ROA News

ROA News is a Quarterly Newsletter of the Regional Office for Africa (ROA) at UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya

ISSUE NO 2 January 2001

CONTENTS

1
Foreword by the
Executive Director of UNEP
A Message
2
from the Renewing UNEP’s Presence in Africa
Executive Director of
3
UNEP Safeguarding Africa's Stakes in Global
Bernard Wahihia/UNEP

Negotiations on the Environment -

African Ministers of the
Environment meet in Dakar.

4
General Trust Fund for the
African Ministerial Conference
s we begin our passage into the contributions to the protection of the African

A “Millennium of the Environment”,

UNEP and the Permanent
Representatives of the African governments
environment.

Africa is still widely perceived as a single

on the Environment

have reason to be pleased with the results of country, and not accurately understood as a 2002 Summit
their joint endeavour in implementing the highly diverse continent three times the size
decisions of the last Governing Council on of the United States of America and 6
Support to Africa. I containing more than Earth Summit
would like to offer the fifty distinct countries.
members of the African The ecological 7
Diplomatic Corps and diversity and the
their families my very human potential is also UNEP/GEF:
It is about recognizing Responding to Africa's Needs
best wishes for the New equally great. This
Year. I would also like to that cultural and reality should not deter
us but merely remind 9
thank them for biological diversity has
the individual and us that although the List of African Permanent Representatives
collective support
merit and that tolerance challenges and threats to UNEP and UNCHS
extended to UNEP. and solidarity will have to are common, we are a
diverse world. 10
be the overriding
The twenty-first session Diplomatic Column:
of UNEP’s Governing principles leading us to A strong message Interview of
Council and the needs to emerge H.E. Mr. Mohammed Chraibi,
the summit. from these meetings -
Conference on the ten- Permanent Representative of the
year review of the Earth that sustainable Kingdom of Morocco to UNEP
Summit in 2002 will development is not just
present complex about improving 12
challenges and quality of life. It is
The Millennium Summit -
opportunities for the African governments. about realising that the human family’s
Environment and the
These two meetings reflect a landscape where security is at stake. It is about recognizing
Special Needs of Africa
the enormity of the world’s environmental, that cultural and biological diversity has merit
social and economic problems is not viewed and that tolerance and solidarity will have to
14
as a discouraging sign of inequity and despair, be the overriding principles leading us to the
but as a powerful impetus for us to redress summit. Only then do we improve our Recent Developments
imbalances and reaffirm our commitment to chances for success at the 2002 Summit. At
world-wide sustainable development. At the gathering we could lay the groundwork 16
these meetings, African governments have an for a future where hope takes on new NGO Column:
opportunity to present important significance for all of us. Article by Dr. Moses Isooba,
Executive Secretary,
Uganda Wildlife Society
 UNEP AND AFRICA

Renewing UNEP’s
Presence in Africa

2
natural he
potential
choice ofof“Support
the continent,
to Africa”the
as

T
challenges
development
andofopportunities
an area
built onprocess presents
an appreciation
foundation of partnerships.
which
concentration by UNEPits
is
andgreat
of the the

The year 2000 saw UNEP take some notable

steps towards implementing its mandate of
enhancing its profile in Africa.

Each of UNEP’s Divisions devoted time and

resources in responding to Africa’s
environmental priorities thus substantially
increasing the core resource allocation to
Africa. Together with African governments and
partners in the region, success was achieved
in developing common African positions and
negotiation strategies in critical areas such as
biosafety, forests, climate, desertification and
biodiversity.

UNEP also succeeded in leveraging extra-

budgetary resources for Africa. The UNEP/
GEF* has helped to significantly increase the
flow of GEF resources to Africa in the last two
years to nearly US $ 169 million. The United
Nations Development Fund and UN Turner
Foundation cumulatively provided
approximately US $ 4 million. In response to

Chris Hellier/UNEP
a request by African governments, UNEP has
submitted a project proposal of almost US $
900,000 to donors to mobilize resources for
preparations for the 2002 Summit. The
Montreal Protocol’s investment in Africa’s
Ozone Network alone stands at almost US $ and inter-agency technical committees Convention in South Africa and the Twelfth
4 million for networking and capacity- charged with the task of implementing the Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol
building activities. This does not include medium-term plan. in Burkina Faso.
substantial financing for ODS-related projects
in Africa. Together with its partners in Africa, Since 1998, Africa has been playing a greater UNEP’s relations with Africa’s key
UNEP has, by leveraging approximately role in international dialogue and has already intergovernmental bodies have been
US $ 200 million, increased by 50 times the hosted the Conference of the Parties meetings significantly strengthened. The highlights
allocation of the Environment Fund to the of the Convention on Biological Diversity and include the decision to open an Office in
Regional Office for Africa. the Convention on International Trade of Addis Ababa to build strategic partnerships
Endangered Species (CITIES) in Nairobi. Africa with the Organization of African Unity and
UNEP’s close relationship with the African also hosted the Fifth Meeting of the UN/Economic Commission for Africa.
Ministerial Conference on the Environment Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on
(AMCEN) needs a special mention. AMCEN the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) * - Global Environment Facility
has been growing in stature and profile since
its renewal at its eighth session in Abuja,
Nigeria. At this session, AMCEN took clear
steps to transform itself into a strengthened Making globalisation work for world’s poor
organisation - guiding and leading Africa’s
participation in global negotiations,
“The central challenge we face today is to ensure that globalisation becomes a
mobilising support for sound environmental
positive force for all the world’s people, instead of leaving billions of them behind
policy and providing a framework for
marshalling cooperation among African in squalor.” If we are to get the best out of globalisation and avoid the worst, we
countries, organizations and the United must learn how to govern better at local and national levels, and to govern better
Nations. These changes were contained in the at the international level.”
recommendations for policy and institutional
change and a medium-term programme for Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, December 2000
the next four years. The “Abuja Declaration”
envisages the establishment of intersessional

Safeguarding Africa’s stakes in
global negotiations on the environment:
African Ministers of the Environment
meet in Dakar.
The Government of Senegal hosted
T a Special Session of the African
Ministerial Conference of the
Environment from 19 to 21 October 2000 in
Dakar. On the agenda were issues such as
forging African common positions for
meetings of the Conference of the Parties to
the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change in November, the Twelfth
Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol
and the Fourth Meeting of the Conference of
the Parties to the Convention to Combat
Desertification. The meeting also discussed
the implementation in Africa of the Malmö
Declaration as well as Africa’s preparations
for the 2002 Summit.
The meeting recommended that Africa’s
review of the implementation of the Rio
agreements, including Agenda 21, should be
forward-looking and should focus on the
critical issues impeding the achievement of
sustainable development. It recommended
AMCEN - DAKAR
Martina Dobrusky/UNEP
that international efforts be directed at
enhancing the capacity of UNEP to effectively
address the wide-ranging environmental
threats of an increasingly globalizing world.
It called for the substantial strengthening of
UNEP, a broader its financial base more
predictable funding.
This special session of AMCEN decided to
prepare a strategy for the implementation of
the Malmö Declaration. The AMCEN
President will report to UNEP’s Governing
Council’s twenty-first Session/Global
Ministerial Environment Forum (Nairobi, 5 to
9 February 2001) on progress made in this
important area.
The meeting also decided that the AMCEN
Bureau, Inter-sessional Committee, Inter-
Agency Technical Committee and Secretariat
will actively participate in the twenty-first
Session of the Council and in the ministerial
consultations. The African Ministers of
Environment could hold consultations in
Nairobi, in February 2001, to agree on
common perspectives and position.
It authorised the AMCEN Secretariat to
undertake a comprehensive study to identify
opportunities for enhancing AMCEN’s role in
the monitoring of the ratification process of
regional and global conventions on the
environment and to evaluate the implications 3
for the provision of Secretariat support to
selected regional conventions e.g. the
Bamako Convention (1991), Algiers
Convention on Nature Conservation (1968)
and for future instruments and protocols
which the region may wish to develop.
The meeting decided to prepare a
comprehensive report on the status of
ratification, in Africa, of major regional and
selected global conventions to be ready by
the 2002 Summit. AMCEN will support,
jointly with the OAU and ECA as well as
relevant regional bodies, the preparation of
an African Common Position on the 2002
Summit. It called upon those African
countries, which have not yet done so, to ratify
the Montreal Protocol and all its amendments
to facilitate full action on the region’s concerns
within the context of these instruments.
It called on African governments, which have
not yet effected their contributions to the
AMCEN Trust Fund, as agreed in Abuja in
April 2000, to do so at the earliest possible
time to ensure adequate means of
implementation of the decisions of the Eighth
Session of the Conference.
Delegates also decided to launch a special
resource mobilization initiative to boost the
resources for the implementation of the
AMCEN medium-term programme and called
on Africa’s cooperation partners to support
this effort.
The special session requested the AMCEN
Secretariat to convene daily meetings of
AMCEN during the: (i) Sixth Meeting of the
Parties to the UN Convention on Climate
Change as well as (ii) the Fourth Meeting of
the Parties to the UN Convention on
Desertification in order to ensure an effective
coordination of Africa’s position and
perspective on all issues of primary concern
or interest to the region. It called upon the
AMCEN Secretariat to prepare a compendium
of project proposals to be submitted by African
countries within the framework of the Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM). UNEP was
asked to undertake, in cooperation with
relevant partners, a feasibility study on the
establishment of national and/or sub-regional
CDM offices in Africa.
Regarding the venue of the 2002 Summit, the
special session recognized the need to hold
such a conference in a developing country. It
fully supported the candidature of South
Africa to host the Summit.
 COLLECTIONS

