Government establishes
advisory group to guide development of a
National Programme of Action (NPA) for Marine
Environment Protection from Land-based Activities
26 April 2007 - Media Statement - Department
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism - THURSDAY,
26 APRIL 2007: The Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism has commenced the process
to develop a National Programme of Action
(NPA) for the protection of the marine environment
from land-based activities, through establishing
a National Advisory Group. The group held
its inaugural meeting in Cape Town earlier
this week.
The NPA forms part of the Global Programme
of Action (GPA) launched in 1995 by UNEP
which recommends that countries develop
national plans to address coastal and marine
degradation from key land-based activities.
South Africa is one of 108 countries that
adopted the GPA and last year also adopted
the Beijing Declaration on furthering implementation
of the GPA, at the conclusion of the GPA’s
Second Intergovernmental Review Meeting.
The development of national plans to protect
marine environments is crucial as some 80%
of all marine pollution and degradation
originate from land-based sources. A recent
review of emerging trends issues indicate
major sources in Southern Africa include
untreated sewage, coastal mining, inappropriate
agricultural practices, industrial wastewater
discharges and contaminated storm water.
In South Africa specifically, there has
been a significant increase in sewage discharges
to sensitive estuaries and nearshore coastal
waters.
Land-based activities and sources of marine
pollution are often inexorably linked, while
control measures are found in different
sectors. The South African NPA is intended
to link and integrate already existing strategies,
arrangements and activities within difference
sectors, into a coherent framework that
would stimulate cooperation. The Programme
document will identify priority issues for
intervention and promote the establishment
of partnerships. The NPA will draw from
the recommendations of a number of technical
studies commissioned under the West Indian
Ocean Land-based Activities (WIO-LaB) Project
to identify concrete solutions for highlighted
problems.
At its inaugural meeting, the Advisory
Group discussed a suitable approach for
the drafting of an NPA programme document,
and for a consultative process to be lead
by the Department. The group agreed to a
programme of consultative meetings scheduled
for stakeholders within the four coastal
provinces. The main objectives of these
meetings would be to identify specific land-based
activities impacting on the marine environment
at a local and provincial level, and to
gather input on potential solutions.
The working group comprises of key representatives
in government, technical experts and representatives
from NGO’s and the private sector and is
given until February 2008 to finalise South
Africa’s NPA for the Protection of the Marine
Environment from Land-based Activities.
Blessing Manale
Statement on behalf of Group of 77 and
China by Mr. Farukh Amil, Acting Permanent
Representative of Islamic Republic of Pakistan
to the UN, during the Fifteenth Session
of Commission on Sustainable Development
(CSD-15) New York, April 30, 2007
30 April 2007 - Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism –
Mr. Chairman:
Excellencies:
Distinguished delegates:
Ladies and gentlemen:
On behalf of the Group of 77 and China,
let me offer our profound appreciation for
your able and energetic stewardship of the
Fifteenth Session of the Commission on Sustainable
Development (CSD-15).
Let me also thank you for presenting the
Chairman’s draft negotiating document.
This Session of CSD is taking place at
an important moment when concerns about
the issues of Sustainable Development have
come to the forefront of global attention.
To end hunger and poverty; to enhance prosperity;
to ensure continued and balanced economic
and social development, the nations and
peoples of the world must successfully address
the challenges we face in each of the areas
on the Agenda for this session: Energy for
Sustainable Development; Industrial Development;
Air Pollution/Atmosphere; and Climate Change.
Both the challenges in these areas, and
the responses to them, are closely interlinked
with each other and with the realization
of sustainable development.
Mr. Chairman,
The Commission on Sustainable Development
is uniquely placed to address these issues
through its mandated role of providing policy
guidance and coordination, as well as reviewing
and monitoring the progress in the implementation
of Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation,
the Barbados Programme of Action and Mauritius
Strategy of Implementation as well as the
Bali Strategic Plan for Technology Support
and Capacity Building.
This Commission should serve as an effective
forum for ensuring full and effective implementation
of commitments and promote the integration
of the three pillars of sustainable development,
i.e. economic development, social development,
and the environmental protection.
The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development
recognized that the three overarching objectives
of, and essential requirements for sustainable
development are: protecting the natural
resources, eradicating poverty, changing
unsustainable production and consumption
patterns. In this context, while reaffirming
the principle of common but differentiated
responsibilities in protecting the environment
and promoting sustainable development, we
call for policies and actions that will
enable developing countries to bridge the
ever widening gap between the rich and the
poor.
The G-77 and China remain convinced that
concerted efforts are needed to integrate
the three pillars of sustainable development,
as agreed in Agenda 21, the Millennium Summit,
the World Summit on Sustainable Development
and the 2005 World Summit, in a coordinated,
and comprehensive manner with regard to
the policy options addressing the four themes
of CSD-15.
Our demonstrable political will has proven
insufficient to overcome the challenges
we face. These challenges transcend the
issues of commitment and will, but relate
more closely to our lack of capacity, inadequate
resources including financial, human and
technical; structural handicaps, the impact
of natural disasters, crippling impact of
external debt; unfair trade, agricultural,
and other economic policies, which impede
our development efforts.
