The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat in collaboration with the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), held a Regional Learning Event and Investors Forum/Donors Roundtable on Environment and Natural Resources Management under the theme Building Resilience in East Africa: Bridging the Gaps in Policy & Practice at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

The forum showcased the EAC’s regional priority programs in environment and natural resources management including climate change adaptation; biodiversity conservation; water, sanitation and hygiene; and transboundary water resources management.

The forum brought together regional and national practitioners, policy makers, researchers, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, regional intergovernmental organizations, private sector representatives and development partners from the EAC region. Participants explored these themes with objective of stimulating concrete and practical actions that will impact the most vulnerable ecosystems and societies

Addressing the forum Forum/Donors Roundtable, the EAC Secretary General Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko commended the fundamental support from USAID extended towards different sectors including Trade and Investment, Agriculture, Energy, Health and institutional strengthening.

He said for the last 5 years EAC has been collaborating with USAID through different projects and programs including the Planning for Resilience in East Africa through Policy, Adaptation, Research and Economic Development (PREPARED).

“I would wish to emphasize that sustainability and scaling up of PREPARED achievements is very key and is one of the reasons why we are gathered here today.”

On his part, Mr. Brad Arsenault, Deputy Chief, USAID Kenya and East Africa said the U.S. Government, through USAID, focuses on the sustainable management of the region’s rich natural resources as a driver for socio-economic growth and sustainable development. Our joint commitment to managing natural resources is critical,” explained USAID’s Acting Director.

Mr. Brad pledged USAID’s commitment to support the strong strategic leadership by the EAC and maintaining the collaborative management structures to ensure the management and conservation of transboundary natural resources.

About the program

USAID’s PREPARED program is implemented by six regional partners including the EAC, LVBC, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Climate Prediction and Application Centre (ICPAC), Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET), Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) and Tetra Tech ARD. The program seeks to mainstream climate-resilient development planning and program implementation into regional and national development agendas.