GENERAL TRUST FUND FOR THE AFRICAN MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON THE ENVIRONMENT (AMCEN)
Status of Contributions Updated List as at 1 February 2001
(Expressed in US Dollars)
Total Govt. agreed Collections in 2000 Unpaid contributions
COUNTRY Collections between contributions for the for the biennium for the biennium
1996 & 1999 biennium 2000/2001 2000/2001 2000/2001
1 Algeria 0 200,000 0 200,000
2 Angola 0 100,000 0 100,000
3 Benin 5,000 50,000 0 50,000
4 4 Botswana 0 100,000 0 100,000
5 Burkina Faso 10,000 50,000 0 50,000
6 Burundi 0 25,000 0 25,000
7 Cameroon 0 100,000 0 100,000
8 Cape Verde 0 25,000 0 25,000
9 Centra Afr. Rep. 0 25,000 0 25,000
10 Chad 0 25,000 0 25,000
11 Comoros 0 25,000 0 25,000
12 Congo 0 25,000 0 25,000
13 Congo, Dem. Rep. 0 25,000 0 25,000
14 Cote d'Ivoire 0 100,000 0 100,000
15 Djibouti 0 25,000 0 25,000
16 Egypt 689,800 200,000 0 200,000
17 EquatorialGuinea 0 25,000 0 25,000
18 Eritrea 0 25,000 0 25,000
19 Ethiopia 0 25,000 0 25,000
20 Gabon 0 100,000 0 100,000
21 Gambia 0 25,000 25,000 0
22 Ghana 68,500 100,000 0 100,000
23 Guinea 0 25,000 0 25,000
24 Guinea Bissau 0 25,000 0 25,000
25 Kenya 0 50,000 0 50,000
26 Lesotho * 0 25,000 16,122 8,878
27 Liberia 0 25,000 0 25,000
28 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 0 200,000 0 200,000
29 Madagascar 0 25,000 25,615 -615
30 Malawi 0 50,000 0 50,000
31 Mali 0 50,000 0 50,000
32 Mauritania * 0 72,000 0 72,000
33 Mauritius 29,906 100,000 0 100,000
34 Morocco 0 200,000 0 200,000
35 Mozambique * 0 25,000 0 25,000
36 Namibia 0 100,000 0 100,000
37 Niger 0 25,000 0 25,000
38 Nigeria * 0 200,000 0 200,000
39 Rwanda 0 50,000 0 50,000
40 Sao Tome and Principe 0 25,000 0 25,000
41 Senegal 0 100,000 0 100,000
42 Seychelles 500 100,000 0 100,000
43 Sierra Leone 0 25,000 0 25,000
44 Somalia 0 25,000 0 25,000
45 South Africa 5,000 200,000 100,000 100,000
46 Sudan 0 25,000 0 25,000
47 Swaziland * 0 25,000 6,000 19,000
48 Togo 0 50,000 0 50,000
49 Tunisia 0 100,000 0 100,000
50 Uganda 0 100,000 0 100,000
51 United Rep. of Tanzania 0 50,000 0 50,000
52 Zambia 0 50,000 0 50,000
53 Zimbabwe 26,994 100,000 0 100,000
Sub-Total 835,700 3,622,000 172,737 3,449,263
Additional contributions
Environmental
Communication Operates
(ECO) 0 10,000 10,000 0
Norway 0 42,579 1/ 42,579 0
TOTAL 835,700 3,674,579 225,317 3,449,263

• Lesotho pledged US $ 16,000 at the 8th Session of AMCEN held in Abuja, Nigeria
• Mauritania pledged US $ 72,000 at the 8th Session of AMCEN held in Abuja, Nigeria
• Mozambique pledged US $ 57,000 at the 8th Session of AMCEN held in Abuja, Nigeria
• Nigeria pledged US $ 200,000 at the 8th Session of AMCEN held in Abuja, Nigeria
• Swaziland pledged US $ 6,000
• 1/ NOK 400,000

Note: The third column is based on the AMCEN Abuja Decisions 5 (b), (c) and (d)

The 2002 World Summit on
Sustainable Development
in Johannesburg:
Reflections and
Perspectives
outh Africa has been chosen to
S host the 2002 United Nations
World Summit on Sustainable
Development. “Bringing the Earth Summit to
South Africa is a major boost for Africa, as
the major conference on sustainable
development on our soil will firmly place
these issues and debates on the agenda of our
continent” said South African Deputy
Environment and Tourism Environment and
Tourism Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi.
The United Nations Secretary-General
reaffirmed that 2001 “must be a year of
intensive preparations for “Rio + 10” - the
follow up event ten years after the Earth
Summit.” “We have got to restore the sense
of urgency about environmental problems
which prevailed when that summit was held”,
he added.
The UN Commission on Sustainable
Development will function as the preparatory
committee and will hold four meetings, from
30 April to 2 May 2001 (in New York), late
January 2002, mid-March 2002 and mid-May
2002 (in Indonesia, at ministerial level).
Commentary by Werner Obermeryer,
UNEP New York Office
The role that UNEP has undertaken in the
implementation of Agenda 21 has been an
integral part of its policy framework since the
Rio Conference, in terms of the
intergovernmental decisions and further
institutional reforms which have served to
clarify, refine and strengthen UNEP’s role and
mandate. In response to the environmental
challenges and in light of this policy evolution
and the mandate of UNEP, a number of new
initiatives have been taken that will be
especially relevant in the context of the ten-
year review. These are in the areas of
assessment and early warning; environmental
law; coordination of environmental
conventions; technology, industry and
economics; and the regional dimension.
The eighth session of the Commission on
Sustainable Development (CSD) gives UNEP
a major role, particularly at the regional level,
in the preparatory activities for the 2002
conference. The Nairobi Declaration is
highlighted and the UNEP Governing Council
requested to provide views to the tenth CSD
as an important input to the preparatory
process for the ten-year review. The Inter-
Agency CSD has designated UNEP as task
manager to prepare review reports on
atmosphere; biodiversity and biosafety;
2002 SUMMIT
chemicals and wastes; and decision-making
structures and institutions for sustainable
development.
Important contributions to the ten-year review
already initiated by UNEP include the
preparation for the third Global Environment
Outlook (GEO) report, which is expected to
be completed in 2002 providing a definitive
assessment of the global environmental
situation. The GEO 3 process, which will
gather and synthesize the knowledge of more
than 850 experts in some 35 scientific
institutions around the world, will take a 30-
year retrospective and 30-year forward-
looking perspective, with a view to reframing
the way the international community
understands and responds to the environment
in the new millennium (for the African
Environment Outlook see page 14).
UNEP’s information strategy is also being
implemented through a series of sectoral
assessments of key environmental issues such
as the Global International Waters Assessment
(GIWA), Land Management and
Environmental Change Programme and the
Desert Margins Programme. In collaboration
with the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the
World Resources Institute, UNEP has recently
published a world resources report. The report
presents the results of the pilot phase of the
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which is
a major international collaborative effort to
map the health of the planet, and an initiative
highlighted by the Secretary-General in his
report to the Millennium Assembly, (see page
12) The report also presents the process for
the preparation of the third ten-year
programme for the development and periodic
review of environmental law. The Montevideo
Programme III will be submitted to the
Governing Council at its twenty-first session
for adoption.
The convening by UNEP of the first Global
Ministerial Environment Forum, in Malmö,
Sweden, attracted an unprecedented
gathering of more than 100 environmental
Ministers from around the world. The
outcome of the Forum - The Malmö
Declaration - is an inspiring and meaningful
expression of a global environmental
consciousness and responsibility. As a major
input to the Millennium Summit and as we
prepare for the tenth anniversary of the 1992
Rio Earth Summit, the message from Malmö
is that there is an environmental crisis that
can only be addressed by governments, the
private sector and civil society forging
partnerships and acting together to alleviate
poverty and to remedy the threats to human
health and the environment caused by our
past actions.
The Environment Ministers who gathered at
Malmö expressed their conviction that the ten-
year review of the outcomes of the United
Nations Conference on Environment and
Development in 2002 will provide a unique
5
Soo Wee Ming/UNEP
opportunity for the international community
to reinvigorate the spirit of Rio. The Ministers
stated that the objective of this Summit should
not be to renegotiate Agenda 21, which
remains valid, but to inject a new spirit of
cooperation based on agreed actions in the
common quest for sustainable development.
They also recognized the need for
governments and UNEP to play a major role
in the preparation for the 2002 review of
UNCED at the regional and global level and
ensure that the environmental dimension of
sustainable development is fully considered
on the basis of a broad assessment of the state
of the global environment. The Declaration
emphasizes that the 2002 Summit should aim
at addressing the major challenges to
sustainable development, and in particular the
pervasive effect of the burden of poverty on a
large proportion of the Earth’s inhabitants,
counterpoised against excessive and wasteful
consumption and inefficient resource use that
perpetuates the vicious circle of
environmental degradation and increasing
poverty.
Greater recognition of the economic and
societal aspects of sustainable development
necessitate the possible requirement for a
strengthened institutional structure for
international environmental governance,
based on an assessment of future needs for
an institutional architecture that has the
capacity to address wide-ranging
environmental threats in a globalising world.
In this regard UNEP has, in cooperation with
the respective governing bodies of the
environmental and environment-related
conventions, undertaken a series of initiatives
to develop coherent interlinkages among the
conventions and to promote their effective
implementation through the definition of
areas of complementarity and avoidance of
duplication. The translation of synergies into
concrete action and effective and efficient
ways of achieving the objectives of
sustainable development, especially at the
national and local levels, is a challenge which
would also require discussion at the 2002
conference and is another area where UNEP
is expected to take a leading role.