Mr. Chairman,
The world showed tremendous stewardship
in outlining a comprehensive global development
agenda through the agreements reached and
commitments made at major UN Summits and
Conferences. Unfortunately, this has not
translated into action on the ground. Implementation
remains the Achilles Heel of the global
development agenda and the biggest challenge
for sustainable development. Implementation
of the development agenda remains the biggest
challenge for sustainable development.
We call for full and faithful implementation
of agreed commitments be based on the Rio
principles particularly the principle of
common but differentiated responsibilities.
Mr. Chairman,
The G-77 and China has consistently called
for simultaneous action to address the challenges
related to all these three pillars of sustainable
development in a coordinated, integrated
and comprehensive manner. At the national
and international levels, the economic,
social and environmental goals should be
promoted in complementary and consistent
ways. Progress on the environmental goals
and promote complementary approach. Therefore,
progress in the environmental pillar of
sustainable development should be matched
by simultaneous progress on the economic
and social pillars as well.
In the endeavour to promote solutions to
the challenges of sustainable development,
we must ensure that the priority problems
of poverty, hunger and under development
remain the center of our attention. These
developmental challenges intensify the impact
of and vulnerabilities to environmental
risks for the developing countries mainly
due to lack of their adaptative capacities
in human, technical and financial fields
as well as crippling impact of external
debt; unfair trade, agricultural, and other
economic policies. As a result, the poorest
are the hardest hit and bear the highest
and exorbitant costs.
Mr. Chairman,
We call for the provision of new and additional
financial resources for development, equitable
international trade and financial systems;
the liberalization of restraints on the
transfer of technology to and knowledge-generation
in the developing countries and concerted
efforts for capacity building in the developing
countries.
In this context, we note with regret the
decline in ODA. It fell 5.1 percent in 2006
compared to 2005. Moreover, the ODA calculations
include debt relief grants and housing of
refugees. According to some reports only
0.3 percent of EU GNI was spent on “genuine
aid” during recent years. The target of
0.7 % of GNI as ODA to developing countries
and that of 0.15 to 0.20 % of GNI of Developed
countries to Least Developed Countries remains
far from realization.
Similarly, significant progress has neither
been achieved with regard to transfer of
technology in the presence of IPRs nor in
realizing the objective of capacity building
of developing countries.
We believe that there is insufficient focus
on the development dimension of international
trade in the Doha Round and other trade
negotiations. Outside the trade field, the
restraints on access to technology, specially
advanced technologies, which could address
critical development problems, are now major
manifestation of inequality between the
developed and the developing countries.
There is now clear evidence of the constraints
placed on development by certain aspects
of the TRIPS regime.
We support a comprehensive reform of the
international financial architecture, including
enhancement in the voting powers of developing
countries, in a time bound manner.
We must find ways to fund R&D on the
priority problems of the developing countries.
A list of such priority areas for R&D
should be drawn up by the relevant international
organizations, in cooperation with the developing
countries and arrangements made to direct
financing, including by institutions and
corporations in the developed countries,
to conduct R&D on these priority problems.
As CSD-15 aims at finding ways and actions
to address the challenges with regard to
the four issues under the thematic clusters,
we cannot forget that approximately 1.6
billion people in developing countries still
have no access to energy and 2.4 billion
people have high exposure to indoor air-pollution
because they still rely on biomass for their
energy needs.
Mr. Chairman,
We emphasize that adequate policies must
take into consideration the special needs
of Africa, LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS. It is therefore
imperative that appropriate measures should
be taken to accelerate the implementation
of commitments made to Africa, and the commitments
contained in the Brussels programme of Action
for the LDCs, the Almaty Programme of Action
and the Barbados Programme of Action.
We would also like to emphasize the needs
of countries emerging from conflict in the
areas of capacity building, technical cooperation
and infrastructure development.
The Group of 77 and China believes that
the urgent implementation of the Bali Strategic
Plan for Capacity Building and Technology
Transfer is one of the essential elements
to build capacities, enhance coordination
and strengthen scientific knowledge and
assessment and cooperation, and foster the
transfer of knowledge to developing countries.
The innovation of partnerships agreed to
in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation,
requires a more coherent approach on the
corporate, environmental and social responsibility
and accountability, which would allow developing
countries to benefit from lessons learnt
and best practices in different parts of
the world.
Mr. Chairman,
An effective response to these challenges
requires clear analysis, policy clarity
and the political will to implement agreed
policies.
On the process of work during CSD-15, we
would like to request the Chairman to present
us a compilation text of various proposals
made during our discussions, with clear
attributions of proponents. It would help
our delegations to engage in the negotiations
with a better understanding of each others
viewpoints.
It is our expectation that deliberations
in CSD-15 will address the global sustainable
development challenges in an integrated
and coordinated manner and so that we can
agree to a set of action-based and development
oriented policy options with an in-built
mechanism allowing for their follow up and
implementation and find sustainable solutions
to the sustainable development challenges.
