‘It is time for a Great Green Wall in the Southern African Dry lands’

SADC Experts of Environment and Natural Resources agreed with the decision of the 1st Specialised Technical Committee Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment and Climate Change that called for the creation of a similar framework like the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI) in the Dry lands of Southern Africa. This declaration was a result of discussions during the conference of the Ministers of Environment and Natural resources of the SADC that took place from 2nd to 6th November 2015 in Gaborone, Botswana.

Dr. Elvis Paul N. Tangem, Coordinator of the GGWSSI, presented the background and current status of the GGWSSI during the Experts Meeting. provided the historical context that led to the creation of the Initiative by Head of states, which was due to severe land degradation and desertification, and extreme climatic conditions in the Sahel and Sahara regions and the negative impact it is having on the lives and livelihood of the population in the region despite the efforts of National governments, CSOs and Development Partners. He pointed out that, not being a panacea for all the environmental and climate challenges, the GGWSSI have contributed immensely in the combat against land degradation, desertification and building of resilience to Climate change in the region. As for the practical implementation of the initiative, it came out that the GGWSSI have brought synergy in the combat against land degradation which have led to coordinated efforts and encouraged complementarity in the region leading to the good results witnessed today.

As to the reasons justifying a similar initiative in the Southern African region, the Coordinator underscored that the region faces similar challenges in with dryness, droughts, floods and vulnerability to the Sahel and Savannah region, but lacked a common platform through which efforts and resources can be channeled and synergies made and best practices shared like the GGWSSI. At the policy level he highlighted that the up-scaling of the GGWSSI in the SADC region is in-line with the current policies of the AUC which is that of streamlining development initiatives and encouraging synergies as witness with the implementation of the STCs and with global agendas and targets like the Bonn Challenge, the Aichi targets the Land Degradation Neutrality and the African Land restoration Initiative amongst others.

On the value addition of the GGW in the Southern Africa region, he underlined the fact that the initiative is not coming to replace or compete with the current initiatives in the region. “Quite the contrary, the initiative is coming as a political and advocacy platform that will go a long way at complimenting the existing efforts,” he emphasized. He indicated that the GGWSSI has a decade of experience at regional and global levels and is implemented in 21 Member states, with global Partnership, and political momentum from the Commission amongst others. The Coordinator called upon the Experts to advice the Ministers to adopt the Initiative in line with the resolution of the STC and declarations from various fora, example of the Beat famine Southern Africa conference of March, 2015 in Lilongwe, Malawi.

After appreciating and acknowledging the need and urgency of the creation of such an initiative in the region, the Experts expressed their readiness to support the programme and urged the Ministers to adopt it. The participants also raised the issue of the ‘Modus Operandi, practicability, financing and how the initiative can be work with the current ongoing programmes and strategy especially the Sub Regional Strategy to Combat desertification (SRAP).’

The experts also recognized that the initiative is very relevant for the region. It was further recommended that the environment department of SADC secretariat should work with the Department for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the Commission on the way.

---

Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Environment and Natural Resources Management

Press Statement

SADC Ministers responsible for Environment and Natural Resources met on 6th November 2015 in Gaborone, Botswana. The objectives of the meeting were to review progress on the implementation of existing programmes, consider and approve new regional policies, strategies and programmes in the sector, and adopt a regional common position for the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change due to take place in Paris, France, in December 2015.

The meeting was attended by 9 SADC Member States. In attendance were Ministers from Botswana, Mauritius and Namibia, Deputy Minister from and Mozambique while Zimbabwe and Zambia were represented by their Ambassador and High Commissioner respectively to the Republic of Botswana and Angola by the Secretary of State. Swaziland and South Africa were represented by Senior Officials. Also in attendance was the delegation from SADC Secretariat led by the Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration, Dr Thembinkosi Mhlongo.

The meeting was officially and chaired by the Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism of the Republic of Botswana, Honourable Tshekedi Khama, who is also the Chairperson of the SADC Committee of Ministers of Environment and Natural Resources.

Ministers underscored the contribution of natural resources and the environment to the socio-economic development of the region. They observed that SADC is rich in natural resources, such as fisheries, forests, minerals and is home to the largest populations of wildlife, especially elephants and rhinos.

Ministers noted that these natural resources are threatened by amongst others illegal harvesting, illegal trade, over exploitation and the impacts of climate change. These challenges undermine progress that the region is making in the fight against poverty, food security, job creation and economic development. They emphasized the need to elevate the fight against poaching and control the illegal trade in wildlife to safeguard the region’s fauna and flora.

Ministers noted that the region has developed Protocols on Forestry, Fisheries, Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement, Environmental Management for Sustainable Development, and Shared Watercourses; which promotes sustainable management and utilization of natural resources and the environment.

Ministers noted progress in efforts towards curbing the poaching of rhinos and elephants, development of capacity in the areas of environmental education, measurement of forest carbon, and negotiation skills for effective engagement at multilateral forums. They also noted that the region has developed a number of Transfrontier conservation areas such as the Kavango-Zambezi (Kaza), Limpopo and most recently the MalawiZambia TFCAs. Ministers endorsed the guidelines on the TFCA development and Tourism concessions.

During the meeting, Ministers approved new programmes and strategies to further intensify the regional integration agenda, promote adaptation to climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, foster low carbon development pathways and resource use efficiency. They approved the Sub-Regional Action Programme to Combat Desertification (SRAP) and Strategies on Climate Change, the Green Economy, and Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching. Ministers welcomed the inclusion of the blue economy as one of the new frontiers for SADC Member States.

Ministers noted that Member States continue to implement multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) of priority to the SADC region. In particular, the three Rio Conventions on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Desertification. They therefore underscored the need for the region to develop common positions with a view to speak with one voice in order to achieve outcomes that are beneficial to the region. In this regard Ministers approved a common position for the forthcoming negotiations at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) scheduled for December 2015 in Paris, France, as mandated by the SADC Summit of August 2015.

The SADC Common Position emphasizes on adaptation while also focusing on mitigation and the measures for achieving these. The measures include finance, technology transfer and adoption, and capacity building. The SADC position is aligned to the African Common Position.

On the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Ministers urged SADC Member States to prepare and make submissions towards the 17th Conference of the Parties to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 24th September to 5th October 2016. The Convention aims to regulate trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora that are traded internationally.

Ministers called upon Member States and other stakeholders to scale-up the implementation of the approved strategies and programmes in order to control and where possible reverse the current trend of environment and natural resources degradation.

Ministers expressed appreciation to the Government and people of the Republic of Botswana for hosting the meeting and for the warm hospitality accorded to them and their delegations.

Done at Gaborone, Botswana, this 6th day of November 2015