Earth Summit
Agenda 21
The United Nations
Programme of Action
From Rio
6
genda 21 stands as a comprehensive
A blueprint for action to be taken
globally in every area in which
human activity impacts on the environment.
It was adopted by 178 Governments at the
United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development held in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, from 3 to 14 June 1992. The
programme of action contains the following
Chapters:
RIO DECLARATION ON ENVIRONMENT
AND DEVELOPMENT
AGENDA 21: PROGRAMME OF ACTION
FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
1. Preamble
Section 1:
Social and Economic Dimensions
2. International cooperation to accelerate
sustainable development in
developing countries and related
domestic policies
3. Combating poverty
4. Changing consumption patterns
5. Demographic dynamics and
sustainability
6. Protecting and promoting human
health
7. Promoting sustainable human
settlement development
8. Integrating environment and
development in decision-making
Section 2:
Conservation and Management of
Resources for Development
9. Protection of the atmosphere
10. Integrated approach to the planning
and management of land resources
11. Combating deforestation
12. Managing fragile ecosystems:
Combating desertification and drought
13. Managing fragile Ecosystems:
Sustainable mountain development
14. Promoting sustainable agriculture and
rural development
15. Conservation of biological diversity
16. Environmentally sound management
of biotechnology
17. Protection of the oceans, all kinds of
seas, including enclosed and semi-
enclosed seas, and coastal areas and
the protection, rational use and
development of their living resources
18. Protection of the quality and supply of
EARTH SUMMIT
Men Pierrot Chan Hong/UNEP
freshwater resources: Section 4:
Application of integrated approaches Means of Implementation
to the development, management and
use of water resources 33. Financial resources and mechanisms
19. Environmentally sound management 34. Transfer of environmentally sound
of toxic chemicals, including technology, cooperation and capacity-
prevention of illegal international building
traffic in toxic and dangerous products 35. Science for sustainable development
20. Environmentally sound management 36. Promoting education, public
of hazardous wastes, including awareness and training
prevention of illegal international 37. National mechanisms and
traffic in hazardous wastes international cooperation for capacity-
21. Environmentally sound management building in developing countries
of solid wastes and sewage-related 38. International institutional
issues arrangements
22. Safe and environmentally sound 39. International legal instruments and
management of radioactive wastes mechanisms
40. Information for decision-making
Section 3:
Strengthening the Role of Major Groups STATEMENT OF FOREST PRINCIPLES
23. Preamble
24. Global action for women towards
“The AIDS pandemic is undermining
sustainable and equitable
social and economic structures and
development
reversing the fragile gains made since
25. Children and youth in sustainable
independence . . . .This is a battle for
development
the continent’s survival . . . . We carry
26. Recognizing and strengthening the
inside each and every one of us the
role of indigenous people and their
potential to increase the problem or the
communities
potential to help solve the problem. This
27. Strengthening the role of non-
is not a policy issue: this is ourselves,
governmental organizations: Partners
our families, our communities, our
for sustainable development
hopes. All this is our decisive moment.”
28. Local authorities’ initiatives in support
of Agenda 21
Kingsley Amoako, Executive Secretary
29. Strengthening the role of workers and
of the United Nations Economic
their trade unions
Commission for Africa, African
30. Strengthening the role of business and
Development Forum 2000,
industry
December 2000
31. Scientific and technological
community
32. Strengthening the role of farmers
 UNEP AND THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY (GEF)
Responding to
Africa’s needs
n 2000, UNEP, as an Implementing
I Agency of the Global Environment
Facility, continued to give priority to
assisting, in accordance with its role and
mandate, African countries to access GEF
resources and to address global environmental
challenges facing the continent, in particular
desertification . The total portfolio of UNEP
GEF project activities encompasses 137
activities in more than 49 African countries,
with total project funding of over US$ 135
million. In addition, a project pipeline worth
more than US $100 million is under active
preparation.
The year 2000 coincided with the finalisation
and the launch of the activities of the UNEP/
GEF project on Community-based
Rehabilitation of the Degraded Lands of
Transboundary Areas of Senegal and
Mauritania of US$ 12 million as well as the
adoption of a number of project preparation
activities for the management of the cross-
border areas between Niger and Nigeria as
well as between Ethiopia and Djibouti. A
similar project is already under
implementation for the management of semi-
Ugonna Emerole/UNEP
arid cross-border areas of Mozambique,
Zambia and Zimbabwe.
An especially important project to address the
interlinkages between land and water
degradation in Africa concerns the
management of the Fouta Djallon Highlands,
a transboundary watershed and ecosystem.
Management of this watershed will not only
address land degradation in the highlands but
also in the international river basins
originating in the highlands. This project has
been initiated by UNEP in close collaboration
with the OAU, the UN’s Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and the Global
Mechanism of the Convention to Combat
Desertification. It is the first time that such a
partnership has been forged in the context of
GEF activities.
UNEP also had two medium-sized projects
approved to combat of land degradation in
Africa. Implementation of the project began
with community-based land and water
management at Lake Baringo, Kenya, which
is a demonstration project with potential for
replication in other small lake catchments.
The project in East Africa on land use change
analysis, as an approach for assessing
biodiversity loss and land degradation, is
developing a tool for land use change analysis
that will be of great strategic value.
With a view to promoting a greater knowledge
and understanding of dryland ecosystems,
UNEP in collaboration with FAO, launched
the preparation of the Dryland and Land 7
Degradation Assessment Project, which will
assist eligible countries and in particular
African countries in the implementation of the
Convention to Combat Desertification. This
initiative was welcomed by the Fourth
Conference of the Parties to the Convention
to Combat Desertification, held in Bonn in
December 2000.
In addition, UNEP, in collaboration with the
World Bank, is also actively involved in the
implementation of the GEF initiative on Land
and Water in Africa. To this end, UNEP
organized in Nairobi in May 2000 the first
consultation with African partners with the
major African institutions represented. As a
contribution to this initiative, UNEP is also
actively promoting a vibrant portfolio in the
GEF focal area of international waters in Africa
aimed at supporting the implementation of
the African regional seas conventions as well
as the Cape Town and Maputo processes. The
development of transboundary diagnostic
analyses and strategic action programmes for
the management of transboundary water
bodies such as the Mediterranean Sea, Lake
Volta, the Canary Current, and the Western
Indian Ocean are among activities in Africa
carried out by UNEP.
In addition to assisting African countries to
respond to the challenges of land degradation,
loss of biodiversity and the pollution of
international waters, UNEP is assisting African
countries to implement their commitments
under the Rio Conventions. UNEP is assisting
12 African countries to prepare their national
biodiversity strategies and action plans and
13 other African countries to prepare their
national communications to the Climate
Change Convention. UNEP will assist all
African Countries that have signed the
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to prepare
for the entry into force of the Protocol and to
finalise their national biosafety frameworks.
Similar activities are planned to build the
capacity of African countries for the entry into
force of the newly adopted convention on
persistent organic pollutants.
“It is based on such achievements, that the
African Ministers of the Environment
attending the meeting of AMCEN held in
Dakar in October 2000 congratulated UNEP/
GEF in responding to African priorities. We
will continue to spare no efforts in assisting
African countries to access GEF resources”
said Mr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, the Executive
Coordinator of UNEP/GEF.
 UNEP AND THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY (GEF)

The Nairobi River Basin Project

In early 1999, Klaus Töpher, the Executive

Director of UNEP 1, said that UNEP and
Habitat were ready to help relevant authorities
to develop an “action plan” for Nairobi that
could be a “blueprint for environmentally
sensitive urban development throughout
Africa”. Such an action plan, involving all
8 stakeholder, would identify environmentally
vulnerable areas, which require careful
management for the future sustainability of
the city.

As a result, UNEP’s Regional Office for Africa

started work on the ‘Nairobi Initiative’. This
evolved into the Nairobi River Basin Project
whose vision is to restore to the capital city
its riverine system as a source of clean water
ant to promote a healthier environment for
the people of Nairobi.

Following the completion of Phase one in

2000, Phase two will be implemented in
2001- 2002 under the Project Title of ‘The
Nairobi Dam Initiative’.

Phase three (2003-2006) will see the

replication of successfully implemented
strategies throughout the Nairobi River Basin.

Further information and details may be

obtained from the Regional Office for Africa,
UNEP.

World Environment Day

The United Nations Environment Progamme’s

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated
globally on 5 June. As part of these global
celebrations a vigorous community-based,
multi-media campaign is launched
throughout Africa by the Regional Office for
Africa, raising public awareness through
community activities and by ‘giving a human
face to environment issues.

WED Information packs are produced for David Fleetham/UNEP

distribution throughout Africa.

