FOR ITS DONORS ROUNDTABLE

After Cote d=92Ivoire, it is now the turn of the The Government of Cameroon (GOC) to organize its donors roundtable for the implementation of the National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP).

This event is scheduled to take place in Yaounde from 07-09 November 1996. An active participation from multilateral and bilateral donors and the civil society is expected.

@HEADLINE =3D 2ND PREPARATORY MEETING OF THE REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PROJECT (REIMP).

The World Bank and the Government of Gabon has organized from 7-9 Octobre 1996 the 2nd meeting to prepare for the implementation of the REIMP. The REIMP is designed for a five-year period and covers the following countries: Central African Republic (CAR), Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea , Gabon and Zaire. The main objective of the project is to establish a demand-driven and action-oriented information system and build up capacity in the participating countries to improve monitoring, land use and planing, priority setting and decision making for forest and bio-diversity management in the Congo Basin.

About 60 participants came from the 6 countries involved in the project. The objectives of the workshop were as follows; i) to review the institutional aspects of the project at the national and regional levels, ii) to define and review the establishment of a Regional Center for Environmental Information and a Management and Coordination Unit and, iii) to summarize the project documents.

The opening session was followed by working groups sessions on : i)Definition of the Regional Council for Environmental Information, ii) Establishment of the Management and Coordination Unit, iii) Linkages between different stakeholders agencies and, iv) Harmonization of national proposals in order to have a coherent strategy.

The next preparatory meeting is scheduled for mid-feb. 9197.

Contact:

Francois Rantrua
The World Bank
Environment - Africa Region
1818 H Street
Washington D.C. 20433
USA
Email: frantrua@worldbank.org

@HEADLINE =3D DECENTRALIZATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The World Bank, the European Union and the Governments of Sweden and Norway has initiated a pilot project in several Sub-Saharan African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo, Eritrea, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique).

The project called MELISSA is an attempt to get better, faster and more sustainable results in the field regarding the management of local environment. The overall goal of creating MELISSA is to help improve the quality of life at the local level especialy for low-income residents, through environmental protection and management.

This will be achieved by pursuing a range of objectives including:

B7 to organize a regional workshop
B7 to assist with preparation of environmental management strategies and local environmental action plans
B7 to stimulate follow-up investment
B7 Institutional strengthening of member localities
B7 to reinforce processes of decentralization and public participation

These objectives are not mutually exclusive and are often interlinked. Also, they apply equally to large cities and small rural local authorities, as well as non-governmental entities.

MELISSA is also an attempt to establish a network of professionals and decision-makers involved in the local management of the environment, thus will allow exchange of best-practices and the creation of collaborative activities.

A launching workshop for MELISSA is scheduled to be held in Brussel, Belgium, from November 21-22, 1996.

For more information on the project, contact:

Jean-Roger Mercier
The World Bank
Environment - Africa Region
1818 H Street
Washington D.C. 20433
USA

T. +225. 473 5565
F. +225. 473 7916
Email: jmercier@worldbank.org

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

B7 Third Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity 4-15 November 1996, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

B7 Eighth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, 18-29 November 1996, San Jose, Costa Rica.

B7 Meeting on Environment and Natural Resources Accounting, November 1996, Nairobi, Kenya.

ERRATUM

Please note that the correct email address of the National Environment Secretariat of Lesotho is NATENV@LESOFF.CO.ZA and not NATENV@LETOFF.CO.ZA

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