I thank you.
Statement By HE Abdalmahmood A. Mohamed
Permanent Representative Of The Sudan To
The United Nations- New York
30 April 2007 - Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism
Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen:
I have the honor to speak on behalf of
the African Group and express our gratitude
to you for the diligent manner in which
you and the Bureau of the CSD-15 have steered
the preparations leading to this session
of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
We trust that the efforts you and all the
other stakeholders in the process have put
in will be reflected in the discussions
and the final outcome of the session.
The African Group wishes to associate itself
with the statement made by the representative
of Pakistan on behalf of the Group of 77
and China.
At the outset, let me note with appreciation
your ‘Chairman’s draft negotiating document’
that will form the basis of discussions
during the next two weeks. In this respect
the African group looks forward to a successful
result of the negotiations, based on common
understanding and on a spirit of consensus
with respect to objective of this meeting
and to the relevant issues that will be
discussed.
Mr. Chairman,
As we engage in the discussions on the issues
of energy, climate change, industrial development
and air pollution with a view to making
viable policy decisions during this session,
I wish to bring to your attention the fact
that Africa is the most vulnerable and disadvantaged
with regard to: adapting to and mitigation
of negative aspects relating to the thematic
issues; capacity to develop and tap related
potential benefits; and above all development
of adequate infrastructure to address these
issues.
Hence we call for a better understanding
and underscoring of the special needs of
African countries in the discussions and
policies that will be proposed.
Mr. Chairman,
The four thematic issues being discussed
during this session are all interrelated.
Energy, industrial development, air pollution
and climate change are interrelated and
affect each other in varying measures of
complexity. They both affect human livelihoods,
particularly for the vulnerable and poor
in the developing countries, and policies
affecting one would most likely affect the
other directly or indirectly. It will hence
be important to maintain a logical balance
in our efforts to address the challenges
relating to each one of them.
In this regard, it is our view that the
four thematic issues be considered very
carefully taking into account their individual
and collective impact on sustainable development,
poverty alleviation, achievement of international
development goals including the millennium
development goals.
One sure way to attain this is by addressing
the themes within the broader framework
of the mandate of the commission on sustainable
development and, the outcomes of the major
international conferences and summits including
the Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan Of
Implementation (JPOI), the Mauritius Strategy,
and the 2005 World Summit. We believe that
these earlier international conferences
and summits provide a fair basis for further
consideration of these issues.
African priorities in the four themes include,
providing access to affordable basic energy
sources and services for both rural and
urban population, technology transfer, including
adoption of clean energy technology, harmonization
of regional energy policies, and diversification
of energy sources.
On industrial development, environmentally
sound industrial policies, infrastructural
development, market access, access to finance
technology transfer, technical assistance
and capacity building, and strengthening
North South, South South cooperation and
partnerships.
On air pollution, African priories lay
in developing air pollution and data collection
and observation capabilities, provision
of measurement for long term accounting
of green house gases and aerosols, and promoting
the use of cleaner energy, which does not
contribute to air pollution.
Although Africa contributes the least to
climate change, it is the most adversely
affected by its impact. Adverse impact of
climate change in Africa include, amongst
others, loss of biodiversity, rapid deterioration
in land cover and depletion of water resources,
and extreme climate events are occurring
such as draught and desertification.
Africa has been actively engaged in addressing
these issues through
various mechanisms, at the apex of which
is the New Partnership for Africa’s Development
(NEPAD) which has established specific programmes
and projects in every sector.
Mr Chairman
At the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(WSSD), the international community committed
itself to support Africa’s sustainable development
challenges and needs, and prioritized several
actions relevant to the CSD-15 themes. Since
2002 African countries, operating at the
ministerial level, have adopted several
programmes and actions targeted at regional
implementation. These include Africa’s Consolidated
Plan of Action on Science and Technology,
the African Regional Strategy on Disaster
Risk Reduction, the African Ministerial
Action Plan on Hydropower Development for
Africa, the Common Vision and Strategic
Framework for a Continental Policy adopted
at the First African Union Commission Conference
of Ministers Responsible for Electricity,
the outcome of the first African Union Conference
of Ministers responsible for Hydrocarbons,
and The Algiers Declaration and Plan of
Action on the Contribution of Nuclear Energy
to Peace and Sustainable Development.
The African Group calls upon CSD-15 to
recognize Africa’s regional efforts to implement
sustainable development and furthermore
calls upon Africa’s development partners
to provide financial and technical assistance
and resources to support the implementation
of Africa’s agreed programmes of action.
The African Group calls for addressing
the developmental needs of countries emerging
from conflict, and calls for gender to be
given priority in the discussions and policies
related to the four themes, and appropriate
consideration are given to the provision
of support.
Mr. Chairman, we look forward to an active
engagement of all stakeholders on these
vital issues, which we hope will culminate
in an outcome whose implementation will
bring a difference in the lives of the poor,
particularly in Africa.
I thank you.