Clean up the World Campaign

In 1993 UNEP joined Clean up Australia to

promote the Clean up the World (CUW)
Campaign. Clean up the World activities are
carried out during the third weekend in
September each year with over 40 million A testimonial
people in 120 countries participating in the
biggest community driven project on this “UNEP has cultivated and nurtured mutually beneficial links not only between
planet. The Regional Office for Africa is itself and NGOs but also amongst NGOs themselves. In addition, UNEP has
responsible for the African activities including assisted in building the respect that NGOs now enjoy worldwide. We, at the
those undertaken with NGOs, CBO’s,
Zimbabwe Environmental Research Organization (ZERO) are proud to be
religious organisations, schools, youth groups
associated with UNEP and hope that the relationship between UNEP and NGOs,
and a cross section of environmental
especially those in the South, will continue to grow from strength to strength.”
organisations.

For further information on how to get Desire Upenyu Matirekwe

involved, please contact the Regional Office Zimbabwe Environmental Research Organization (ZERO)
Zero@internet.co.zw
for Africa, UNEP.
1
At that time M. Töpfer was also acting Executive Director of UNCHS (Habitat).
The Headquarters of both organisations are situtated in Nairobi, Kenya.
 CONTACTS

List of African H.E. Mr. Fidelis N. Tapgun H.E. Mr. B. D. Mothobi

High Commissioner High Commissioner
Permanent Representatives Permanent Representative Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to UNEP Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zimbabwe to UNEP
to UNEP Lenana Road Minet ICDC House - 6th Floor - Mamlaka Road
P.O. Box 30516, Nairobi P.O. Box 30806, Nairobi
and UNCHS Telephone: 570226/576895/562805 Telephone: 744052, 746546
Telefax: 575871 Telefax: 748079,748882

H.E. Ms. Joy Mukanyange Mrs. Samira Furrer

Ambassador Honorary Consul 9
H.E. Mr. Sid-Ali Ketrandji Permanent Representative Honorary Consulate of Gabon
Ambassador Permanent Mission of the Rwandese Republic to UNEP Hotel Intercontinental
Permanent Representative Kilimani Area, Kayahwe Road P.O. Box 30353, Nairobi
Permanent Mission of the Algeria to UNEP P.O. Box 42209, Nairobi Telephone: 335550 Ext.8900
Comcraft House, Haile Selassie Avenue Telephone: 575975, 575977
P.O. Box 53902, Nairobi Telefax: 575976 Mr. Ibrahim S. Zakhem
Telephone: 213864/6 Honorary Consul
Telefax: 217477 High Commissioner Honorary Consulate of Liberia
Permanent Representative Maendeleo House
Mr. Mohamed Munir Chaudhri Permanent Mission of Republic of South Africa P.O. Box 6095, Nairobi
Honorary Consul Lornho House 17th Floor Telephone: 229981
Permanent Representative P.O. Box 42441, Nairobi Telefax: 340944
Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Comoros to UNEP Telephone: 215616-8/228469
Jamia Plaza, 1st Floor, Kigali Street Telefax: 223687 Mrs. Sabine Andriananarisoa
P.O. Box 43912, Nairobi Honorary Consular
Telephone: 222964/226503 H.E. Mr. Faroug Ali Mohamed Consulate of the Democratic Republic of Madagascar
Telefax: 222564 Ambassador Hilton Hotel
Permanent Representative P.O. Box 41723, Nairobi
H.E. Dr. Refaat El-Ansary Permanent Mission of the Republic of Sudan to UNEP Telephone: 225286, 226494
Ambassador Minet ICDC House Telefax: 252347
Permanent Representative P.O. Box 48784, Nairobi
Permanent Mission of the Arab Republic of Egypt to UNEP Telephone: 720853/4, 720883/9 H.E. Mr. Francisco Elias Paulo Cigarro
Kingara Road, Lavington Telefax: 710612 High Commissioner
P.O. Box 30285, Nairobi Permanent Representative
Telephone: 570360/570278/298 H.E. Solomon M.N. Dlamini High Commission of the Republic of Mozambique
Telefax: 570383 High Commissioner Bruce House, 3th Floor
Permanent Representative Standard Street
H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ali Omaro Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Swaziland to UNEP P. O. Box 66923, Nairobi
Ambassador Silopark House Telephone: 221979/214191
Permanent Representative P.O. Box 41887, Nairobi Telefax: 222446
Permanent Mission of the State of Eritrea to UNEP Telephone: 339231/2
Kirkdale House Telefax: 330540 Mr. Jean F. Antoine
P.O. Box 38651, Nairobi Honorary Consul General
Telephone: 443163/4 H.E. Major General M.H. Sarakikya Honorary Consulate General of the Republic of Seychelles
Telefax: 443165 High Commissioner 114, James Gichuru Road, Lavington
Permanent Representative P. O. Box 13780
H.E. Mr. Toshome Toga Permanent Mission of the United Republic of Tanzania to UNEP Nairobi
Ambassador P.O. Box 47790, Nairobi Telephone: 562346
Permanent Representative Telephone 331056/7, 331104, 331093 Telefax: 562346
Permanent Mission of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to UNEP Telefax: 218269
State House Avenue Mr. Chris J. Kirubi
P.O. Box 45198, Nairobi H.E. Mr. Francis K. Butagira Honorary Consulate of Ghana
Telephone: 723035, 723027 & 723053 High Commissioner International House
Telefax: 723401 Permanent Representative P.O. Box 41931, Nairobi
Permanent Mission of Uganda to UNEP Kenya
H.E. Prof. Michael K. Koech Uganda House Telephone: 228073/215316
Permanent Representative P.O. Box 60853, Nairobi Telefax: 229265
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kenya to UNEP Telephone: 330801, 330814, 330834
K.I.C.C. Telefax: 330970 H.E. Mr. Fuad A. Sasso
P.O. Box 41395, Nairobi Honorary Consul
Telephone: 337290, 332383 Exts. 34146 Mr. Gaspard Mugaruka Bin-Mubibi Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Sierra Leone
Telefax: 215105 First Counsellor P.O. Box 30682
Charge d’Affaires a.i. Nairobi
H.E. Mrs. Jessie P.A. Ndisale Permanent Mission of Democratic Republic Telephone: 530230/8, 541442
High Commissioner of Congo to UNEP Telefax: 533095/533772
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Malawi to UNEP Electricity House
Westlands, off Waiyaki Way P.O. Box 48106, Nairobi Mr. Moulood A. Jreibi
P.O. Box 30453, Nairobi Telephone: 22977l-2, 223893 Charge d’Affaires
Telephone: 440569 (8 lines) Fax: 334539 Libyan Arab Jamahirya
Telefax: 440568 P.O. Box 47190 , Nairobi
H.E. Ms. W.W. Sinkala Telephone: 250380/247848
H.E. Mr. Mohammed Chraibi High Commissioner Telefax: 243730
Ambassador Permanent Representative
Permanent Representative Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to UNEP
Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Morocco to UNEP Nyerere Road - Opposite Uhuru Park
Jabavu Road, Hurlingham P.O. Box 48741, Nairobi
P. O. Box 61098, Nairobi Telephone: 724796, 724799, 724850
Telephone: 710647 Telefax: 718494/710664
Telefax: 719840

Meet the
Moroccan Permanent
Representative to UNEP:
In his own words - In his own words - In his own words
10
is Excellency Mr. Mohammed
H Chraibi, Ambassador of the Kingdom
of Morocco to Kenya, Comoros,
Seychelles and Madagascar, was born in Fes
in 1949. After his graduation from the National
School of Public Administration (Diplomatic
Section) in 1974, he joined the Division of
International Organizations at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in Rabat. He then served as
First Secretary and Counsellor at the
Permanent Mission of Morocco to the United
Nations in Geneva, as the Charge d’Affaires
in Belgrade and Head of the Ceremonial and
Accreditations Division in Rabat. In early
1998, Mr. Chraibi arrived in Kenya where, in
addition to his bilateral responsibilities, he is
Morocco’s Permanent Representative to UNEP
and UNCHS (Habitat).
He has kindly given an interview to Ms.
Meryem Amar-Samnotra for ROANews,
sharing views on a wide range of topics of
relevance to Africa:
(Question)
Firstly, there is a sense of pride in the fact that
the headquarters of two prestigious
international organizations, the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and
the United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements (Habitat) are on African soil, in
Kenya. Kenya is among the most committed
and open of the developing countries on
questions relating to partnership for the
conservation of natural resources and
sustainable development since the Stockholm
Conference in 1972.
But I think that beyond Kenya, there is
tremendous recognition by the international
community of the crucial role that the whole
of Africa has to play in the global process of
fighting for the restoration of fundamental
environmental balances and for the
improvement of living conditions for current
generations whilst preserving the right of
future generations to a healthy and balanced
environment.
The fact that the Secretary-General of the
United Nations has decided to enhance the
United Nations presence in Nairobi to the
rank of a United Nations Office, like the one
in Geneva is also a strong signal. This responds
to the wish of the international community to
give the United Nations structure in Nairobi
the means appropriate to its influence and
involvement in the conduct of activities,
programmes and negotiations of international
importance in the areas of environment and
DIPLOMATIC COLUMN
sustainable development.
UNEP, and recently UNCHS, have shown a
remarkable capacity and ability to direct their
policies in a more targeted and realistic way
towards global questions of concern to the
international community. This has, without
doubt, allowed the necessary spotlight to be
cast on the effectiveness of their role and as a
consequence the sympathy and commitment
of member States to consolidate and support
the work of these two organizations has been
gained.
On another level, UNEP has always
considered Africa as one of its priorities and
that surely gives us, as African leaders, a sense
of pride. However, it also imposes on us a
sense of responsibility towards Africa in
particular and the international community
in general, in the fight against the degradation
of the environment and for the preservation
of the rights of all Africans to a healthy
environment and a decent social life that
favours the fulfilment and development of the
intellectual and creative capacities of
Africans.
(Question)
In short, I would say that there is one priority
and that is development, sustainable and
equitable development.
There are a number of obstacles to the
realization of this goal that weigh heavily on
Africa such as poverty, the degradation of the
environment, armed conflicts, AIDS, the
population explosion, drought, the decline
in official development assistance, the
external debt burden and waste due to lack
of social transparency and a sort of laxity vis-
a-vis strict compliance with the criteria of
good governance and sound management of
the natural and human resources in which
Africa abounds.
The eighth session of the African Ministerial
Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in
Abuja, April 2000, identified a number of
environmental priorities in Africa and adopted
a plan of action to respond to the major
challenges under a strategy approved by
African ministers of the environment.
For its part, UNEP, under the guidance of its
Executive Director, Mr. Klaus Töpfer, has also
defined a strategy called “Joining hands” that
attempts to identify the means and methods
required to take up the challenges that face
African policies in the area of the
environment. Mr. Töpfer, who has always
spoken on behalf of Africa in all international
forums, considers this strategy paper to be a
decisive step towards the consolidation of
cooperation between UNEP and Africa to
make it more targeted, consistent and efficient.
(Question)
In general, the meetings of the Governing
Council of UNEP/Global Ministerial
Environment Forum offer the occasion for
highlevel debate on emerging questions and
major challenges in the area of the
environment and the means and methods with
which the international community can
address them.
The twenty-first session should, in my opinion,
confront the priorities identified in Malmöˆ,
where the international community concluded
that it was necessary to refocus UNEP activities
in order that they respond directly to the most
urgent questions in areas where environmental
vulnerability is the most significant. With a
view to sustainable development, Africa is
waiting for brave decisions to be taken and
for key debates to be launched on such
important questions as poverty, international
cooperation and capacity-building in
developing countries in environmental
matters.
The twenty-first session of the Governing
Council should also concentrate on the
question of strengthening the capacities of
UNEP and its mandate, and giving an outline
plan for efficient coordination with the other
United Nations agencies. The Governing
Council should further prepare the ground for
a new dynamic of cooperation between UNEP
and potential donors.
(Question)
I would like to take this opportunity to

congratulate South Africa and the whole of
Africa on having the privilege of hosting this
historic summit. In my opinion, Africa will
come to the summit with a great deal of hope
and commitment for a better environmental
future for the whole planet.
It is true that the general tendency in the world
environment is towards degradation. Africa,
however, is counting on the wisdom of the
international community to make this summit
into a decisive turning point providing historic
decisions and a clear strategy for the good of
the environment and the whole of mankind
for this new millennium.
Africa should, for its part, contribute actively
towards the successful outcome of this
process. The summit should, to my mind, deal
with fundamental questions and initiate
serious debate on ways of making
international cooperation work as far as the
environment is concerned. Global partnership
towards sustainable development should be
the objective that guides the work of this long-
awaited summit.
For its part, UNEP should play a more
significant role in the future configuration of
the institutional machinery relating to the
world environment. Let us hope that the
summit will be the time to strengthen UNEP’s
activities and its contribution to the shaping
of this global partnership for sustainable
development.
(Question)
For African countries in general, and Morocco
in particular, the struggle to combat poverty
is an urgent and multidimensional issue that
has a great impact on the health of citizens
and the environmental balance.
The promotion of the environment, and
economic and social development in general,
certainly intertwine with the advancement of
women, in both rural and urban
environments, and their fundamental rights.
His Majesty King Mohammed VI is conscious
of the important role that Moroccan women
play in development and the transitional
government is well aware of matters linked
to people’s social prosperity. The King has
therefore made the advancement of women
the theme of his policies with sustained
commitment in concrete and targeted
programmes to combat all kinds of social,
cultural and economic discrimination towards
women.
Be they advisers to His Majesty, ministers,
ambassadors, members of parliament,
businesswomen or judges, Moroccan women
now have access to all the positions that in
the past were only open to men. The
schooling of girls in rural areas, literacy
programmes for women and social assistance
to women in precarious situations are all part
of the will of the King and His Government
DIPLOMATIC COLUMN
to bring about the total fulfilment of women,
their integration in development and their
advancement.
Furthermore, the Government of Morocco has
recently elaborated, in keeping with its
international commitments, a plan for the
integration of women in development that
resulted from dialogue with all the
representatives of Moroccan civil society
through an integrated and participatory
approach.
At the institutional level, the Government, led
by Mr. Abderrahmane Youssoufi, includes a
department that deals with matters relating
to the promotion and the status of women:
the Ministry for Women’s Affairs, the
Protection of the Family and Children and
Integration of Handicapped People, headed
by Mrs. Nezha Chekrouni.
The Moroccan Government has also drawn
up a project to create a national women’s
commission to be headed by the Prime
Minister and has decided to set up a standing
commission in charge of promoting the image
of women in the media and designating
“gender and development” focal points in all
the ministries.
(Question)
In 1994, Morocco adopted a national strategy
for the protection of the environment and
sustainable development that defined four
priorities to redress the national
environmental situation: the protection of
water, reduction of waste and improvement
of its management, the improvement of air
quality and protection of the land.
The national strategy specifies quality
objectives and defines results expected in the
medium term (2005) and in the long term
(2020). In the medium term, it is a matter of
stabilizing levels of degradation to the levels
of 1992. The aim for 2020 is to reduce and
reverse the degradation trend. It establishes
precise and progressive indicators that allow
for monitoring of the evolution of the state of
the environment. The strategy emphasizes a
series of general and multisectoral
recommendations:
1. To integrate the environment in decision-
making;
2. To give emphasis to population and health
issues;
3. To act first on pollution factors;
4. To take action through research,
information and training.
Morocco has also adopted a national plan of
action for the environment, through a
participatory and integrated approach, that
defines the methods for implementation of the
national strategy.
As far as legal support is concerned, Morocco
has prepared a national bill on the
environment and sectoral laws that have come
at just the right time to fill the legal void that
existed. Morocco has also ratified all the Rio
conventions, on biological diversity, climate
change and desertification.
(Question)
I think that the choice of this theme for the
first year of the third millennium is symbolic. 11
Dialogue between civilizations, in the context
of globalization, is essential for the
development of international cooperation and
the prevention of conflicts between members
of international society.
Without constructive dialogue based on the
values of mutual respect and the right to be
different, relations between peoples would be
of a conflictual nature. It goes without saying
that the roots of discrimination and racism are
to be found in ignorance and lack of tolerance.
Throughout its long history, Morocco has
always advocated tolerance, good-
neighbourliness, the settling of disputes by
peaceful means and the promotion of
international cooperation. Morocco is driven
by its deep Islamic culture, which is firmly
rooted in the structure of its society, and
through its political stances it takes care to
show the image of a moderate Islam, tolerant
and open to the other cultures, religions and
societies of the world. His Majesty the King
personifies this image of an Islam of dialogue,
tolerance, conciliation, mediation and one
hand outstretched to another.
Morocco’s diplomatic policy has always been
imbued with these values. Moreover, it was
in this spirit of openness and dialogue that
the late King Hassan II received Pope John
Paul II in Casablanca in 1985. Dialogue
between cultures, religions and civilizations
may be said to be an abiding feature of
modern Morocco’s external relations.
Even more than in the past, Africa today needs
this culture of dialogue and international
solidarity. Mankind’s destiny is one. The
challenges are global and the answers should
be too. Dialogue between civilizations gives
mankind the opportunity to be more in touch
with its own grievances, diagnose its problems
and better respond to the needs of present and
future generations.
Morocco has the privilege of being a meeting
point of the world’s ideas, cultures and
religions through being African, Arab and
Muslim and through its geographical
proximity to Europe. Therefore, its vision of
the world has been shaped throughout history
by the currents of
multidimensional and
spontaneous exchange
that have made it into a
land of encounter and
a place of openness and
active solidarity.

Environment and the
Special Needs of Africa
12
he Year 2000 constituted a unique
T
and symbolically compelling
moment to articulate an “lively
vision for the United Nations in the new era”
(A/RES/54/254 of 24 March 2000. The United
Nations General Assembly, therefore,
designated its fifty-fifth session in 2000 as the
“Millennium Assembly of the United Nations”
and convened, as an integral part of the
Millennium Assembly, a Millennium Summit.
The largest number of world leaders in history
gathered at the United Nations from 6 to 8
September in New York to discuss the most
critical issues facing the world in the twenty-
first century, including poverty eradication,
globalisation and peace. The Millennium
Summit drew together 100 Heads of State,
47 Heads of Government, three crown
princes, Five Vice-presidents, three Deputy
Ministers and an additional 8,000 delegates
and 5,500 journalists. Representatives of the
civil society also used the occasion to organise
a myriad of events aiming at promoting
“sustainable globalisation” world democracy
and world peace.
The Millennium Declaration, adopted by
Heads of State and Governments spells out
values and principles as well as goals in the
key priority areas of peace, development, the
environment, human rights, protecting the
vulnerable, the special needs of Africa and
strengthening the UN Summit participants.
They “reaffirmed their faith in the United
Nations and its Charter as indispensable
foundations of a more peaceful, prosperous
and just world.”
Nairobi, 11 September 2000 - The Millennium
Summit Declaration reveals a strengthened
commitment to the environment and
recognizes the link between respect for nature
and world peace.
The Executive Director of UNEP welcomed
the Summit’s special reference to the
importance of ratifying the Kyoto Protocol on
climate change so that it enters into force as
soon as possible. He also expressed the hope
that the Declaration will give added
momentum to the adoption of a new ethic of
global environmental stewardship and
responsibility.
THE MILLENNIUM SUMMIT
Selected Statements at the Millennium Summit
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF UNEP
“The more than 150 Heads of State and
Government gathering in New York this week
have an unprecedented opportunity to shape
the international agenda for the twenty-first
century and enter into a new era of global
solidarity. Nothing less will be expected of
them nothing less is needed - for the
Governments they represent, for the United
Nations, for the environment and for the
peoples of the world. The United Nations
Millennium Summit offers an opportunity that
must be grasped, particularly if we are to begin
to tackle the root causes of global
environmental degradation and use such
recent unprecedented economic growth to
tackle pervasive poverty, inequity in
distribution of wealth, and the oppressive debt
burden. As a minimum, we must have a fuller
understanding of the process known as
globalisation. Increased trade and investment
flows have bypassed the majority of
developing countries which face degrading
environments and growing political and social
instability. Clearly, economic growth does not
guarantee fairness or opportunity. If human
progress is the ultimate goal, greater attention
needs to be given by the world’s leaders to
the quality rather than the quantity of
economic growth.”
This commitment is embodied in the Malmö
Declaration, in which the Ministers noted that
“At the dawn of this new century, we have at
our disposal the human and material
resources to achieve sustainable
development, not as an abstract concept but
as a concrete reality. We can decrease poverty
by half by 2015 without degrading the
environment. We can ensure environmental
security through early warning. We can better
integrate environmental considerations into
economic policy, we can better coordinate
legal instruments and we can realise a vision
of a world without slums. We commit
ourselves to realising the common vision.”
KENYA
“From our own region - Africa - the issues of
peace and security and the challenges of
Bernard Wahihia
development have tended to predominate.
We are confident, Secretary-General, that the
process you initiated will allow Africa’s voice
to be heard with greater clarity, and I hope,
with greater urgency. The first few months of
the new millennium have not been kind to
Africa. We have suffered from severe and
extreme weather conditions. In my own
country, we have had to face the worst
drought since independence. This has set
back the process of economic growth and
recovery. We, in Africa, work hard to advance
the sometimes slow pace of development. The
total failure of the rains this year makes our
task harder and our targets all the more
difficult to achieve, even more important,
there has been a high human cost to pay. At
this Millennium Assembly, declare our
confidence and faith in the future of Africa. I
hope you share this confidence too. Our
people - our greatest resource - deserve no
less.”
MOZAMBIQUE
“I would like to take this historic opportunity
to express, on behalf of the people and the
Government of Mozambique, my warmest
thanks to all those sister countries and the
international community as a whole, for the
fast response and helpful support provided to
us with the floods that affected the southern
and central zones of Mozambique in which
our infrastructure was destroyed and many
lives were lost. I am happy to report that most
families who were displaced by the floods
have been resettled in safe areas. However, I
must stress that they still require assistance to
satisfy their basic needs in terms of food items
and shelter. The greatest lesson we have
learned from the flood situation is that
although the media were rapid in making the
drama known worldwide, the lack of
appropriate means and mechanisms for
management and prevention of natural
disasters did not allow all of us to respond as
quickly as the situation required.”
NAMIBIA
“Given the present situation today, it is
imperative that special attention be given to

Africa’s many conflicts and needs. In the view
of my delegation, the following are some of
the important matters that the Council should
pay close attention to:
Firstly, the Council should, at all times, uphold
the purposes and principles of the Charter of
the United Nations. It should ensure equal
importance to, and undertake swift response
to the breaches of international peace and
security in all regions of the world, and not
treat Africa only as an afterthought. Secondly,
recent events have demonstrated the
invaluable role that regional and sub-regional
organizations such as the OAU, SADC and
ECOWAS can play in maintaining or restoring
international peace and security. The efforts
of these organizations should be supported
on the basis of regular consultations and
cooperation.”
NIGERIA
“The new millennium is being shaped by
forces of globalisation that are turning our
world into a village . . . But up to now,
globalisation has meant prosperity only for
the chosen few of the industrialised countries.
For us in the developing world, globalisation
will continue to ring hollow and be of dubious
value, until we see its positive effects on our
fortunes. In short, globalisation has to be seen
to mean the eradication of poverty.”
SOUTH AFRICA
“The billions of people we represent expect
that a strong, clear, unequivocal and
understandable message of hope will come
out of this historic Millennium Summit.
In this regard we will have to ensure that the
poor play their role not as recipients of
largesse and goodwill, but as co-determinants
of what happens to the common universe of
which they are an important part. The
essential question we have to answer at this
Millennium Summit is whether we have the
courage and the conscience to demonstrate
that we have the will to ensure that we permit
no situation that will deny any human
community its dignity. I, like the poor at our
gates, ask the question - will we, at last,
respond to this appeal!”
UNITED KINGDOM
“There can be hope for Africa. There is
political leadership, business opportunity and
above all the will on behalf of people for a
better future in Africa. We must be partners
in the search for change and hope. By 2004,
under the new British Government, we will
have increased our aid budget by 70 per cent
since 1997, much of it going to Africa. We
have pushed forward on debt relief. Yet
individually, none of us have a decisive
impact. We need the economies of scale that
closer co-ordination brings. We need the
political will to broker change that only comes
by combining our efforts. We should use this
unique Summit for a concrete purpose: to start
the process of agreeing a way forward for
THE MILLENNIUM SUMMIT
Africa. For the first time, we have in one place
the leaders who hold Africa’s destiny in their
hands. And so as we continue our discussions
in the roundtables, at the Security Council in
our bilaterals, I urge you all to ask one thing:
What can we do for Africa?
We need a new partnership for Africa, in
which Africans lead but the rest of the world
is committed; where all the problems are dealt
with not separately but together in a coherent
and unified plan. Britain stands ready to play
its part with the rest of the world and the
leaders of Africa in formulating such a plan.”
UGANDA
“Poverty eradication is yet another challenge
we are faced with. The majority of people
living in poverty, are in developing countries.
The well-celebrated globalization presents
many opportunities but, has always presented
unfair terms of trade. In our view, globalisation
has always existed. The era of the slave trade
where human beings were exchanged for
trinkets and whisky was a form of
globalisation, but an unfair one. It was an
exchange of value for no value. What,
therefore is needed, is fair terms of trade.
However, fair terms of trade are not enough.
On our part, as developing countries, the era
of being mere producers of raw materials must
come to an end. We must focus on adding
value to all goods before putting them on the
market. This, in our view, is the only way
everybody can benefit from globalisation and
in the long run, eradicate poverty. We must
work to ensure that nobody continues to live
in abject poverty. Globalisation should not
leave any country or anybody behind.”
UNITED STATES
We meet at a remarkable moment - when
more of the world’s people enjoy prosperity,
freedom, and democracy than ever before.
We are unlocking the human genome,
exploring new frontiers of science, drawing
nearer together through the most
extraordinary technology. Yet the Secretary-
General, in his Millennium Report, reminds
us that our greatest challenges are all unmet:
to free humanity from poverty, disease, and
war; to reverse environmental destruction;
and to make this United Nations a more
effective instrument in pursuing all these aims
. . . The bloodiest wars in human history
belong now to another century. We have a
chance for a fresh start. Can we seize this
chance for peace? The answer is not waiting
to be revealed; it is waiting to be created by
the force of our actions. For history, to us, is
what we react.”
Excerpts of this article were taken from Issue
no 62 (September 2000) of the NGLS
Roundup, prepared by the United Nations
Non-Governmental Liaison Service.
AROUND THE WORLD
UNEP IN BRIEF
July - Inauguration of the UNEP World
Conservation Monitoring Centre in
Cambridge, United Kingdom. 3rd meeting of
the Governing Council of the Parties to the
Lusaka Agreement, Nairobi, Kenya.
13
August - 1st cleaner production and
sustainable consumption roundtable for
Africa, Nairobi, Kenya. 2nd workshop on
strengthening the operation of the Basel
Convention Regional Centres for Training and
Technology Transfer worldwide, San Salvador,
El Salvador. Millennium World Peace Summit
of Religious and Spiritual Leaders and launch
of UNEP and the Interfaith Partnership’s book
Earth and Faith: A Book of Reflection for
Action.
September - United Nations Millennium
Summit, New York. Awards ceremony for
prize winners of UNEP’s International
Photographic Competition on the
environment “Focus on your World”.
Convention on Migratory Species Standing
Committee, Bonn, Germany. International
Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
INFOTERRA 2000, Global Conference on
Facilitating Access to Environmental
Information, Dublin, Ireland. UNEP/HABITAT
Sustainable Cities Programme (SCP) and
Urban Development Forum (UEF) meetings,
Cape Town.
October - 1st workshop on national reporting
and national inventories of hazardous wastes,
Pretoria, South Africa. 6th international high-
level seminar on cleaner production,
Montreal, Canada. Special Session of the
African Ministerial Conference on the
Environment (AMCEN), Dakar, Senegal.
Opening of new Regional Office for North
America in Washington. Executive Director’s
historic visit to North Korea. 7th session of
the intergovernmental negotiating committee
for an international legally binding instrument
for the application of the Rotterdam
Convention.
November - 10th international painting
contest “Through the eyes of children,
preserve the oceans, skies and forests for the
21st century”. UNEP team assesses impact of
depleted uranium in Kosovo. UNEP Sasakawa
Environment Prize awarded to Dr. Michel
Batisse. 3rd Global meeting of Regional Seas
Conventions and Action Plans, Monaco. 6th
session of the Conference of Parties to the
United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, The Hague, Netherlands.
December - 1st meeting of the
intergovernmental committee on the
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, Montpelier,
France. 12th meeting of the Parties to the
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete
the Ozone layer, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
4th session of the Conference of the Parties to
the Convention to Combat Desertification,
Bonn, Germany. Governments finalized the
treaty on persistent organic pollutants in
Johannesburg, South Africa. International
Biodiversity Day.

Recent Developments
14
Development and Periodic Review of
Environmental Law
Montevideo Programme III
The draft Montevideo Programme III has been
prepared through the meetings of high-level
expert groups and the Meeting of Senior
Government Officials Expert in Environmental
Law, held in Nairobi from 23 to 27 October
2000 with the participation of 85 delegates.
The new programme, the third UNEP long-
term programme in environmental law, will
provide UNEP with strategic guidance in the
field of environmental law for the first decade
of the 21st century, following the successful
implementation of the Montevideo
Programmes I and II. The draft Montevideo
Programme III consists of twenty programme
areas, ranging from implementation,
compliance and enforcement to military
activities and the environment, thus providing
legal responses to major environmental
challenges of the new millennium. It will be
submitted for adoption by the 21st session of
the Governing Council in February 2001.
________________________________________
African Environment Outlook -
A Unique Report in the making
The AMCEN Inter-sessional Committee,
which met in Malmö, Sweden, on 31 May
2000, requested the production of the first
Africa Environment Outlook report to be
launched at the AMCEN session to be held in
Kampala, Uganda in April 2002. In response
to this request, the AMCEN Secretariat, in
collaboration with UNEP’s Division of Early
Warning and Assessment, has embarked on a
process to produce the Africa Environment
Outlook report to be published in early 2002.
The report will provide:
• A detailed analysis of the state of the
environment and of trends in major
environmental sectors since the
environment first came onto the global
agenda at the Stockholm Conference in
1972;
• An in-depth look at Africa on emerging
issues affecting the continent;
• A valuable opportunity for AMCEN to take
stock of policy performance and
effectiveness in response to the observed
state, trends and impacts over the same
period;
• An assessment of the various policy
options for the next 30 years;
• A review of recommended “doable”
policy actions at national and sub-regional
levels.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
• Inputs to the 2002 World Summit on
Sustainable Development.
Key sections of the report will cover a state of
the environment retrospective (1972-2002),
outlook for the next thirty years (2002-2032)
and a “synthesis and action” chapter.
• The production of the report will rely on
a network of regional multi-disciplinary
African institutions that collaborated with
UNEP in the production of the GEO report
series.
• The centres will network with institutions
in their respective sub-regions that have
the required sectoral expertise to cover
environmental sectors pertaining to
sustainable development.
• Collaboration Centres will use innovative
and cutting-edge methodologies such as
integrated modelling, scenario and
indicator development and policy
dialogue to assess the state of the
environment, analyse environment
development interactions, conduct
research on alternative futures, and arrive
at realistic proposals for ways to tackle
the merging problems identified.
________________________________________
The Lusaka Agreement on cooperative
enforcement operations directed at illegal
trade in wild fauna and flora
African governments are eager to ensure that
they succeed in their efforts to reduce and
ultimately eliminate the illegal trade in wild
fauna and flora in Africa. These efforts are
being achieved through effective
implementation of the Lusaka Agreement.
This is a regional law enforcement agreement
implementing CITES in Africa. Adopted in
September 1994, it entered into force in
December 1996. Six African countries are
already party to it, namely Kenya, Uganda,
Tanzania, Lesotho, Zambia and the Republic
of Congo. In addition, Ethiopia, Swaziland
and South Africa are signatories.
The Agreement establishes three bodies. They
are, the Task Force of seconded law
enforcement officers from each Party capable
of operating internationally against illegal
trade in wild fauna and flora; a National
Bureau designated by each Party to guide and
receive from the Task Force information on
illegal trade; and the decision-making body
called the Governing Council of the Parties
that sets policy and reviews actions.
Three Governing Councils of the Parties have
been held to date (March 1997, March 1999
and July 2000). The Task Force secretariat
(LATF) established under the Lusaka
Agreement and hosted by the Government
of Kenya by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)
officially began its activities on 1 June 1999.
Despite the usual teething problems for a new
institution and a lack of financial, human and
technical resources necessary for its
operations, it had a few major successful
operations in 1999 and a few more in 2000
which are still being verified and
investigations conducted. For instance,
activities which took place, in collaboration
with national entities in Kenya, Uganda and
Zambia ranged from disseminating
intelligence information from one national
bureau to another, to conducting joint
intelligence operations, and seizure of
contraband specimens. About six joint overt
operations between the LATF, the Tanzanian
and Kenyan National Bureaus have been
carried out, resulting in seizure of several
elephant tusks, recovery of some ammunition,
and the arrest and prosecution of several
suspects. The LATF is working closely with
other enforcement agencies in Asia following
the seizure of various specimens of wild fauna
and flora.
To jump-start the establishment of the Lusaka
Agreement Task Force, UNEP contributed
funds to support the purchase of essential
equipment required for its activities and
operations. The Norwegian Government has
also provided funding for capacity building
activities. As part of the capacity building
initiatives for the national bureaus designated
to facilitate the implementation of the Lusaka
Agreement at national level, twenty-five
national law enforcement officers from the
Parties” national bureaus underwent a
rigorous three-week course on Specialized
Law Enforcement in July/August 2000.
A Memorandum of Understanding between
CITES and the Lusaka Agreement was
negotiated and signed on 11 April 2000.
Similar arrangements are anticipated in the
future with other organisations, such as the
World Customs Organization and Interpol.
Second Meeting of the Task Force on the
Strategic Action Programme (SAP) of the
Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden
The SAP Task Force whose members are
UNEP, the World Bank, UNDP and the
Governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan,
Yemen, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia met in
Khartoum from 30 September to 1 October
2000 under the Chairmanship of Dr. Nizar
Tawfiq, the Secretary-General of the
Programme on the Environment of the Red
Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The purpose was to review progress made in
the past eleven months.
The Task Force confirmed its recognition of
the work undertaken since October 1999 and
made a number of important decisions. An
allocation of US $36 million over a five-year
period has been made allocated for the
implementation of the SAP. UNEP, the World
Bank and UNDP, through the Global
Environment Facility, provided a contribution
of US$ 18 million and the governments of the
region and their co-operation partners secured
US$ 18 million in co-financing.

The SAP focuses on several key issues and
progress in these fields will be constantly
evaluated and monitored:
• Capacity building for regional
cooperation;
• Reducing navigation risks and maritime
pollution;
• Sustainable use and management of living
marine resources;
• Conservation of habitats and biological
diversity;
• Development of a regional network of
marine protected areas;
• Support for integrated coastal zone
management; and
• Enhancement of public awareness and
participation through information and
mobilisation campaigns.
______________________________________
Project on environmental law and
institutions in Africa
Phase I of the UNEP/UNDP/Dutch Joint
Project on Environmental Law and Institutions,
funded by the Dutch Government through a
donation of US$ 5 million commenced in
1994 and ended on 31 December 2000. The
overall policy guidance and supervision rests
with the Project Steering Committee
comprising FAO, IUCN, the World Bank,
UNDP, UNEP and the Dutch Government.
The first phase has been implemented
systematically in seven African countries,
namely Burkina Faso, Malawi, Mozambique,
Sao Tome & Principe, Kenya, Tanzania and
Uganda. In the first five countries, the focus
is on country specific activities. In the last
three, the East African countries, the project
was concerned with issues of a sub-regional
character requiring development and
harmonisation of laws to address sectoral
issues.
Project activities in Phase I fell under four
broad categories.
First, capacity building in the development of
environmental law. This entails working with
nationals to review existing environmental
policies/laws and drafting new statutes and
implementing regulations.
Second, the project entailed the training of
national lawyers, senior policy-makers and
parliamentarians to develop capacity for the
implementation of environmental agreements.
Third, the project strengthened institutional
infrastructure through the provision of basic
equipment such as computers, photocopiers
and fax machines as well as books
and documentation, all of which
support institutional operation, environmental
policy development, environmental
legislation and teaching or research in
environmental law.
Fourth, the project sought to promote teaching
of environmental law at the university level.
AMCEN - DAKAR
This is considered the basis of sustainable
capacity development.
Two independent evaluation exercises
recommended (1) that the project be extended
to Phase II; (2) that Phase II be expanded to
benefit more African countries; and (3) that
more donors be sought and invited to join
the Dutch Government in sponsoring the
Project.
For its part, the Dutch Government, though
not yet specific on the magnitude of support
to the next Phase, has confirmed its
participation in the project provided that at
least two or more additional donors join in
with substantial financial commitment. The
Norwegian Government has committed US$
500,000 for two years (2000-2001). The
African Development Bank has also
confirmed its intention to join the partnership
by making an in-kind contribution, details of
which will be elaborated later. Consultations
with prospective donors have been on going
and five more donors have expressed interest.
______________________________________
Peace and Sustainable Development
in Africa
In November 2000, the General Assembly of
the United Nations began its consideration
of the causes of conflict and the promotion of
durable peace and sustainable development
in Africa. Speakers discussed the gap between
the number of initiatives proposed for Africa
and the lack of results, the need for the
effective settlement of conflicts and the
paucity of attention and resources directed
to Africa compared to other efforts - such as
those undertaken in a devastated Europe in
1945, which led to a generous and sustained
infusion of capital under the Marshall Plan.
Two Resolutions (A/RES/55/216 and A/RES/55/
217) were adopted. They took note, with great
concern, of the debt burden of many African
countries, as debt servicing continues to drain
what limited resources there are for
development. The final review and appraisal
of the new agenda for the development of
Africa will take place at the fifty-sixth session
of the General Assembly later this year.
______________________________________
Lessons from the 1997-98 El Niño
UNEP, in cooperation with the National
Centre for Atmospheric Research (Boulder,
Colorado, USA), has been awarded a grant
by the United Nations Foundation (UNF) to
carry out a study of the impacts of the 1997-
98 El Niño on sixteen countries. This
assessment reviews forecasts and impacts of
the 1997-98 El Niño in sixteen countries. The
project covers three countries in Africa
(Ethiopia, Kenya and Mozambique). The
executive summary (which can be found
online at http://www.esig.ucar.edu/un)
concludes that:
- In Ethiopia, which known for its local
small-scale climate regimes, there should
be an improved capacity of the regions,
in terms of skill improvement, access to
information and resource capability, to
issue their own forecasts. This could
reduce the time spent in communication
between the regions and the central
government.
- In Kenya, the national economic and
political conditions at the time of the onset
of the El Niño phenomenon were a 15
determining factor in its impact on society.
The government needs to identify the
country’s climate-sensitive hazards and
channel expertise into a central
coordinating unit to increase the
effectiveness of early warning and
monitoring.
- In Mozambique, investments in weather
forecasting are generally neglected
because they are perceived to be high in
cost and the results do not seem evident
— until disaster strikes. It is therefore
important to strengthen international and
regional forecasting networks and to
include local participation.
El Niño, the anomalous appearance of warm
sea surface temperatures in the central and
eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, recurs every
two to seven years and is becoming a
predicable part of the global climate system.
The study calls for international funding to
map populations, regions and sectors of
society at risk. Identifying such climate-related
vulnerabilities can help governments refocus
development priorities.
______________________________________
World Resources 2000-2001
People and Ecosystems
World Resources 2000-2001 was produced
by the World Resources Institute in
collaboration with UNEP, UNDP and the
World Bank. This millennial edition focuses
on five critical ecosystems that have been
shaped by the interaction of the physical
environment, biological conditions and
human intervention : croplands, forests,
coastal zones, freshwater systems and
grasslands.
A chapter in the report is devoted to the
conservation efforts of the people of
Machakos in Kenya who survive in the face
of drought, poverty, and land degradation. It
describes how, for the Akamba “necessity is
the mother of conservation”. Husbanding
water, building soil conservation structures,
tree planting and farmed terraces offer a
“dramatic example of how knowledge,
innovation and respect for the vital services
that soil and water provide have enabled
people to restore and even increase the
productivity of severely degraded lands.”
The full report is available online at
www.wri.org/wr/2000.

A In September 1999, at a UNEP - African
model cooperation
by
Dr. Moses Isooba,
Executive Secretary
he relationship between the United
T UNEP supported UWS in participating in the
Nations and civil society has
changed beyond all recognition.
Civil society groups have been empowered
as true guardians of democracy and good
governance. UNEP has been one of the
pioneers in this initiative to establish
partnerships with credible and legitimate
NGOs. Uganda Wildlife Society availed itself
this opportunity and was warmly welcomed
into UNEP’s fold.
The Uganda Wildlife Society (UWS) is an
advocacy and independent environmental
public policy research organization whose
mission is to promote the conservation of
wildlife and the environment in Uganda.
The environmental policy problems are
numerous and some of them seem
insurmountable. However, the Society has
attempted to delineate specific problems that
can be addressed to produce desired impacts
within the given time, human resources and
internal administrative structure constraints.
UWS has benefited from its close
collaboration with UNEP to achieve its
desired goals in this regard.
HYPERLINK http://www.unep.org http://www.unep.org
Email: HYPERLINK mailto:ROA.Information.Officer@unep.org ROA.Information.Officer@unep.org
Text development
UNEP Coordinator: Meryem Amar-Samnotra
Production: Communications and Public Information Branch
Design: Design Line Limited
NGO COLUMN - UNEP AND THE UGANDA WILDLIFE SERVICE
NGOs Partnership in Action Meeting, hosted
by the Division of Policy Development and
Law, a Task Force was created to work closely
with UNEP. UWS was honoured by the civil
society delegates from over 22 African nations
to be the East African Regional Focal point.
This is a responsibility that we have assumed
with pleasure and a sense of commitment.
1999 Seoul International Conference of
NGOs whose theme was ”the role of NGOs
in the 21st Century: Inspire, Empower and
Act”. Other delegates and the organisers
enthusiastically supported the African NGOs
Declaration. Thereafter, we participated in the
eighth Session of AMCEN held in Abuja,
Nigeria where we were able to articulate
issues on environmental procedural rights.
UWS was also an active participant in the
NGO Forum prior to the first Global
Ministerial Environment Forum in Malmö,
Sweden.
The continuous participation in UNEP’s
organized fora and the unending interaction
with UNEP’s global headquarters staff
provides an opportunity for UWS to
participate in shaping the global
environmental agenda and providing input
into issues of environmental governance. As
a result, UWS has already initiated dialogue
on its participation in the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (Rio+10) PrepCom
process.
UNEP
Regional Office for Africa
Tel: 254 2 62 42 85 • Fax: 254 2 62 39 28
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expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the publisher or the participating organizations concerning the legal status of any country,
territory or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR THE
NEXT THREE MONTHS
January 2001
Continental Conference for Africa on
Unwanted Stockpiles of Hazardous Wastes,
Morocco (8 to 12) - 24th International
Postgraduate Course on Environmental
Management, Dresden, Germany (10 to 11) -
African Regional CSD 9, Nairobi, Kenya (10
to 13) - Workshop on Energy Policy Reform
and Sustainable Development, Bangkok,
Thailand (15 to 17) - IPCC Working Group I,
Geneva, Switzerland (17 to 19) - International
Workshop on Financing Sustainable Forest
Management, Oslo, Norway (22 to 25) -
Environmental Management Group (22,
Geneva, Switzerland - Liaison Group on
Agricultural Biodiversity and the Ecosystem
Conservation Group, Rome, Italy (24 to 26) -
Global Biodiversity Outlook Advisory Group,
Geneva, Switzerland (25 to 26) - UNCTAD
Workshop on Environmental Accounting and
Reporting, Nairobi, Kenya (29 to 31) - UN
Economic and Social Council organisational
session, UN Headquarters, New York (30
January to 2 February).
February 2001
UNEP-NGO/Multi-stakeholder workshop,
Nairobi, Kenya (1 to 2) - Global Compact in
practice (3 to 4) - Environment 2001
Conference and Exhibition, Abu Dhabi (4 to
8) - 21st session of UNEP’s Governing Council,
Nairobi, Kenya (5 to 9) - 18th Commission on
Human Settlements, Nairobi, Kenya (12 to 16)
- UN Commission for Social Development UN
Headquarters, New York (12 to 22) - Fisheries
Subsidies Workshop, Geneva, Switzerland
(12) - IPCC Working Group II, Buenos Aires,
Argentina (13 to 16) - Interim Chemical
Review Committee on the Rotterdam
Convention on Prior Informed Consent,
Geneva, Switzerland (14 to 18) - UN
Commission on Sustainable Development
Intersessional Working Groups, UNHQ, New
York (26 February to 9 March)
March 2001
International Seminar on Information Systems
of Environmentally Sound Technologies,
Bangkok, Thailand (7 to 9 ) - Informal
Consultation on the proposed Global Strategy
for Plant Conservation, Montreal Canada (11)
-Panel of Experts on Access and Benefit
Sharing (Biodiversity), Montreal, Canada (19
to 22) - 2nd Meeting of the Interim Chemical
Review Committee (Rotterdam Convention),
Rome, Italy (19 to 23) - Meeting on
Environment and Sustainable Development
and Trade, Berlin, Germany (20 to 22) - World
Water Day - 33rd Session of the Executive
Committee to the Multilateral Fund, Montreal,
Canada (22)